Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.
Luke 22v1-6 [TNIV]
The Temple is the central facility of Israel, within it resides the Presence of God. To be a priest, then, was to be a one of the few men in the nation with an opportunity to serve in that famous building. To be a chief priest was to be one of a small minority of men with great authority and responsibility. Not only do you oversee tens of thousands of priest-servants, but you oversee the administrative duties of the annual feasts which at times must accompany millions of people in the city of the Temple. As a chief priest you also had your hands involved in the banking industry which resided in the safe confines of the Temple. Great religious responsibility and financial prosperity marked the life of a shrewd chief priest.
The Torah was the heart of Israel, the centerpiece of instruction, law, history, biography, and story of their identity. To know Torah was to know God's heart. To love and abide by Torah was the greatest work of a man in Israel. To be a teacher of Torah was one of the greatest vocations then for the people of the Promised Land. To be a Torah-teacher was to be a mouthpiece for God, an interpreter of the laws for the complex culture one lived in, to the storyteller explaining why tragedy happens and how we got to where we are. A Torah-teacher helps define reality.
Jesus directly challenged the corruption of the chief priests and he undermined the authority of the Torah-teachers. And the people loved him for it. The people weren't stupid - they know when the Temple chief priests are taking advantage of others, especially widows. But what can the people do? The people are fully aware of how burdensome the instructions of the Torah-teachers have become - but who are they to object? What if they are wrong and the teachers and priests are right? But what if Jesus is right? What if we could change things around here? What if the Temple really could be a place of prayer again? What if the Torah really could be about love for God and neighbor? If Jesus is right and the priests and teachers are wrong, then everything must change.
People with power are often the biggest proponents of the status quo. They have the most to gain by keeping things the same. But those who propose change aren't to be completely trusted either - they obviously have something to gain by their initiatives. So the one who challenges the status quo and who introduces a new way forward must be one with credibility, one who only gains an advantage if the majority of people who are in need of a change get the brunt of the benefit. Jesus had become trustworthy to many people who were the oppressed, who had been the ones bearing unjust burdens. Jesus showed that he did not come for his own sake, but to serve and lift up others. The change he was fomenting was about shaking up the status quo for the benefit of the whole nation - even if it cost him his life.
The chief priests and teachers of the law had the most to gain by keeping the status quo. Do you also have much to gain by keeping the status quo? Who are the people in your world who need someone to bring change for good? What sacrifice might God be calling you to make so that justice and mercy can prevail? Jesus is the instigator and initiator of change. Jesus did not come to keep things the same, but to radically redefine reality: the Temple of God is about holiness that blesses, the Torah is about love for God and neighbor. Do we use our power and devotion to further a holiness that blesses or one that hoards? Do we use our abilities and aspirations to love more or to play it safe?
Judas, the chief priests, the Torah-teachers didn't like Jesus' way. They had much to lose if his interpretation of reality prevailed. They feared the future if Jesus had his way. What do you fear about following Jesus? What do you fear about losing? What do you fear will happen to you? What do you fear will become of your nation if you go the way of Jesus?
