The warm sun beamed down
on Jerusalem that day.
Every road was clogged and jammed
with travelers on their way.
A tangible holiday feeling
was alive in the air.
The excitement was contagious
as people bustled here and there.
This strong surge of visitors,
fellow Jews from far away,
was in celebration of Passover –
the high holy day.
Many came from Galilee,
from tiny rural towns;
simple country folk,
where farming and fishing did abound.
They left their barley crops.
They left their wheat in the field.
They left their fishing boats and nets –
the fishermen so skilled.
They travelled towards Jerusalem –
a city large and grand;
and also the base from which
a Roman legion took its stand.
The almond trees in blossom
were pink on every side,
as the highway to Jerusalem
swept along with humanity’s tide.
Dust, thick and heavy,
swirled up from the busy roads.
Merchant caravans passed
with rare and precious loads.
Military personnel
marched with their heavy gear …
an indication that
the Roman-held city must be near.
Then there! Across the Valley –
Jerusalem at last!
What a splendid city –
so magnificent and vast!
Shining brilliant in the sun,
beneath a sky of blue!
The impressive Jewish Temple
commanded all the view.
Intermingled with the excitement
of Passover at hand,
was a brooding, seething hatred
towards the Romans in the land.
There was danger of revolt,
with the city bursting at the seams.
And what about the rumors
of a new Jewish “king.”
He had ridden into the city
with a procession rather grand,
amidst crowds of cheering people
waving palm leaves in their hands.
Many seemed to know him
from his traveling/teaching tour.
But was he a threat?
No one was quite sure.
There were stories from the travelers
who had arrived from Galilee,
of amazing signs and wonders
that he did for them to see.
If he really was a threat,
it didn’t seem to be towards Rome,
but rather towards the religious lot
who called the temple home.
It seemed this Jewish Rabbi
simply sat and taught,
astonishing the crowds
by what he said and thought.
One thing that he said
was particularly profound –
“This temple would be destroyed,
then in three days, once again, be around.”
John 2:19 – “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’”
John 2:21-22 – “The temple He had spoken of was His body. After He was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.”
