245
See also: A Child in the Temple 188 ■ The Temple Tax 222 ■
Betrayal in the Garden 254–55 ■ The Crucifixion 258–65THE GOSPELS
is used elsewhere in the Gospel
when He expels demons. The power
of Jesus’s command alone is enough
to force the corrupt to leave His
Father’s Temple.Jesus’s motives
In the 1st century ce, there were
a number of sectarian groups
unhappy with the administration
of the Temple. One such group was
the Essenes, some of whom had
exiled themselves to the Dead Sea.
Jesus’s anger in the Temple has
led some to suggest that He may
have been a member of the Essenes,
but there is little evidence of this.
Some historians believe Jesus wascrucified by the Romans for trying
to incite a riot and that His actions
in the Temple would have been
viewed as those of a rebellious
Jewish leader.
Some Christians see Jesus’s
actions as evidence of Him looking
toward a reformation and split
from traditional Judaism. Others
see His actions as working to fulfill
Mosaic Law and institute a new
covenant. According to this
interpretation, Jesus is not a rebel:
He is exercising responsibility and
authority as an heir to King David
to order the service of the priests
and ensure the purity of their
obedience to the Mosaic Law. ■Solomon builds the Temple (10th century bce) as
a house of prayer for all nations (1 Kings 6–7) ...... Babylon destroys the Temple (587 bce), which
had become a focus of Israelite pride ...... Ezra rebuilds the Temple (c.520–15 bce),
evoking humble worship from the people ...... After Herod’s renovation (19 bce–63 ce), the Temple
again becomes a focus of nationalistic pride ...Jesus cleanses the Temple for all nations.
Palm Sunday
Jesus enters Jerusalem on
a day now known as Palm
Sunday, and does so by
humble means, on the back
of a donkey. This fulfills the
prophecy of Zechariah, that
the king would come in riding
a donkey. As Jesus enters the
city, people gather to greet
Him. The crowds spread
their cloaks and branches
from palm trees to cover
the ground, and proclaim
Hosanna—the imperative form
of the Hebrew word meaning
“save”—as a form of praise.
The crowd also quotes Psalm
118, proclaiming that Jesus
is the Son of David coming
in the name of the Lord.
Although it takes place
at a different time of year,
Palm Sunday is reminiscent
of the Jewish holiday of
Sukkot. During this festival,
Jews weave together pieces
of palms and wave them
in each of the four cardinal
directions. The palm frond
is also a symbol of life and
resurrection, and a symbol
for the Assyrian Tree of Life.
Some scholars believe that the
palm fronds of Palm Sunday
could therefore signify that
Jesus will die in Jerusalem,
but soon also be resurrected.US_244-245_Cleansing_the_temple.indd 245 27/09/17 10:17 am