Word to the Wise
Friday, November 19, 2010 - Friday in the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
[Revelation 10:8-11 and Luke 19:45-48]Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, "It is written: My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words! [Luke]
Years ago a deranged man with a hammer of some kind went into St. Peter's in Rome and proceeded to start hammering on the exquisite statue by Michelangelo that we know by the title, THE PIETA'. It was a shocking act against a piece of art that many consider sacred! Would folks have been less scandalized if the man had done the same to the store that frequently exists in some parishes that sells the candles and rosaries and missals and other objects of religious devotion that facilitate the prayers of the faithful? Maybe the parallels are not exact with Jesus' action in the temple, but the impact of his act was sufficient to galvanize the "Jerusalem religious establishment" to plot against him in a lethal way! Jesus had gone into a sacred place and seriously damaged one of the essential elements of the "system." In order to perform certain sacrifices required in the Mosaic law, people had to have certain items, which, of course, they could buy there at the temple. The practice is an ancient one that continues in our own day! By interrupting this "system" Jesus seriously "inconvenienced" the whole temple "system." Scripture scholars tell us that this was definitely the "straw that broke the camel's back" as far as the powers that be were concerned. The symbolic quality of the act was not lost on them as well. It was a direct accusation against their power. But, the powers that be could not immediately act! Why not? Because "all the people were hanging on his words." Prophetic words, accompanied by symbolic actions, were characteristic of prophets! Attacking Jesus on the spot would not only risk a riot but also catch the attention of the Romans who were not terribly discriminating about who got caught when Roman troops went in. Jesus' preaching was accompanied by his symbolic actions and this is what had people "hanging on his words!" What would he say and do next? We all know of preachers whose fame and power come from that kind of combination. However, that same combination might confront us in our everyday life. Are we prepared to speak and act in regard to our faith, and accept the consequences? The "powers that be" might not like it! AMEN
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