Anger or Victim?

On our Lenten journey we have observed Jesus being tempted – but where? We have heard Jesus describing a leader as a fox. Now there ‘s a bit of history. Just what outrages did Pilate commit with those Galileans, to mix their blood, in Jerusalem so it merited adding to the Gospel passage? The outrage we might feel : is it about our anger or our desire to support the victim? Simply put : where ‘s our focus : anger or victim?

Any backing to the story?

There is very little historical evidence to back up this story added by Luke. The Roman historian Josephus does mention that the Galileans “were the most seditious people in the land. They belonged properly to Herod’s jurisdiction; but, as they kept the great feasts at Jerusalem, they probably, by their behaviour at some one of them, gave Pilate, who was a mortal enemy to Herod, a pretext to fall upon and slay many of them. Archelaus is represented by Josephus as sending his soldiers into the temple, and slaying 3000 men while they were employed in offering sacrifices.” Recall that history is often told by the doctors, and given their particular slant.

A similar incident occurred before the ministry of Jesus. Pilate wanted to build an aqueduct from the Pools of Solomon to the city of Jerusalem. To pay for it, he demanded money from the temple treasury, money that had been dedicated to God. This outraged the people. When the Jews sent a delegation to beg for their money back, Pilate sent into the crowd soldiers dressed as common people, and at a certain signal they took out daggers and attacked the people asking for the money. We could be seeing a series of tragic events by Pilate but hearing only about two episodes.

Nevertheless, Luke finds it necessary to record it in his Gospel but why? We read that the Galileans were murdered by Pilate as they had come to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. But was it because they were Galileans or because they were offering sacrifices in the Temple? Later in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 23:6) we read that Pilate recognises Jesus as a Galilean. It isn’t because of Jesus but Pilate’s offering minimal respect to the Jewish religious life, and his desire to bring in Roman worship into Jerusalem. 

What of Jesus’ reaction?

It isn’t ‘let’s attack Pilate or Herod’ – the focus is entirely upon the victims.

There is talk of repentance, a word heavy with religious meaning but simply returning to relationship with God. A few verses onwards (Luke 13:10+)we would have read of a woman bent over with an illness, who was cured by Jesus and immediately she was restored into relationship with God. 

This repentance is linked in Luke 13:5 to perishing if we fail to return to that relationship. The word perish in the Greek does not speak of dying but the opposite, of not being relationship with God. 

And today?

When we hear of the tragic news from Ukraine, of the murder for political reasoning, to bolster a political position, we may well express true horror at what we are seeing and hearing. But according to this text, our horror must be converted into concern for the victims. Don’t let that anger dwell but let it be readily expressed as compassion. 1 John 3:18 reads “let us not just talk of love but put it into action, for then we will see, experience the kin_dom of God.”

Our call today, after any tragedy whether global or personal, is to not connect it with sin, or fault, not to let it burn with anger, but establish that relationship with God so that we can see a way out, a path of compassion, of love for one another. Can we, will we?