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In
the midst of this disorder,
I strode am
ong the overturned tables and said:
"Destroy this Temple.
In three days I will raise it up."

~

One of the moneylenders had the courage to speak,
a stout old man, but with clear eyes:
"It took forty~six years to build what is here.
You will restore it
in three days?"

~

Now I had to wonder at what I had said.
A folly! There were many in this multitude behind me who were ready to tear down anything that did not belong to them.
So the word to destroy, once spoken, could do great harm in days to come.
Harsh words live in the dungeon of the heart.
They never relent; they never forgive.
They are imprisoned.

~

I knew regret.
Here were many buildings of immaculate beauty.
If I had been a pilgrim wandering these halls, I would have felt awe for the skill of the builders.

~

By such thinking did I try to remind myself that I was here to teach, not to destroy.

~

And I would say that the Lord was still with me.
For His rage had been there with mine, had it not?
And now who but my Father was telling me to be gentle?
I said to my followers,
"Respect our Temple. These moneylenders are only the leavings of evil. They can be scrubbed from the stone.
Walk with me further into these holy places,
and I will teach."

~

I led them to a quiet garden between two small chapels;
there was even a cedar to give shade.
Then, as I had foreseen,
a delegation came of priests and scribes and many of the elders of Jerusalem.
Their spokesman said:
"We have been awaiting you. But we do not understand the manner of your arrival. By whose authority do you do
these things?"

~

I answered,
"I will ask one question. If you can reply, I will tell you.
The baptism of Yochanan," I asked,
"was it from heaven or of men?"

~

I knew they would reason as follows:
"If we say 'From heaven,' then this Yeshua shall say,
'Why, then, did you not believe Yochanan?'
Yet if we say that Yochanan was of men, then all of our devout will say that Yochanan had to be a prophet."

~

Since these priest depended
on the allegiance of pious Jews, and such Jews often feared that their priests were too friendly with the Romans, there was no room for them to admit that Yochanan had been a prophet. For then I could have asked:
"Why did you not intercede with the Romans
and save Yochanan?"

~

So they answered,
"We cannot tell."

~

I said,
"Neither shall I tell by what authority I do these things."

~

A scribe came forward.
He approached with such ease that I knew he was from a noble family.
His eyes were blue and his brown beard was soft.
He smiled as if he were full of affection for me.
Indeed, he even said for greeting,
"Master" ~ which, after the disruption I had caused in the courtyard, was a coutesy; if he could not approve of such an act, he would still call me Master.
And so,
"Master," he said, "we know that you want to teach the way of truth.
Therefore I would ask for an answer to this question. It is of weight to us.
Would you say it is lawful to give tribute to Caesar?
Or shall we not give?"

~

With all the gentle warmth that this man offered,
I also knew that the Devil had minions who were equally fair.
If I replied that one must not give tribute to Caesar, which was the reply, I expect, that he awaited, then the Pharisees could tell the Procurator of Jerusalem that I was leading a rebellion against the Romans.

~

My wit, however, was like an arrow.
I said,
"Give me a coin."

~

When they brought it, I asked,
"Whose face is on this money?"

~

The scribe replied,
"Caesar's."

~

I said,
"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. And to G*D the things that belong to G*D." I was pleased. For I was also telling them that Mammon was a god for the Romans,
not the Jews.

~

I could feel their respect.
Now they saw that I not only had the strength to overturn the tables of the moneylenders but the wisdom
to avoid a rash reply.

~

Later, upon reflection,
I would also know that my remark had been too clever.
While many a church would survive in evil lands by giving homage to Caesar, I was not here to build churches but to bring sinners to salvation. Why, then, had I given that reply?
Had G*D decided on prudence as the better path?
Would He not allow churches to grow in the swamps of pride
and Mammon?

~
engel
09 sep 2004 - bewerkt op 30 jan 2008 - meld ongepast verhaal
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