On Wednesday a conspiracy was planned. The story of Wednesday has Judas make an arrangement to turn Jesus in. The big question that I have about how this actually happened is, why did there need to be a traitor? Jesus wasn’t exactly hiding. He had been protesting in some very public places. The most likely answer seems to contrast the traditional thought about Jesus’ relationship with the crowds. In the old passion plays and in the recent popular movie that misrepresented Jesus’ passion, the crowd is said to be against Jesus. I think that is wrong. Borg and Crossan answer the need for a traitor and the need for a conspiracy with the idea that the crowds in Jerusalem were in support of Jesus in great numbers and this meant that the authorities couldn’t just take him without starting a riot. The need to avoid a riot was always an underlying tension during a holiday with massive celebrations and crowds. That is after all why the Roman soldiers where there in force to keep things under control. So the authorities needed to find Jesus when he was in a private place away from the crowds.

I think that this difference is important. I was always taught that the “Jewish people” were the ones that crucified Jesus because he was against their religion. This was definitely not the case. Jesus was Jewish and very serious about his faith. The idea of creating another religion that countered the Jewish faith was a “post-Jesus” concept. Jesus didn’t have a beef with his fellow Jews. He was protesting their leader’s collaboration with the Roman Empire and their unjust social and economic practices.

The main point that I take from the story of Wednesday is that the people saw Jesus’ passionate protests and many accepted the challenge but the authorities didn’t accept him and planned his death. I think Jesus knew very well that the authorities wouldn’t get it. After all it was Jesus that said rich people would not understand and they wouldn’t be able to take part in his new kingdom. His goal was to build support for his teachings in the common people that would carry on his ideas. The challenge he puts before them is to follow in protest of the empire even if it means death (and it usually does). Many of them followed him to death over the next couple of centuries.

Jesus, forgive me for overlooking your message and focusing on a system of beliefs. Help me to have the courage to follow you.