We have a series
of interactions between Jesus and religious leaders.
Firstly, Jesus
goes to the Temple and upsets the system of buying and selling.
Then there is
the question from the scribes and chief priests about authority
The parable
of the landowner and tenants, then
the Pharisees
and Herodians, an unlikely pairing, ask Jesus about money.
We could look
at these stories individually, but I want to look at some patterns.
One thing is
that the religious leaders are looking for way to kill Jesus, and to discredit
him. These passages come after the entry into Jerusalem that we will hear on
Palm Sunday. We are at the pointy end of the story. Jesus is such a pest for
the religious leaders that they try and trap or trick him, always looking for a
way to kill him without the crowd rioting. If the crowd riots, then the Roman
soldiers will be sent in, and the Roman leaders will tighten up on the religious
and civic leaders.
In these
stories there are lots of references to the Old Testament, references that the
original hearers would recognise, from at least Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah and
Malachi, such as the phrase about the house of prayer being a den of robbers. The
early listeners of this first story this morning, about Jesus in the Temple, would
have heard the implied condemnation of the religious leaders, from the Old Testament
passages that are hinted at.
For me, these
stories are all about justice, especially economic justice and leadership. The religious
leaders are meant to be shepherds to the people, leading them, caring for them,
protecting them. Again, and again, in both the Old and New Testaments we see
that is not happening, and the religious leaders are looking after themselves more
then the people.
In the Temple
scene we find that it is the religious leaders who are involved in, or turning a
blind eye to, exploitation of the poor. Jesus
is not attacking the buying and selling in the temple area, it made sense for
people who travelled to buy the animals for sacrifice at the temple. Jesus is attacking
the
ruling class who controlled commercial enterprises in the temple market, including
the family of the High Priest[i].
The
implication being that people are being robbed.
The
parable of the tenants has been interpreted in a number of ways. I struggle with
God being the absent Landlord, but many interpret the parable that way. Israel is often referred to on the Old
testament as a Vineyard. Just as in other parables, Jesus tells a story that
looks and feels like we know where it is going, then just at the end… a twist. Notice
the religious leaders realized that Jesus had told this parable against them,
they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. Jesus tells a story in
which the religious leadership, who were in fact the absentee landowning class,
appear as tenants of an absent landlord. Mark’s listeners, well aware of the
politics of land in Palestine, could revel in the role-reversal that demoted
the ruling class to the lowly status of unruly tenants.[ii]
I
wonder who you identify with?
·
Landowner
·
Tenants wanting justice against absentee
landowners
·
Servants asking for what is due to their
master
·
The son come to sort out the mess
And
then the question of paying taxes. The question is asked to try and trick
Jesus, either he will say pay taxes, and that makes him a Roman sympathiser, or
don’t pay taxes and that will cause an uproar. Taxes can be part of the justice
economy. Whose coin is it? It is the coin of Empire, the fact you have such a
coin means you are part of the system, you enjoy some benefits and privileges,
so pay your way[iii].
but remember what comes to you from God.
I
was taught that in looking at a Biblical passage, think about what it meant to
the people there at the time, then when it was being written down, then in our
present time. Mark was written not too long after the death of Jesus, so the people
present, and the people or communities Mark wrote these stories for were in a similar
culture and time.
We
live in a very different culture to the one which Mark was writing for. I
wonder what these stories speak to us today.
Where
do we see injustice?
Where
do we see leaders looking after their own interests ahead of the interests of
the people?
What
systems or structures keep the poor or marginalised people where they are?
Thinking
about the current COVID 19 virus and the follow on effects we have seen. Who misses
out when toilet paper, tissues and staples like pasta and rice are stockpiled
by some? It is the people who live week to week or pension day to pension day. It
is the people who cannot afford to have 2-4 weeks food and groceries in the
cupboard.
Who
misses out when there are not enough medical resources?
What
about other areas of justice, we see people dying from illnesses caused by lack
of toilets and handwashing facilities.
We
see the lives of girls and women being stunted in countries where education is
only available for boys, or boys whose parents can pay.
Even
in the USA, a wealthy country, the hospital and health system means people won’t
or can’t see a doctor because of cost.
And
there are many other areas of injustice we could think about.
The
leaders were
to care for
to protect and
to lead
the
people,
But
they did not.
The
leaders
looked after themselves
charging more then they needed to
placing burdens on the poor
What
makes for economic justice in our time and place?
who
is left out, or let down by, our economic system?
We listen for
the spirit speaking to each of us …
[i]
Myers, Ched; Binding the Strong Man, p 300
[ii]
Myers, Ched; Binding the Strong Man, p 308
[iii]
Working Preacher podcast
