New Testament Scripture—Mark 11: 15-19
A widow approaches the moneychanger sitting at a table.
Widow: I am just a poor widow. This is the last of my money. Please give me some coins to give to the Temple.
Moneychanger: Spare me your sob story, lady. Everybody in here is poor. Come on! What am I supposed to do? Give you a break? I’ve got mouths to feed too. Besides, I only charge 6%. If you go to Dwight’s bank over there, he will charge you 8%. Now, let’s see what you have here. (The moneychanger counts the coins.) Piddly, piddly, piddly. For this mess, I will give you two coins.
Widow: But…
Moneychanger: No “buts.” Go! Be gone!
Jesus storms in. Over turns the table. Turns to the audience and proclaims: “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Jesus storms off.
Chief Priest and scribes in the corner discuss amongst themselves.
Chief Priest: How dare he do this to our Temple! Who does he think he is? We must have this man killed.
Scribes murmur: Yes, kill him.
Scribe #1: But see how all these peasants with their foolish and ignorant resentments have been aroused by him…We must wait until the time is right.
Scribes and Chief Priest: Yes, yes, wait.
The moneychanger’s wife comes on stage and helps him put the table back on its feet.
Moneychanger: I’m so mad. I wouldn’t mind if I were the one the Chief Priest sent after that Jesus. Who does he think he is doing this to me?!
Moneychanger’s wife: Now, honey, calm down. I didn’t plan on marrying a fool when I married you. Instead of running off like a raging bull, why don’t you sit down and write about your feelings. You can write that Jesus a letter and tell him how you feel.
Moneychanger: Feelings, feelings. That’s all you ever want to talk about.
Moneychanger’s wife: Honey…
Moneychanger: Alright, alright…I’ll sit down and write the letter. Then, I will go chase after that guy.
Moneychanger’s wife: You will do no such thing, my snickerdoodle. Now write!
Moneychanger: Okay, okay. Junior come over here. I need you to help me write a letter. I’ll tell you what to say. You just write it. Here’s a paper and pen.
Junior comes and sits down next to the moneychanger to write as he dictates his letter as follows:
“Dear Jesus, I am the money changer whose table you so rudely overturned today in the Temple. Following the advice of my wife…No, no, scratch that part about your mother… I have decided to write to you as a civilized man this very civilized letter in order to express in a civilized manner my feelings to you. I hereby declare that you were a complete and utter jerk today in the Temple. In case you should be so lacking in wisdom that you do not understand this, let me spell it out for you.
For no good and justifiable reason, you ruined my business today and shut down the entire Temple. I will have you know that I am a decent and honest law abiding man. Some of my peers may cheat money from their customers, but not I! I charge a fair rate. I only ask for what I need to provide for my family. Moreover, I can say in all modesty that I am a public servant. I perform a very necessary task. Without me, all these poor peasants from all over would never be able to pay their annual Temple tax. The whole month leading up to Passover they come to me for help. And, here you come into the temple when all these peasants are riled up about Passover coming. They are all hoping that another Moses will come to free us from the Romans. I bet you think you’re going to be the Moses! Dream on buddy! It will take the coming of the Messiah to deliver us from this mess.
Why couldn’t you let the peasants stay content with the way things are. Everything was going just fine until you came. Don’t you know that Archelaus once killed 3,000 of us for stirring up trouble during Passover. I know, I know, you probably think the Temple is corrupt. I hear it all the time. The High Priest is just a stooge for emperor. The High Priest just wants our money. The High Priest hoards it all! Spends it on luxury items like that new camel! He never gives it back to those who need it the most.
Like it or not Jesus, the Temple is the center of our economy, and we are not going to spend our time bailing out all those poor peasants just because they fall into debt and lose their lands. Besides, think of all the good the Temple does for our economy. Think of all the jobs it provides for workers, craftsmen, and artisans. I bet I know what you would say. In the kingdom of God, all the workers and all the peasants will be so much better off. They would be the rulers of their own destiny rather than just existing according the whims of someone else.
What a nice dream you have there. Send me a letter when it becomes a reality. I’d like to live that la-la land. Sure, you would probably tell me that this kingdom has been part of our people’s vision for centuries and you are just calling us back to it. Well, you and your dreaming are just going to get you killed. I overheard the Chief Priest talking about it today. Your days are numbered, pal. Really, despite being just royal jerk today, I should feel sorry for you. You know what happens when those in power feel threatened. They stomp out the threat. You are going to get killed for what you did.
So why did you do it? I suppose you turned over those tables because you wanted to make a statement about our society. Maybe I just happened to be the unfortunate person whose tables you had to overturn in order to make your point. But why risk your life for your message about the kingdom? Is this really going to make the world a better place for the widows who give their last money to the Temple? Will it really do something for the lepers who buy doves hoping to cleanse themselves of their impurity? What decent person wouldn’t want that?
Junior: I want that Dad.
Moneychanger: Great Junior. Great. Who doesn’t? Listen, Junior, scratch everything you wrote and write this:
“Dear Jesus, Even though you were a complete and utter jerk today in the Temple, I will find it in my heart to forgive you if by losing your life for the sake of the kingdom we gain a new life as a people. If your life should somehow inspire the poor, the orphan, and the widow to become rulers of their own destiny, then I shall turn anew myself. If the worthiness of your cause—your beloved kingdom—should somehow give hope to the leper, to the disabled, and to the outcast so that they might act with boldness and no longer be shunned, then I too shall count myself among your followers. If I should see the kingdom unfold before my very eyes in even the smallest of ways, I shall then be honored that you choose to overturn my table today and thereby overturn my life for the better.”
Junior: Wow, dad, that’s rad.
Moneychanger: Huh?
Junior: You know, that’s like rad, radical, you know.
Moneychanger: Maybe it is, son. Maybe it is. Amen.