Holy Week, Day Two.

The cries for “hosanna” still echo behind Jesus, though more muted than the parade on the day before.

The donkey and colt have been returned to their owner.

Jesus, tired but focused, seems to know what’s coming so he heads to a place he’s been many times before: the Temple Courts.

As a boy, he’d seen his parents visit the Temple, using some of their limited resources to purchase the accepted sacrifices. He’d watch the prices rise on the backs of the poor, while those selling got richer.

He’d taught nearby many times, seeing people trudge out with less than they’d brought in. He’d bit his tongue at the fact that this was backwards. It wasn’t time.

Then.

Now, the final week has arrived. The people have cried out for mercy and help. He knows what they are really crying out for, but political and military victories were not his goal. His is a different kingdom.

Yet, there was one place he could liberate. There was one place he could offer salvation from the heavy burdens never intended by the God being worshipped.

So, he pulls together a whip and heads toward the Temple. Determined to set things right, at least for one day.

The beginning of the end has finally begun.

(The story continues: Matthew 21:12-13)