Tuesday in Holy Week
Yesterday was such a fragmented day! I tried to get work done in my shop. I am a weaver of cloth and I like to spend 5 hours a day at the loom. Cloth sells well but it is hard to keep up with the demands. As I sat down at the loom to weave, I kept replaying the scenes from yesterday in my mind. That man! Jesus, sitting on a donkey as he rode through the cheering crowd with people coming up to him and touching him as if he were some sort of magic talisman. But that image always leads to the feeling I had when I looked into his eyes. I know he saw me. I was in the crowd but his eyes found mine...
I finally gave up on the loom and closed the shop. I left headed for a strip of shops at the gate of the city nearest the temple. I know the shop owners there. Close to the temple they hear all the latest news. I wanted to know more about the man with the kind eyes. There were so many people gathered around the entrance to the temple. This week is Passover and people are buying to prepare for their meals. There are hundreds of strangers in Jerusalem for the Passover. I am Jewish but I no longer observe the religious traditions. Sometimes I wish I were gentile so I wouldn't feel guilty about being non observant. My family were observant Jews but they are all dead and I am glad they don't have to see the corruption of our faith. The priests are just another oppressive structure. They may as well kiss the Roman authorities - it is a marriage of two corrupt and greedy institutions. I can afford to pay the taxes; and I guess that I could afford the temple fees but I will not indulge their greediness.
In the square near the gate to the city I found some friends who were full of news about this man Jesus. They said he went into the temple and, well, it sounds like he gave them a piece of his mind. I think I heard them say that he called the temple priests thieves! Oh, I would have loved to hear that! He made a mess by turning over the tables of the money changers and people were jumping to pick up their coins! I need to know more about this man.
Last night I went back to the square hoping that Jesus would be there with his group of followers so I could meet him but I learned that he had left the city to go back to Bethany. I heard rumors that he was staying with a family there. The story I heard then was phenomenal! One of the members of that family died and Jesus brought him back to life after he had been dead for 4 days! Rumors are so unpredictable... I'm sure that didn't happen, but it has everyone talking. I was standing not too far away from one of the temple guards who was speaking so loudly that anyone could hear him. He was saying that if Jesus tried to enter the temple again they would run him through with their swords! There is so much anger against Jesus. I wonder what the government could fear from this one gentle eyed man? But anger is everywhere - people are tired of the Roman oppression and they are tired of not having enough work and money. The air is electric with fear...Something bad is going to happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment