Notes from the Wayside: Perspective: Rage Against the Religious Machine

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Rage Against the Religious Machine

Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers."

Matthew 21:12-13 (NRSV)

To serve the present age
My calling to fulfill
O may it all my powers engage
To do my Master's will!

From "A Charge to Keep I Have" by Charles Wesley

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that one day, while Jesus is teaching in the temple in Jerusalem, some of the religious leaders confront Him and ask Him where He received the authority to do the things He has been doing.¹ When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, He rode into town on a donkey, as if He was a king in a peacetime procession.² Afterward, He barged into the temple and made a rather dramatic protest. He drove out the people doing business there and alleged that the house of prayer had become a "den of robbers."³ Naturally, the people in charge want to know why Jesus thinks He has any right to do such things.

Jesus refuses to answer the question,⁴ but, as He is wont to do, He tells the religious leaders a series of parables.

First, Jesus tells the religious leaders a parable about a man who has two sons. When the father asks one of his sons to work in the family vineyard, the son initially refuses, but he later changes his mind and goes to work. When the father asks his other son to work in the vineyard, the son says that he will do so, but he never actually does what he has said he will do. When Jesus asks the religious leaders which son actually did what his father wanted him to do, they agree that the first son is the obedient one. Jesus then explains the parable to them, saying, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you."⁵

In this parable, the first son demonstrates repentance. Though he initially disobeys his father, he eventually changes his mind and his actions. This son represents the so-called "sinners" who would never be welcome among the religious leaders but who have listened to Jesus and other prophets of God and have started to turn their lives around. The second son in the parable merely makes the pretense of being an obedient son. He says that he will do what his father has asked him to do but never actually does so. This son represents the religious leaders, who appear to be pious but do not listen to the prophets God sends them.⁶

Next, Jesus tells the religious leaders a parable about a rich man who plants a vineyard and rents it out to tenant farmers. Whenever the vineyard owner sends his servants to collect his cut of the harvest, the tenants abuse them or even kill them. Finally, the vineyard owner sends his own son to the tenants, hoping that they will respect him more than they respected his servants. The tenants kill the son, hoping to steal his inheritance. Jesus asks the religious leaders what the vineyard owner should do, and they suggest that the vineyard owner should have the tenant farmers put to death and then rent his vineyard to new tenants.⁷ Jesus then explains the parable to them, saying, "I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom."⁸

In this parable, the vineyard owner represents God, and the vineyard represents God's people. The tenant farmers represent the religious leaders who have been given the responsibility of leading God's people. The vineyard owner's servants represent the prophets who were ignored and abused by the religious leaders of their day. The vineyard owner's son represents Jesus, who will soon be crucified. Jesus is suggesting that, like the evil tenant farmers, the religious leaders have not faithfully done what they were called to do and that their days in charge are numbered.

Finally, Jesus tells the religious leaders a parable about a king who throws a wedding party for his son. When the king sends his messengers to the people he invited to the party, the invitees decide they no longer want to attend. When the king sends out his messengers again, some of the invitees merely ignore them, but others kill them. Enraged, the king lays waste to the city. He then sends out his remaining messengers to invite anyone they can find to the wedding party. When the king arrives at the wedding party, he finds the venue full of guests, but, when he sees someone who is not dressed for the occasion, he has him thrown out.⁹

In this parable, the wedding party represents the Kingdom of God. The king's messengers represent God's prophets. The people who were originally invited to the party represent people like the religious leaders who have been previously called by God but who apparently no longer want any part of what God is doing in their midst. The people who actually attend the party represent the aforementioned "tax collectors and prostitutes" who have heeded the call of the prophets. By noting that there is at least one person who is thrown out of the party, Jesus makes it clear that the Kingdom of God is a place where all people are welcome but not a place where "anything goes."

With these three parables, Jesus is alleging that the religious leaders are not who they present themselves to be, that they have not faithfully done what God has called them to do, and that they actually want no part of what God is doing in the world.

Ever since Jesus entered Jerusalem, He has been raging against the religious machine headquartered there. Shortly after He made His dramatic protest at the temple, He saw a fig tree, and, when He looked for some figs to eat, He found nothing but leaves. He cursed the fig tree, and it immediately withered.¹⁰ This piece of performance art is yet another criticism against the religious system. Jesus was alleging that the religious system is as fruitless as the fig tree and that, in the same way that the fig tree left Him hungry, the religious system is leaving people spiritually hungry.

Jesus and His Jewish followers were very critical of the religious system of their day. When we encounter their critiques in Scripture, we need to consider whether or not the same critiques could be made about our own religious systems. If we are religious, we need to consider whether or not we are faithfully doing what God has called us to do. No religion or religious institution is above criticism, and, if we love our communities of faith, we should want them to be everything God has called them to be.

Notes:

Matthew 21:23
Matthew 21:1-11
Matthew 21:12-13 (NRSV)
Matthew 21:24-27
Matthew 21:28-31 (NRSV)
Matthew 21:32
Matthew 21:33-41
Matthew 21:43 (NRSV)
Matthew 22:1-14
Matthew 21:18-19

The Accursed Fig Tree was painted by James Tissot in the late 1800s.