WHY JERUSALEM?

When I was in graduate school, I had the privilege of attending several meetings of the Jesus Seminar. There I met John Dominic Crossan, NT Wright, Marianne Sawicki, Robert Miller, and Marcus Borg. (I think having Revelation for a name helped a little.)

During one meeting, I asked the group, "Why did Jesus need to go to Jerusalem?" His Galilee-based, grassroots movement was doing great. Going to Jerusalem was suicide. Even his disciples knew this; they did not want to him to go to Jerusalem, especially Simon Peter. It did not make sense. But Jesus went anyway.

Crossan volunteered John 7, where Jesus' brothers tell him, "No one who wants to be widely known acts in secret. If you do these things, show yourself to the world!" We all know how this story ends. But I don't think for a moment that Jesus went because of what his brothers said.

Gabriela Silang did not need to take over leadership after Diego was assassinated in 1763. Jose Rizal did not need to come back to the Philippines in 1892. Bonifacio did not need to go to the Magdalo camp in Cavite in 1896. Ernesto Che Guevara did not need to go to Bolivia in 1967. We also know how these stories ended.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem he did so with over 5000, made up of mostly farmers and fisherfolk. Sunday's lection from Luke (and its parallels in Mark and Matthew) tells us the masses welcomed them with hosannas! Historians tell us that Pontius Pilate also entered the city from the opposite direction with a Roman Legion. (That is 6,000 fully armed soldiers!).

Jesus did not need to go to Jerusalem. Jesus did not need to cleanse the Temple with a whip. But he did anyway. The Passion narratives report that every single day the authorities tried to arrest him but they were afraid of the masses who protected him. So, they arrested him at night, with a Roman Cohort. (That is one battalion!)

First came a movement. Then an execution. But surprise of surprises, the movement continues to this day!

Jesus knew that for every one that is executed in Jerusalem, God will raise up ten; for every ten, God will raise up one hundred; for every hundred, one thousand! Jesus knew exactly what he was doing!

Thus, movement, execution, and continuation. These three remain, but the greatest of these is continuation.

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*art, "Entry into the City," John August Swanson (from the vanderbilt divinity library digital archives).