Day 36, Wed. 21 Mar.: Mark 11.1-11

I've been preparing to write this post with the radio on in the background. The news today, a day overdue, but these stories will continue to run past the 24 hour news cycle, has to do with Facebook being mined for personal information by big data companies such as Cambridge Analytica, which then onsell this data to political parties, or big companies, or foreign governments, who then use these data to work out how to more effectively "push people's buttons". that is, they manipulate them ...US...to purchase what THEY want, and to make the choices and adopt the behaviours that benefit them.

Big Data. Brave New World.

Meanwhile the Royal Commission into banking in Australia rolls on. Once again, the powerful and the rich use their power and wealth to further disempower and further impoverish those not so happily placed in life. Oh they will say that they don't, or don't mean to, but...

And our government is inching towards a senate majority on the matter of reducing company tax to 25%, though one third of companies pay no tax as it is.

And those with power will pretend to do things for the benefit of the poor and under-powered, or do something tokenistic, but of course they look after themselves. Because that is what it's all about. It is about accruing as much power and wealth to oneself ands one's own. Some would say sex too, but we've being reminded every week by some new scandal that that's crass!) And one develops an ideology that justifies this selfishness.

There's something quixotic about Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. He knew that he was going up against these powers: big religion and big invading army in his case, but he just keeps on going, provoking, claiming in the presence of the "born to rule mob" to be the real king to their false ones.

He provoked the Jewish leadership clique by enacting a claim to be royalty. One spread one's cloak and cut and strew foliage and branches...for royalty. 200 years before the Jews had done it for Judas Maccabaeus after he had defeated the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes, entered Jerusalem and cleansed the temple.

Hullo! What was it that Jesus did? Well, there is discussion amongst linguists about what Jesus actually rode and what people actually waved, but the people shouted "hosanna!" a Hebrew word that mixes exuberant praise to God with the prayer that God will save his people, right away! By its reference to Psalm 118.25-26. Jesus is being identified with royalty, and that, for the wielders of power is always incendiary.

So things proceed, and Jesus disrupts normal business in the temple, and the powers that be decide that he must die. For the good of the nation, you understand. If he provokes a riot the Romans will take the opportunity to slaughter us.

But actually they are in a co-dependency relationship with Roman imperial power. And what Jesus did is utterly, utterly radical. If you accept his premise that he could at any time have summoned legions of his Father's angels, what He did was to eschew all trappings of that status, then march into the centre of power and provoke those who wielded power intolerably. Until they killed him. Because that is what he had to do and what had to happen for him to have a kingdom of love that was worth reclaiming. What he achieved is simply stupendous. He laid bare all the guilty pretensions of power with none of the usual weapons to help Him.

The only adequate response is to cry "HOSANNA!!!"

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