Killing Jesus: A History

Jesus is already at the next table, and then on to the next.
    Nobody has ever seen anything like this. Jesus’s behavior is an act of madness and the sort of thing that could get a man killed. As the crowd gasps in shock, Jesus brandishes the whip he has made from cords of rope. He moves from the money changers’ tables to where goats and sheep are being sold. He cracks his whip, sending the animals running. He marches over to the cages of doves, also being sold for slaughter, and opens the doors to set them free.
    And nobody tries to stop him.
    Jesus is such a force that not even the strongest man dares step in his path. Men, women, and children scatter before Jesus and his whip. “Get out of here,” he screams to the money changers and the men selling livestock. “How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”
    These men who enjoyed absolute power over the pilgrims just moments ago now cower, terrified that Jesus will turn his whip on them. The money changers see their fortunes littering the ground but make no move to pick the coins up. Livestock run loose across the Court of the Gentiles—cows, goats, and sheep galloping aimlessly through the throngs, their rendezvous with the slaughtering knife temporarily put on hold.
    The Temple courts are so vast that Jesus’s outburst goes unheard by the priests and worshippers within the Temple itself. And many believers who have not seen him scatter the animals are now surprised by the sight of these small herds in their midst. But those poor and oppressed who have witnessed Jesus’s act of defiance know they have seen something very special. They stand rooted to the ground, eagerly watching this powerful and unexpected moment of theater.
    Suddenly, a circle of pilgrims and Temple officials forms a ring around Jesus, who holds his whip firmly in one hand, as if daring them to challenge him. “What miracles can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” demands a money changer. Despite the commotion, soldiers do not run in to quell the disturbance. Better to let this madman explain himself.
    “Destroy this Temple,” Jesus vows, “and I will raise it up in three days.”
    Now they know he’s insane. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple and you are going to raise it in three days?” scoffs a money changer. Among the onlookers is Nicodemus, a devout Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, who watches Jesus with interest and waits for his answer to that question.
    But Jesus says nothing. He knows his words will not change hearts and minds in the Temple.
    No one blocks Jesus’s path as he leaves the Court of the Gentiles and walks toward the Temple itself. Behind him comes the clink of silver and bronze as the money changers scurry to sweep up every last coin. The men selling livestock race to rein in their beasts. It is the pilgrims who continue to marvel at what they have just witnessed. Many of them have long dreamed of committing such a bold act of social unrest. From his Galilean accent and simple robes to his workingman’s physique, it is clear that Jesus is one of them. For some, this man is a hero. And his actions will be discussed everywhere. 4
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    Night in Jerusalem is a time of quiet celebration, as pilgrims pack into local courtyards and inns to bed down. It is customary to open one’s home for the visitors, and to do so with a glad heart. But there is only so much room for all these hundreds of thousands of travelers, so campfires dot the steep hillsides and valleys outside the city walls. From the thick groves of trees on the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley, and down toward the old city of David, which lies just south of the Temple, families and friends spread out their blankets and bedrolls to spend the night under the stars.
    Among them is Jesus. He has returned to the Temple time and again during his Passover stay, teaching from that Temple cloister known as Solomon’s Porch. This is his favorite place in the Temple, and even when he is not listening to the scholars or joining in to offer his own teachings about the kingdom of God, he often lingers in that area, walking and soaking in the atmosphere. Wherever he goes, crowds now flock to him, asking questions about God’s kingdom and listening reverently to his answers.
    Jesus has made a deep impression in a short amount of time. His dramatic assault against the money changers seems to have paid off.
    The Nazarene is