Jesus Turns The Table On His Opponents

In the build-up to Easter, Rosemary Dawson continues to look at key events in the life of Jesus.
As he journeyed towards his destiny on the cross, Jesus faced many contrasting experiences. On what we know as Palm Sunday, he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Cheering crowds threw branches from palm trees in the road before him, praising him as God’s chosen Messiah. But the cheers turned to confrontation with the Jewish religious authorities. They didn’t like his popularity and were afraid of where it might lead: trouble with the Roman rulers of Judea.

After the Palm Sunday procession, Jesus went straight to the Temple, where he ‘threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants’ (Matthew 21:12 The Message). He called their attention to the Temple’s true purpose, which they had degraded by their greed and commercialism: He said God’s Temple had been ‘designated a house of prayer’, but they had ‘made it a hang-out for thieves’ (21:13).

The officials challenged his authority to carry out such acts, but had no answer when he replied with Scripture.

Next, while Jesus was teaching in the Temple, they challenged his credentials (see 21:23-27). Jesus responded by asking them about the message of another preacher, John the Baptist: ‘Who authorised it - Heaven or humans?’ (21:25). This put them in a conundrum. Either answer would put them in the wrong, so they had to concede that they didn’t know.

Infuriated, a group of Pharisees and Roman sympathisers set out to trap him. They started off with flattery: ‘Teacher, we know you have integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion.’ Then they asked: ‘Tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ (22:16, 17).

Jesus dealt with this by pointing out Caesar’s head and name on their coinage: ‘Give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his’ (22:21) - another answer they could not better.

Dealing with confrontation is never easy. We may be the anything-for-a-quiet-life sort of person, but sometimes it’s necessary to resolve a long-held grudge, resentment or family dispute that - if allowed to fester - can cause lasting damage to relationships. And the way to do it? Follow the example of Jesus, who listened carefully to his questioners, before giving a well considered answer.

UK & Ireland War Cry 22 March 2014