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Chapter Thirty-Eight

Entrance of the King

The procession to Jerusalem would, of course, begin in Bethany. Over half the population of the town would be in the assembly, but the grand entry where Jesus rode on the donkey’s back, would not begin until we were only a short ways from Jerusalem’s gate. To begin with, Jesus pointed out the obvious, the beast wasn’t strong enough for a long journey. For reasons that were never made clear to any of us, Jesus insisted on riding sideways on the donkey, with his legs dangling over the side. Peter said this was probably because Jesus wished to lessen the burden on the poor beast. James thought it might be because this was the method his mother used on her ride to Bethlehem. Neither of these reasons made sense to us. Judas, who had been silent for several days, thought the whole affair was stupid. “This isn’t at all how a king should enter Jerusalem!” he grumbled, lagging behind the others.

In spite of Leah’s insistence that Bartholomew not ride his mule, Jesus countermanded her order and let him ride a distance behind us. Though it wasn’t prophesized by Zechariah, the people laid palm branches on the ground in front of Jesus and his donkey and stood on each side of them waving the branches as a sign of homage, a tribute James explained, reserved only for victorious kings. It was an incredible sight, both wondrous and troubling to onlookers, as the procession entered the gate and wound its way down Jerusalem’s main street. Because the appearance of him riding behind the procession on his mule might confuse the crowd, Bartholomew climbed off with my help a short ways before entering the gate and walked the rest of the way in.

All of us, except Judas, were caught up by the adulation of the crowd. Joining the original procession, were citizens inside the walls also dazzled by the parade. With Jesus astride his donkey leading his disciples, the crowd shouted his praise. The words I remember the most came from Jairus, one Jesus most enthusiastic supporters.

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord,” he cried. “Peace in heaven and glory to God!”

As other voices shouted “Hosanna! Hosanna!” and called out “Here comes the Messiah, King of Kings!, Jesus critics appeared in the audience. Pharisees in the crowd, called out to Jesus, “Rabbi, make them stop shouting. Who are you to be crowned Messiah and King of Kings? But Jesus answered, “If they keep quiet, the very stones will start shouting!”

Before entering the temple as he planned to do, Jesus dismounted the donkey, handing the reins to Leah, and walking on foot with the crowd. I think he might have felt foolish riding on that beast. Following the prophets, especially Isaiah, wasn’t easy. It was particularly difficult this day for Bartholomew, who did poorly on Jerusalem’s crowded street. Not wanting to spoil the effect by remounting his mule, he hobbled along as I led the beast, tapping his cane on the cobblestones as James and I steadied him on each side.

“I never liked this city,” he grumbled. “Give me Capernaum anytime!”

“You should’ve stayed in Bethany.” James said testily. “You can barely walk!”

Those moments, as Bartholomew labored for breath, with hundreds of people following behind us, Jesus strode boldly up to the temple. I was tempted to remain behind with the old man, fearful he would collapse any moment. A young woman, who watched his mule for us, had offered to stay with him during this ordeal, but Bartholomew had decided to complete his pilgrimage to the very end.

As we feared, to the great entertainment from citizens of Bethany and several spectators from town, our experience inside the temple was a repeat of what happened the last time we were here. This time Matthew, Thomas, Simon, and Judas were with us. We weren’t surprised by Jesus’ actions, but the newer disciples were horrified and fearful as they watched him brandish a whip, that seemed to materialize out of thin air, and begin driving the money changers and sellers of doves through the great bronze doors.

“Out! Out! Get out!” he shouted.

“I can’t believe my eyes!” Simon cried

“Has he lost his wits?” Judas looked around at us. “This is our sacred temple!”

“I could care less about the temple,” Matthew said, gripping his forehead, “Caiaphas won’t tolerate this. They’ll stone him!”

“Don’t worry,” I reassured them light-headedly. “James had the same reaction last time. This time Jesus has a mob on his side. The priests won’t dare lay their hands on him.”

“This happened before?” Judas watched Jesus in disbelief.

Pausing, after driving the money changers out, Jesus overturned their tables, and then turned to overturn the benches of the dove sellers, the next batch to be driven out.

“It is written,” he berated to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers!’”

The crowd cheered Jesus loudly. As a conquering hero, he had vanquished the money-grubbing officials of the temple. Unfortunately, as is it happens when people see money lying on the floor, many of them scooped up the moneychanger’s and dove sellers’ loot. When the great room was cleared of the offending parties, Jesus told those opportunists who filled their pockets to return the coins. Since they had found them on the floor, they threw them back onto the floor. Despite his audience’s disappointment at giving back their loot, Jesus now stepped up on a stool and ordered his disciples to sweep up the money and return it to the tables and benches. It would be up to the money changers and sellers of doves to sort out the coins.

As some of the disciples stood in the background aghast at Jesus’ actions, we, who there the first time he attacked the money changers and animal sellers, were merely annoyed. The temple was not only filled with Jesus supporters, but town idlers, curious to hear the ‘crazy prophet’ from the desert as many saw him, and then, predictably, a sudden stream of blind, lame, deaf, and diseased supplicants wanting to be cured. As always, Jesus reputation as a miracle worker was more spectacular to onlookers than his sterling voice. One-by-one he cured the supplicants, this time leaving out the message and rite of baptism. There was no water for the rite. The crowded condition of the room and the sudden appearance of Pharisees and scribes, not to mention priests, who had been pushed aside by the mob, made the rite difficult to perform.

There was, of course, an even more significant reason for not performing the rite that Jesus’ intuitive powers might have sensed. Witnesses came forth that hour during Jesus’ healings and told us that they had seen men herding the unfortunates into the temple. They were laughing with mirth, as if they had played a great joke. Simon believed it was disgruntled temple agents, like himself, who were not above such tricks, but we would never know who they were or who sent them, only that it had been done maliciously in order to anger the priests and religious leaders that much more.

To soften the spectacle of healing in the temple that was considered blasphemous by some of the priests was the appearance of children brought in by members of the procession as well as spectators from the town. Priests, Pharisees, and scribes had shouted protests to no avail as Jesus continued his healings. When they heard the children shouting in the temple court, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were especially indignant.

“Are you listening to those children?” A chief priest stepped forth. “This is blasphemy in the house of God. Stop them, rabbi. They defile our temple with this noise!

“Nonsense,” Jesus rebuked him. “From the lips of children, the Lord called forth praise!”

******

When Jesus led the crowd and his disciples out of the temple, I felt great relief. Due to lack of space inside the temple grounds, the crowd outside was much larger. With such a multitude around us, Jesus was safe from harm. He had achieved a great feat. He had cleansed the temple again and healed a stream of supplicants, which, in the minds of many priests and religious leaders, defiled the temple that much more. It was time to make his getaway, we had thought. As the crowd began to disperse homeward and back to their homes in town, however, he lingered awhile chatting with folks, as if testing the mettle of his adversaries. No sooner had Bartholomew retrieved his mule and mounted it in anticipation of leaving Jerusalem and his disciples looked longingly at the Jerusalem gate, than a committee of priests, Pharisees, and scribes, arrived on the scene. This time there was a delegation of rabbis from nearby Judean towns in their midst. How they found out that Jesus would be visiting the holy city at just this time remained a mystery. The most troubling members of these critics were the appearance, for the first time, of chief priests among their subordinates.

“Master,” Peter said, his eyes wide with fear, “you must leave while you still have supporters. The day grows old. They’re returning home. Soon we’ll be alone against those men. Why do you delay?”

“Yes, Jesus,” I said anxiously, “this is insane!”

Jesus gave both of us a withering stare, but all twelve disciples were in agreement now.

“Where is your faith?” He looked around at us. “Relax men and stop worrying. Get those frightened looks off your faces. It’s not yet time. Tonight we sup in Lazarus’ house.”

Those ominous words, ‘It’s not yet time’ confirmed our fears. Regardless of his reassurance that we would return to Bethany, the appearance of so many adversaries in this city filled us with dread. Elias had warned Jesus not to enter Jerusalem, and here he was, once again in harm’s way. We expected the same redundant questions to be asked and the same old charges of blasphemy and heresy to be leveled against Jesus, but this was a more calculating and patient group of men, probably influenced by the chief priests.

A young Pharisee stepped up first, bowing and grinning amiably. “Teacher,” he began, with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice, “you once boasted to a critic that you would not change one bit of our Torah, and that you are, in spite of your heresies, true to our faith and keep God’s laws. So tell us, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not”

It was a trivial point to make, but Jesus humored the man. “Hypocrite! Why do you Pharisees test me? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“It is a mere question,” he explained politely. “Just answer yes or no.”

“Very well.” Jesus snapped a finger. “Show me the tax money.”

A second, older Pharisee, handed Jesus a denarius, his lip curled up in a snarl. Jesus adversaries stood back expectantly, as if expecting to trap him by his words.

“All right.” Jesus looked at them with mirth. “Whose image and inscription is this?”

“You know very well who it is,” the older man replied, “it’s Caesar.”

Jesus said aloud for the benefit of everyone within earshot: “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

We would have applauded him had we not felt intimidated by a group of Sadducees parting through the line of Pharisees. This group of men were represented by chief priests, whom Simon identified for James and me. That they were here today indicated how serious they took Jesus, and yet Caiaphas had not yet appeared.

“Teacher.” The oldest looking Sadducee stepped forth. “Moses said that when a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise his offspring. Now there happened to be seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died, too. Therefore answer this question: ‘In the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her as a wife.”

Jesus answered them as a group, “Another hypocrite,” he said scornfully. “Look at him! You Sadducees don’t even believe in heaven, yet he asks such a question.” Looking directly at the graybeard then, he turned his inquiry against him:

“Obviously not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God, you, yourself, step into a trap. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God, who said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.’” “But what is his to you Sadducees, who don’t believe in angels or heaven?”

At this point, there was movement beyond the smaller assembly around us: a large mob of Jesus supporters had returned. Concerned by his foolishness, they took Peter aside as Jesus took questions from the group. Jesus was explaining the good news to a young scribe that moment, as if he had all the time in the world.

“Why does the master dally?” Jairus looked questioningly Peter, “He said he would return to Bethany. These men want to trap him with his words.”

“I don’t know.” Peter shrugged helplessly. “This group is tame compared to what we encountered before. Perhaps they just want to delay him. I half expect a group of temple guards to show any moment. Praise God, you came back!”

Peter was wrong about his assessment of this bunch. Though biding their time in the background, there were a larger number of priests, including chief priests, in this group. That moment, the young scribe Jesus was counseling, asked with great interest, “Teacher, which is greatest commandments of our laws?”

For the benefit of all within earshot, he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first of the great commandment. The second great commandment is ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” “On these two commandments,” he added, placing a hand on the young man’s head, “hangs the law and wisdom of the prophets. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Visibly moved, the scribe said to Jesus, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and no other but He. We shall love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all the strength, and we must love our neighbor as ourselves, which is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

“Very good!” Jesus said, clasping his hands with delight, “you answered wisely. “You’re not far from the kingdom of God!”

Smiling with illumination, the brave young man returned to his peers, who grumbled with disapproval at his actions. Clearly, after so many supporters had retraced their steps, Jesus was safe. He now had at an advocate among the scribes. With so many hostile stares aimed at them, his adversaries wouldn’t make a move on him. Knowing that this session wasn’t complete yet, I helped Bartholomew off his mule. He had looked conspicuous sitting on the beast. With the other ten disciples, we found a cool patch of shade by the wall to wait it out. Whispering back and forth excitedly, we expressed our relief that Jairus and brought his fellow citizens back. Only Judas, plunged in inexplicable gloom, was silent. Had we not been overwrought from nervous energy and the procession from Bethany, we might have viewed his moodiness as an ominous sign.

Men and women formed a half-circle around Jesus, facing his adversaries with smoldering eyes. The Pharisees and scribes muttered impotently amongst themselves. As the delegation of rabbis looked on with silent disapproval, the priesthood stood there quietly, just biding their time. After all this time, Jesus adversaries still didn’t know what to make of him. Gathering in a huddle finally, they glared with resentment at Jesus, cowed by the crowd.

“What do you think about the Messiah?” Jesus asked them finally. “Whose son is he—“David or God’s?”

Unanimously, they replied, “The son of David!”

Jesus laughed sourly. “How is then that David, speaking through the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, ‘The Lord God said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 

Not one of his critics could answer this question. The implications, which went over the heads of most of the listeners, including most of his disciples, was that David was referring to two divine beings, which was understood by many of his disciples and followers now as God the Father and God the Son. To dispute David’s psalm, when the meaning could be interpreted no other way, would be to go against the Torah and Israel’s greatest king. For this reason, they remained silent, as Jesus waited for more reaction.

Then, looking around authoritatively, he spoke to the crowd and his disciples, saying, “Behold, the Pharisees, scribes, and priests, who sit in Moses’ seat! The scribes, priests, and Pharisees are the official interpreters of the laws of Moses.  So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example.  For they don’t practice what they teach.  They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.  Everything they do is for show.  On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head of tables at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues.  They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called Pharisees, rabbis, scribes, or priests.  But don’t call them teachers.  You have only one teacher: the Messiah. And don’t address anyone as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.  You are in God’s eyes equals: the greatest among you shall be your servant, whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Addressing his adversaries now, he glanced at each group—Pharisees, scribes and priests—in the audience, using an opening phrase he had used before for his accusations.

“Woe to you, Pharisees, scribes, and priests—hypocrites! You shut the gates of heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and yet you don’t let others enter. 

“Woe to you, Pharisees, scribes, and priests—hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, then you turn that person into twice the child of hell as yourselves!

“Woe to you, Pharisees, scribes, and priests—hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Because of these actions you’ll receive greater condemnation.

“Woe to you, Pharisees, scribes, and priests—hypocrites! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?  You say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’  For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred?  When you swear ‘by the altar,’ in fact, you’re swearing by it and by everything on it. When you swear ‘by the temple,’ you’re swearing by it and by God, who lives in it.  And when you swear by the Kingdom of Heaven,’ you’re swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.

“Woe to you, Pharisees, scribes, and priests—hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin, but you’ve neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You strain at a gnat but swallow a camel. You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but the inside of the cup and dish is full of greed and self-indulgence.  First clean the inside of the cup and dish and the outside also will be clean. For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead men’s bones.  Outwardly you look like righteous men, but inwardly your hearts are filled with lawlessness, hypocrisy, and greed.

“Woe to you, Pharisees, scribes, and priests—hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of godly people your ancestors destroyed. Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined in the killing the prophets. But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you’re indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.  Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.  Snakes! Sons of vipers!  How will you escape the judgment of hell?”

On what would have been a perfect point to end his attack, Jesus paused but then, with renewed energy, continued to chastise the Pharisees, scribes, and priests for not leading the people in righteousness instead of merely ritual and points of the law. Blaming them not only for the people’s ignorance and misguidance, he accused them of abetting in the murder of the prophets, from Isaiah to Zechariah, which in the minds of his adversaries was the most libelous of his attacks.

Had there not been so many advocates in the audience, this last charge might have gotten him stoned. Though it made us cringe with apprehension, it was a clever ending to his attack on the Pharisees, scribes, and priests. It wouldn’t have been a good idea to merely mention Isaiah being killed. Isaiah, after all, had prophesized about two different Messiahs: an heir of David and a spiritual savior. By mentioning Zechariah, however, he reminded his adversaries of his validity as the Chosen One and Messiah, for Zechariah, more than any of the prophets, most clearly promised a king and savior who would enter through Jerusalem’s gate. How could his accusers argue with this? It must have seemed obvious even to the priests, who didn’t believe in a Messiah, that Jesus had fulfilled prophecy.

At that point, we thought he might be finished. What else could he launch at his enemies worse than what was said? But he wasn’t finished at all. For a few moments, he chastised the rabbi delegation, blaming them for being poor shepherds to their flocks, and not standing as a bulwark of faith between the Pharisees and the citizens of their towns. As the Pharisees, scribes, and priests had misled the people, the rabbis, who should have been the people’s spokesmen, let it happen. They, like the other religious leaders, had no right to be called teachers. Instead of shepherds, Jesus pointed accusingly, they became empty mouthpieces, bread without yeast.

By now everyone like Bartholomew’s mule and Jesus donkey were chomping at the bit, anxious to go home and put Jerusalem behind them. And yet Jesus had something more to share; a message that many uneducated people in the audience didn’t understand. It must have been pure revelation pouring into his head. What was clear to most of his disciples as well as the religious leaders was that Jesus was speaking of the end times. As he had earlier when we visited Jerusalem, he began by predicting the destruction of the temple but this time in the context of doomsday prophecy. For the first time in his ministry, he referred to the Christ, the Greek name for the Messiah.

“Look!” he pointed at the temple. “Remember it well. Truly I say to you, not one stone of it shall be left upon another. All the stones shall be thrown down.”

“What are you saying, master?” Peter came forward excitedly. “Are you speaking of the future?”

“Yes,” Jesus turned to his disciples. “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but don’t be troubled. All these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray and hate one another, and many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ don’t believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

“I have warned you beforehand,” he said to the crowd. “If I say to you, ‘Look, he’s in the desert!’ don’t go out; or ‘Look, he’s in the inner rooms!’ don’t believe it. For as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near at the very gates! Verily, I say unto you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and didn’t know until the flood came and took them all away, so it was also be when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you don’t expect. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—coming quickly, without warning, to find you sleeping instead of standing watch!”

This time, the religious leaders seemed puzzled, probably wondering if this message was aimed at them. This passage which Matthew, Mark, and Luke recorded was, Luke believed, meant for the world, but in the parochial minds of the Pharisees, scribes, priests, and rabbis that day, it was a peculiar blend of Daniel’s prophecies and Jesus own revelation. The only element of his speech, the destruction of the temple, which would have angered the priests especially, had been buried in the doomsday message.

“Rabbi,” one lone voice—a young priest, called out. “When will this happen: tomorrow, next week, a year, in ten years? How will we know?”

“I told you,” Jesus replied wearily, “watch for the signs!”

There was grumbling among the religious group as well as the crowd. Nevertheless, when Jesus glanced back at us, we pleaded, in shrill whispers, for him to stop. If what Jairus and some of the other followers believed was true, they wouldn’t dare touch Jesus after such an entry and display, especially with his support from the crowd, but if they were wrong, as we feared, what Jesus just said might have pushed them too far. There were, for that matter, still assassins with daggers and marksmen with bows and arrows. Jesus had never said he was impervious to death, and had, in fact, predicted it twice so far. Because of the Lord’s protection, he had been able to dodge death. He had avoided death in Nazareth and, by his God-given powers, shielded us from Barabbas gang, but he was still a flesh and blood man.

******

Finally consenting to our request, he led his disciples and the multitude back out the gate. This time, he guided, and didn’t ride, the donkey out of Jerusalem, with one of Bethany’s children on its back. It reminded all of us of Jesus love for little children. As the fisherman walked beside the Shepherd, Bartholomew rode his mule alongside of James, Thomas, Matthew, Simon, and me at the end of the procession. As we wound our way toward Bethany, I looked back from a rise in the road to see hundreds of men, women, and children following Jesus. I was, as we trekked home, alerted to a change in the crowd. Before, as Jesus entered the city on his donkey, the people had cheered and applauded their messiah and king; now many of them seemed disappointed he didn’t make a stand greater than what he had done. Judas, who trailed many cubits behind our small group, shared their disappointment. In his words earlier, as Jesus was speaking, “Words don’t replace actions!” Jesus could have, with his power, he believed, taken the holy city, reclaimed Israel’s glory, and swept the Romans from our land. It had been such an outrageous thing for him to whisper such discontent, but we shrugged it off. Now we could hear him grumbling aloud, “Such a waste!… Such a waste!”

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