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We are constantly hearing of tensions and conflicts in the Holy Land. In the time of Jesus, too, Jerusalem was riven with divisions and disputes. It was a powder keg waiting to explode. JOAN LE MORVAN, explores some of the historical background to Jesus'final week and shows how his crucifixion was inevitable.
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Passover
in Jerusalem|
It was mandatory for all male Jews to go up to Jerusalem for the feasts of Pentecost, Tabernacles and Passover but Passover was the most popular. It was the celebration of freedom and deliverance for the Jews. It was a time of rejoicing for God's miraculous intervention in bringing his people out of bondage in Eygpt. In the political turmoil at the time of Jesus, expectations were high that God would raise up another Moses, as He had promised through the prophets, who would free the land from the cruel bondage imposed by the Roman occupation. Blood an important symbol of Passover Blood played an important part at Passover. It was by the blood of the lamb that the people of Israel had been set free from captivity. During the celebration of Passover, thousands of unblemished lambs would be taken to the temple. Each one would be carried by three men. One to do the throat slitting and skinning and two to assist. The blood would then be collected in basins by a line of priests, who would sprinkle it on the altar, symbolically returning to God life (ie the blood which belonged to him). The bleating of the animals, the jostling of the crowds, the stench of blood and the constant swilling of water, made the ritual noisy and exhausting. No wonder the men who had spent the day in the hot sun, buying and preparing the lamb, their white robes drenched in blood, would be awarded the places of honour, at either side of the host, at the Passover meal. On top of this the crowds were calling this man Jesus, "the Lamb of God" (thanks to John the Baptist), waving palm branches, (the national symbol of Jewish freedom) and hailing him as the Messiah, son of David (the greatest warrior king and symbol of Jewish deliverance). No wonder the Roman puppet king Herod was nervous. Had not his father had similar fears when hearing about the birth of an infant king in Bethlehem only three decades previously? A virtual police state Anticipating trouble every Roman garrison would have been drafted into Jerusalem during the Festival. There would have been an armed Roman soldier behind every pillar of colonnades in the huge Temple courtyard, where Jesus used to teach his disciples every day on the steps. Armed militia would also have been positioned every few yards on the roof of the Temple just to make it clear to the Jews, who was in charge. This was little more than a police state. In fact in Galilee, known to be a trouble spot and a base for the Zealots, no more than 20 adult males were allowed to assemble together, without being cracked down on. Jesus had been allowed to operate as long as he had only because he had friends in high places at Capernaum, where he lived. (Jairus, the leader of the synagogue; the royal official whose child He healed and the centurion whose servant He had made well). And even these counldn't protect him for ever, without endangering themselves. Even though Jerusalem was not the capital of the country, Caesarea Maritima, was, where both Herod and the Procurator, Pontius Pilate, normally resided, both took up residence in Jerusalem, during the eight days of Passover. Herod used to stay in his magnificent fourteen acre palace and Pilate in the Antonia Fortress, at the northern end of the temple. Expectation of the coming of the Messiah during the feast of the Passover was taken very seriously indeed. The prophets had foretold that one day, a human lamb would come, who would deal with the problem of sin and death, once and for all and that God would raise up another Moses (Deut.l8:15,18 andActs 3:20-22). Zechariah had said too that the Messiah would enter publicly into Jerusalem on a donkey. (Zech 9:9). Fear of national uprising It was into this context that Jesus came into the city, cheered by Jewish crowds, waving their national emblem and throwing their symbols of submission under the donkey he was riding. The Procurator, Pontius Pilate, would not be slow to understand the implications of this to law and order. There was no love lost initially between Herod and Pilate until after the death of Jesus (Luke 22:12) but they were brought together by their mutual self interest. Both depended upon Rome for their livelihood and survival. As occupiers, the Romans allowed three forms of officialdom to operate conditionally. These were the Sanhedrin, whose courts decided religious law, made up of three courts of 23 judges, plus the vote of the high priest. Herod Antipas, who was allowed to govern Perea, the Jordan valley and Galilee and Pontius Pilate, who was procurator ofJudea and Samaria. These men were allowed to function on the condition that they kept order and that there were no local revolts or uprisings. These three individuals - the High Priest (chosen by Herod), Herod and Pilate - would lose their jobs and probably their heads, if there was any hint of revolt or a Messianic uprising. Against this backdrop, it would have been impossible for someone as popular as Jesus to operate for long, and when arrested, to get a fair trial. Judas, the only non-Galilean among the twelve disciples, probably saw all this coming and despaired of the long term future of the group, long before he hung himself. The Last Supper Our image of the disciples' last Passover Meal together, popularly known as "The Last Supper" tends to come from art rather than history. Leonardo's famous painting of this, for example, is very beautiful, but it is also inaccurate. In his painting, we see figures clothed in Roman attire, in a basilica, seated on a bench, at a high table. At the time of Christ, Jews would have reclined upon mattresses at a three-sided, low table, using their left arm to lean on the table and their right hand to eat. (Jn 13.25). Passover began after sundown (Mark 14:12-17), so there would have been no light streaming through the window, nor would there have been ordinary bread or fish on the table. Rather the traditional meal would have consisted of Matzot (unleavened bread) and roasted lamb and bitter herbs. Jesus, the host, would likewise not have been seated in the centre of the triclinium table, but second in, on the left side of the three wings of the table. Seating positions were very important in Jewish society and deeply respected. Jesus used these customs to illustrate his teaching. Either side of the host, as I mentioned earlier, were the most honourable positions, usually given to the two hardworking men, who had endured the exhausting temple rituals to prepare the sacrificial lamb for the feast. We know who had done this for the disciples. "He sent Peter and John, saying "Go and make the preparations for us to eat the Passover " (Lk 22:8). We know John was duly given his place of honour because Scripture tells us he leaned on Jesus, but the one on the other side of Jesus, it would seem was not Peter, who would have expected to get this because of his rank among the disciples as well as his work for the supper but Judas. Why did Jesus bestow the other position of honour and dignity on the one whom he knew would betray him? Knowing Peter's tempestuous personality and this background, would make his subsequent behaviour very understandable. He, no doubt, had positioned himself in the lowest place on the lowliest side of the table, hoping Jesus would call him up higher. But he didn't. Not only that, Peter sulking, ignored the duty of that position to wash the feet of all present. Imagine his embarrassment therefore, when Jesus, the host, knelt to wash people's feet instead. No wonder he protested, "Never! You shall never wash my feet" (Jn 13:8), and then looking into the love in Jesus' eyes, changed his mind and asked for a more thorough cleansing than the others. Sharing a meal, in the Middle East, now, as then, is a sign of reconciliation and complete forgiveness. "You prepare a table for me in the sight of my enemies " (Ps 23:5). So this was a sign to them all, particularly Judas, that Jesus forgave them of all they had done and would do. Likewise Jesus forgives us and we receive that forgiveness every time we celebrate the sacrificial meal of the Eucharist. It's good to remember this. Unlike Herod, Pilate and the High Priest we can sleep well this Palm Sunday. The Lamb of God has come and we are reconciled to the Father. Allelulia.
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