|
I am convinced that most of the
after-Easter stories about the appearances of Jesus were created many years
after the supposed events were said to have occurred. All in all they add
up to a faith that Jesus' life had vitality beyond his death. |
| I began thinking about the before-Easter
stories the church loves to tell. What do I think about them? Let's look
at some of the stories that will be told in the churches during this season. |
|
| 1. The Triumphal Entry
into Jerusalem |
| In this story Jesus sends his
friends to find a young donkey—we try not to say "ass" as the King James
Version says it. They sort of stole it. They led it to Jesus, who
got on. Then a lot of people spread their clothes on the ground while others
cut branches. A parade started with people saying "Praise God! Bless Him
who comes in the name of the Lord." |
| I always liked Palm Sunday. It's
the only time Jesus was ever cheered publicly that I can think of. It is
disappointing to think that it never happened. It should have, which is
why the gospel writers wrote the story. |
| The Jesus Seminar was somewhat
divided on this story. At best they think this story preserves a
tradition about Jesus entering Jerusalem. Most of the story is fiction. |
|
| 2. The Cleansing of the
Temple |
| In this story Jesus came to the
temple in Jerusalem and began driving out the money-changers and others
selling things on the temple doorstep. He made a little speech about "my
house being a house of prayer for all peoples." This made the priests and
others angry at him, wanting to get rid of him. |
| The scholars believe that Jesus
participated in some kind of anti-temple act and spoke some critical word
of the temple. To think that one person could drive out all those who would
be doing business in that large area is surely fiction. |
|
| 3. The Conspiracy to
Kill Jesus |
| Mark 14 says that the ranking
priests and scholars were looking for some way to arrest and kill Jesus.
This seems to be Mark's creation. It reflects a post-Easter idea of blaming
the Jews for the death of Jesus. This unfortunate idea has led to 2,000
years of anti-Semitism. |
|
| 4. The Passover meal
and plot |
| In this story Jesus arranges the
da Vinci scene of the Last Supper. While at the table he announces that
someone at the table is going to betray him. (Hiss!) Everyone wonders which
of them will do the evil deed. "Is it I, Master?" |
| Then Jesus establishes the "Last
Supper." This Christian ceremony, called "Eucharist," "Mass," or "Communion,"
is central to Christian worship. Meals were important places of contact
for Jesus. Scholars do not doubt that there were meals and that Jesus may
have spoken symbolic words at those meals. But the structure involved in
this story and the inclusion of the betrayal are clearly contrived and
fictional. |
|
| 5. Prayer in the Garden
of Gesthemane |
| Here Jesus goes with his friends
for a period of prayer. He asks them to pray with him, or at least stay
awake. He repeats the request three times, but they continue falling asleep.
This scene has been in the windows of two of my three churches. I've visited
the alleged site of the Garden outside Jerusalem. I hate to say it, but
it is part of the larger story created by Mark to lead up to the death
of Jesus. |
|
| 6. The Arrest of Jesus |
| There is little doubt that Jesus
lived and died, probably by crucifixion. If crucified, there is no doubt
that he had to have been arrested. Mark's story takes care of that. |
| In the story, Jesus is with his
friends in the Garden when Judas shows up with the soldiers. There is that
line in which Judas will show which one is Jesus by kissing him. Interesting.
So he is arrested and all his friends run away. |
| The scholars think it likely that
Jesus' friends did run away during the execution process. |
|
| 7. The Trial(s) |
| Whether Jesus had a trial or not
is unknown. Jesus is reported to have been brought before the Council to
answer to charges. Mark is trying to show that Jesus was falsely accused
and an innocent victim. |
| After the Council was done with
him, Jesus is sent over to Pilate. Pilate heard the accusations and wondered
what was so wrong with Jesus. Eventually Pilate has Jesus flogged and turned
over to be put to death. |
| It's likely all fictional up to
the flogging and crucifixion. Those events probably occurred. |
|
| 8. The Mocking |
| You remember where they took away
his garments and cloaked him in purple and mockingly called him "King of
the Jews," after which they whipped and spit on him before leading him
off to be crucified. |
| Once again, a creation of Mark. |
|
| 9. The Crucifixion |
| Who knows what was said on the
cross, if anything? Who knows about the thief on either side? Who knows
Jesus' last words? Even the Gospels couldn't agree. |
| I always felt a bit deceitful
doing Good Friday services knowing that the 7 last words of Jesus had no
basis in fact. Not that he couldn't have said some of them, or that some
of the events might have happened, but that there is no evidence of any
kind to go on. |
|
| 10. The Burial |
| It is somewhat comforting to think
that there was a Joseph of Arimathea to take the body of Jesus down from
the cross and give it a tender burial. It is hard to think that his lot
was to have his body cast out with those of 100's of other victims of Roman
crucifixion to be fought over by dogs and have remnants buried in unknown
graves. |
| Why am I spoiling your journey
to Easter by de-bunking these stories? Partly, I think it is important
to understand what we are really doing here. We are not, as the churches
seem to imply, walking through an old historical time with Jesus. |
| What we do in pre-Easter time
is focus our attention on a spirit person whose life on earth has meaning
after his death. All these stories, mostly created out of stories found
in the Old Testament, imagine Jesus going to the cross already a victor.
He is Lord of life even before Easter. That is the faith. |
| In the stories there are many
profound spiritual insights. There are likely some facts, such as the loyalty
of some of the women to Jesus, and the scattering of the men. There are
some terrible fictions, such as the blaming of Jesus' death on the Jews. |