Jesus Clears the Temple

As the lectionary this week focused on Jesus clearing the temple of the merchants, it brought this story to my mind.  Based on real events, it is an experimental piece, the beginning of a much longer story, still being lived and written.

Shanna was a middle child, although that did not completely define her, it came close.  Even before her younger sister was born, she already felt like a middle child.  Now at the age of seven, with a new baby in the house, it was a fact.  Shanna was like the last thing left over on a to-do list; the one that never quite gets finished at the end of the day.  She learned to get by, pretending she didn't really mind being overlooked.  She might as well not mind, since there was nothing she could do about it anyway.    

Shanna’s older sibling was a sister, Cassie, who split her time between bossing Shanna around and ignoring her.  With less than a two year advantage, Cassie made the best of her position as the first child.

Their parents didn’t go out a lot, but when they did it was always exciting to see what babysitter would come.  Sometimes it was Great-grandma, who was very stern and strict.  A tough old lady who had raised her share of children, she was not about to put up with anything.  As the religious matriarch, she knew her Bible.  She had scripture all around her house, from handwritten quotes to needlework samplers.  She was, however, a bit short on the love and affection.  Of course, watching three children under the age of nine could do that to anyone. 

Sometimes the sitter would be Shanna’s grandmother.  She was a mom of ten, with her last two children just a few years older than Shanna and her sisters.  Grandma was an odd mix of grandparent and mother, hard to define.  Being a single parent, she was also no-nonsense in her discipline and care giving.  Generally she gave the same impression as mom and dad, way too busy to notice a quiet little girl. 

When all the free babysitters were occupied, mom and dad would have to resort to hiring a teenager from church.  Shanna’s favorite was Beth, only fourteen herself; she was a lot of fun.  She would let Shanna and her big sister Cassie build forts out of the sofa cushions and stay up late, sometimes until their parents came home.  Of course the baby had to go to bed early.  That was the best part about Beth; she didn’t give all the attention to the baby.  That is what everyone else seemed to do.

One time, Beth brought them candy.  Malted milk balls.  The girls usually only got those when they could convince mom to get them at the dime store downtown, which wasn’t often.  They would beg and beg and sometimes if they were really good or really lucky mom would give in.  Then the shopkeeper would get out his big silver scoop and weigh some on the scale, then pour them into a brown paper bag.  Of all the candies on display at the candy counter, those were what the girls wanted. 

The night that Beth came to baby sit and brought a brown bag of candy was special.  Since Beth was so young it was different than when an adult gave candy.  When an adult did, it was for a treat or a bribe for good behavior.  When Beth did it, it felt more like sharing.  Didn’t she want all the candy for herself?  Shanna knew that she herself wouldn’t want to share, especially malted milk balls, which were her favorite.  When eaten, the candy from Beth tasted the best, a free and unexpected gift. 

She would have never thought to relate this to Jesus in any way.  After all, Shanna was only a little girl.  Her entire knowledge of Jesus came from Sunday school lessons and watching Jesus of Nazareth on TV at Easter time.   The movie put pictures in her mind of what the stories told, making them more vivid and real to her.  She had nothing else until the dream came.

In the dream, she stood with Jesus in the Temple, at the edge of the courtyard.  It was right after His triumphant return to Jerusalem and right before his arrest and crucifixion.  There were crowds of people there for the Passover.  There was the commotion of the people and animals, as well as Roman guards.  It was warm and the smell of sweat and animals was strong.  Everyone was moving about with a purpose, there on business or holy pilgrimage.  Many were lined up to buy doves for their sacrifice.  The money changers were there also, doing a brisk business. 

No one noticed the two of them.  Jesus was in His long dusty off white robes, with His long hair and sandals.  Shanna was beside Him, with Him really.  He kneeled down to her.  Looking right into her eyes, He smile mischievously and said “watch this”.  He moved quickly through the crowds, grabbing the tables set up by the businessmen and dumping them over.  He went from one to another.  No one stopped Him or challenged Him.  Their first concern was grabbing their money.  Shouts erupted all over the courtyard.  The crowds also began to scoop up the scattered coins that were falling everywhere at their feet.  They hurried over broken tables and smashed scales reaching for what was not theirs. 

Jesus’ voice boomed over the chaos, “It is written,  My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves!”

In the commotion, Jesus took a glass jar filled with malted milk balls off of one of the remaining tables.  He turned to Shanna, who had been at His side during this whole scene, and gave it to her.   His anger with the people had disappeared from his eyes.  He was now smiling again.  He looked directly into her eyes as she took the jar, its smooth sides feeling cool in her hands.  She looked down at it and marveled at the gift; free and unexpected.  As she then began to awaken, the sounds of the crowds faded.  The jar began to melt in her hands and as she tried to grasp it, she was only grasping the air.  In her own bed, she was sad to lose the candy that had only a moment before been so real. 

It was a connection she carried with her for life.  As childish as it may have sounded to others if she had told them, it was real to her.  The memory was so vivid that it was instantly recalled whenever she heard stories or sermons relating to the Temple and Passover.  She had been there, only for an instant, with her Jesus.  He had shown her that He was strong and a fighter, but most importantly that He had time to look her right in the eyes and see the desire of her soul.  When all around her were concerned with law and structure, He was showing her grace.  It was grace echoed in the gift of a teenage babysitter, who had time for noticing what others really needed.