This week I'm posting each day of Passion Week. Today is first day and second day.
Day One:
During the life of Jesus, the Jewish day was from sundown to sundown. Instead of using the names of our days, which were not in use at the time and will only confuse the chronology I'm using the number of the day and Sabath. I refer that sundown to sunrise as dark, and sunrise to sunset as light.
The light part of the day of first day.
The significance of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and being greeted by his followers with palm leaves was that it marked the beginning of his sacrifice for our sins. He rode a donkey with a colt. The donkey as a king who comes in peace. The significance of the colt is that it proved the donkey was female, as the colt was most likely suckling while he was riding the mother. This is a metaphor concerning Christ that believers are the Bride of Christ. Maybe a bit of a stretch, it might have no significance at all, but then why is it mentioned?
After Jesus and the disciples enter into Jerusalem, the crowd disperses and Jesus with his disciples set up either lodging or camp. No mention is made of his doing any teaching.
It is possible that this peaceful entry and the dispersal of the crowd turned Judas against Jesus. He was looking or a conquering messiah and Jesus let him down.
Day Two:
Dark day two. Jesus by the lack of specifics most likely rested. It would be the only sleep he would get.
Light day two. Jesus cleanses the temple with a whip.
Matthew 21:12-13 - Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"
The book of John has Jesus cleansing the temple at the beginning of his ministry:
And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, "Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise."
Jesus cleanses the temple twice, once at the beginning of his ministry which got the religious leaders angry, and they try to find cause to silence him. The last time provokes a reaction on the part of the priests and pharisees. They seek to kill him.
Why does Jesus attack the temple and priests?
1. The temple only takes it doesn't give anything back. In the book of John, they're selling the animals for sacrifice at inflated prices and making those buying them change the currency they have, into temple currency at an inflated exchange rate. They're gouging the people.
2. The temple is supposed to be the storehouse for the people. It takes animal offerings and then sells the meat and the blood. It takes the grain offerings and bakes Shew Bread. Then after a few days sells the bread at market.
3. The temple never gives any of the money or food back in time of famine. It's intended purpose, why it is referred to as a storehouse.
Josephus recorded that during the reign of Herod the Great a wealthy woman in Babylon collected the tithe of all Jews in the area, formed a caravan and traveled to the temple. Upon delivering the tithe, most likely a very large sum, she found Judea to be having a famine and the people were starving. She traveled to Egypt and with her own money brought back grain and gave it to the people for free.
That is what the temple was supposed to do, but instead, they hoarded the wealth and let God's people starve.
The temple was destroyed twice and looted four times. Babylon destroyed the first temple and took all the wealth that was accumulated.
Antiochus Epiphanes looted the temple and slaughtered a pig in the holy of holies.
Pompey the Great looted the temple even entering the holy of holies and stealing the golden mercy seat.
Rome destroyed it for good and Vespasian used the money and slaves to build the Triumphal Arch, the Flavian Ampitheater, the imperial palace and other lavish works with temple money.
All the hoarding by the priests did was make it a target for looters.
The temple was intended by God to be a place of worship, prayer and to unite the Jewish people. As Jesus said, "it was a den of thieves."
Under Mosaic and Levitical law, a person got forgiveness from sin by paying for it with either an animal sacrifice or grain offering.
The ultimate sacrifice of Jesus is salvation from sin, and it is free. It is a gift from God for those who receive it. There is no need for a temple. As the Apostle Paul said, we are the temple of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment