Radical Jesus

By: Mike Van Vranken

BACK IN THE 1700S, when the British oppression had reached its limits with the colonists, a group who couldn’t take it any more destroyed others’ property, throwing it into the Boston Harbor, and costing, in today’s values, an estimated 1.7 million dollars. To bring law and order, the British military eventually arrived to squash any further rebellion and make examples out of those who rebelled by punishing them. The results included the injuries and deaths of tens of thousands of people, and an entire new country was born. It is interesting how, in hindsight, we are so elated that the rioters destroyed all that property, that even in the wake of the suffering and deaths, we widely celebrate our independence of the oppressors every year. We seemingly “clean the story up” so we don’t really have to think of this as the push back from an oppressed people and all the blood that was shed.

Jesus had a similar episode. “He found the temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength. Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, ‘Get your things out of here . . .’” John 2:14-16 MSG.

Jesus had seen in others and experienced in himself the terrible oppression inflicted by the Jewish church leaders and the Roman military. “Scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites all,” we hear him screaming to them (Mark 12:35-40; Luke 11:37-54; Matthew 23:1-39). Yet, time and again, they chose not to listen. He, like the American colonists 1700 years later, had all he could take. In a moment of anger and fury, he destroyed their businesses, costing them their inventory of cattle, sheep, tables and even their money! Can’t you just see all of the coins of money falling to the floor and the innocent poor and needy, those who were continually oppressed, hurrying to pick them up, knowing this might be the first time they can feed or clothe their family in years?

And how about that whip made of leather straps? Some translations say it was made of “cords.” In other words, this whip was designed, not just to scare people, but to inflict injury and pain. Earlier, Jesus had stated his mission was: “to let the oppressed go free” Luke 4:18. And this is exactly what he was doing. He came to free the poor, the outcast, the sinners, the blind and lame; he came to rescue anyone who was being taken advantage of and left out. Again, we look back at this story with so much “rose color” in our lenses, we call this: “the cleansing of the temple.”

When people are oppressed over a long period of time; when they don’t have the opportunities that others have; when they are stuck in cycles of poverty and helplessness through no faults of their own; when they are singled out as possible trouble makers; when they have no one to be their advocate; when absolutely no one in authority will listen to them, they become desperate – as desperate as those colonists were – as desperate as Jesus was. In desperation, they push back; they destroy property, they start fires, they cost people their livelihood, and even hurt others – all for the purpose to make someone listen to them.

The British called in their military to put the oppressed back in their place. Jesus’ church leaders schemed with the Roman military to stop his ministry at any cost. So, to restore law and order, and to give anyone who is oppressed an example of the extreme punishment they will receive if they try to escape from their oppression, they beat Jesus to such a bloody pulp, he was unrecognizable. Then, stripping to the shame of nakedness, they nailed him to a cross and lifted him high for everyone to see and clearly understand: this is what happens if you mess with the oppressors.

During October, are you willing to examine the radical calling you have as a disciple of Jesus? Are you willing to take the true risk of being a Christian by asking God to help you see which of his children are oppressed, and how he wants you to stand with them, listen to them, walk with them, and even defend them? Are you radical enough to walk out into the streets with the oppressed and face the consequences? Following the radical lifestyle of Jesus can only be accomplished by becoming radical ourselves. And, if we finally do, maybe then, people will look back on our era and call it “the cleansing of racism.”

Mike Van Vranken is a spiritual director, a member of the teaching staff for the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center of New Orleans Formation of New Spiritual Directors, an author and a speaker.