Note: It may be helpful to read The Jesus Curriculum: God-Centered Reality before reading this article.

If our modern culture is me-centered, then Roman culture was Caesar-centered, i.e., the Roman Emperor was viewed as the center of the universe. In the first century world where Jesus lived, Rome was the dominant power meaning normal was defined on their terms.  

Without even being consciously aware of it, the average person living in the Empire was thoroughly indoctrinated in the Roman curriculum.  They knew the “script” by heart. Octavius Caesar had vanquished Rome’s enemies and bought “peace” to the Empire, and thus the Emperor deserved to be called the undisputed lord and savior of the world.   Future Emperors continued to make the same claims about themselves. To oppose Caesar’s authority was equivalent to treason; to do so publicly could cost you your life.  The average Roman citizen had no real reason to oppose the Emperor, but that was far from the majority view.  

For many people in the Empire, including the Jews, the reality of Roman rule was not particularly pleasant.  The Jewish people certainly did not like the reality of Roman rule, but after so many years as an oppressed minority, they were also thoroughly convinced that there was nothing they could do to change it, so they just tried to figure out how to function within it.   

Groups of Jewish people came up with different ways to function under Roman rule—to deal with the “Roman problem” if you will.  The Zealots advocated a military uprising to overthrow the oppressors; the Pharisees advocated rigid adherence to God’s law to bring about deliverance; the Herodians advocated collaboration with the Roman oppressors to make the best of a bad situation; and the Essenes advocated withdrawing from the corrupt culture altogether to wait for the liberating king’s arrival.  But we should be clear that not one of these groups ever gave much serious thought of any reality other than the Roman version of reality was possible. 

That all begins to change when a certain itinerant Jewish rabbi appears on the scene in the region of the Galilee in ~30 AD and begins “stir up trouble” on the margins of society—which is where most “uprisings” tend to start. Jesus pokes holes in the façade of the Roman curriculum right from the start.  He begins to question if the normalcy of Roman rule should be accepted without question.  Is Rome’s way really the only way possible—is it the best way?  Are they really as pure and peaceful as they claim to be? Can violence really bring about peace?  Is there another, better, path to peace, hope, justice, than the one Rome follows? 

Jesus articulates a new version of reality that begins to break up the dark clouds of oppression that have hung over the Jewish people for so long.  The people start to get excited because, for the first time in a long time, they actually see rays of hope that they might have a better future.  Jesus proclaims that reality is God-centered, not Caesar-centered.  Interestingly, Jesus makes many of the same claims that Rome made, but he models a very different way of achieving those same ends.  From the beginning, Jesus is setting himself (and God’s kingdom) in opposition to Caesar—and he knows exactly what he is doing.  His life proved that these weren’t just abstract ideas that Jesus was peddling; Jesus was actually practicing what he preached. Perhaps what is even more remarkable, is that a small number of people actually had the courage to start believing in the Jesus curriculum—which of course means they had to stop believing in the Roman curriculum.  In fact, they were so convinced that Jesus offered a better way than Caesar did, that they were willing to risk their lives to try and spread that message to others living in the Roman Empire. 

And it is into that context that Jesus comes walking into the city of Jerusalem in ~33 AD on what we now call Palm Sunday.  Jesus and his small band of followers made a very intentional trip to the “big city” for the precise purpose of challenging the normalcy of the Roman curriculum once and for all.  

How people responded to Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem generally depended on whether or not they had a vested interest in protecting the status quo—i.e., the normalcy of Roman rule.  If you were a rank-and-file Jewish person in the crowd that Sunday afternoon, you were very excited about Jesus’ arrival in the city, because even if you didn’t dare say it publicly, you longed for a different future, and you hoped that just maybe, Jesus might offer that for you.  On the other hand, if you were a member of the ruling religious and political elite, viewing the procession from the shadows if at all, you were very much threatened by this renegades arrival, and you wanted to do something about it—and quickly.   

As the events of what we call Holy Week unfold, Jesus ultimately suffers the same fate as anyone who dared to challenge Caesar’s rule—a very public and painful execution to remind others not to make the same mistake he did.  At the end of the day on Friday, it looks like the Emperor has won—Caesar always won in the end—and it seems Jesus has failed utterly… But has he?  Perhaps the victory isn’t as clear-cut as it first seems.  Perhaps Jesus did exactly what he came to Jerusalem to do. 

Yes, Jesus made himself completely vulnerable to the authorities, and he and his small band of followers seem very weak (dare I say laughable?) when standing in opposition to Rome’s overpowering military might.  But by exposing himself, Jesus would accomplish much to expose the real truth about the Roman curriculum that he could not accomplish in any other way. In a way, only Jesus’ total vulnerability could expose the true nature of Rome for all the “world” to see.  

And remarkably, the strategy seemed to work.  For the first time ever, Jesus got ordinary people to question the normalcy (and legitimacy) of Roman rule.  His whole ministry was really leading up to this final confrontation with the religious and political elite in Jerusalem—all of whom were ultimately loyal to Caesar, not God.   All the choices he made along the way led up to this final choice to go to Jerusalem. Those who witnessed the fiasco of Jesus’ “trial” unfold, followed by his brutal and very public execution at the hands of the Romans started to question Rome’s version of reality.  Was another way really possible, and maybe even preferable?  How could Rome claim to be an advocate of “peace” and at the same time brutally execute a man who committed no crime whatsoever?  It just didn’t add up.   

But as the Sun sets Friday evening and the Sabbath begins, Jesus is dead and all hope seems lost. The disciples have scattered and, once again, the dream of a different future for the Jewish people seems to have died along with Jesus on the cross at Calvary.  It definitely seems that Caesar has won; Rome has reasserted control; the rebels have been punished and “peace” reigns in the streets of Jerusalem.   

If you were one of the people in the crowd on Sunday who truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah or liberating king who offered hope for a better future for you and your people, you probably go to bed very sad that night.  If you are an immediate follower of Christ you are not only sad, but you are probably fearful for your very life.  After all, if the authorities connect you to Jesus, you might very well suffer the same fate he did—you might even remember that Jesus even predicted it would happen, when he was with you…  Perhaps you feel silly for getting your hopes up and placing your hope and faith in this wandering rabbi from Nazareth.  Perhaps you drift off to sleep convinced once again that Roman curriculum was right all along… but even so, your heart still aches for something different to be true… 

TO BE CONTINUED AFTER THE RESURRECTION

Alan Ward lives in Baltimore, MD and his writing can be found at Alan's Corner.