What if it was all about Jesus?
What he was seeing and hearing
smelling and tasting
What if the Temple was the bad taste in Jesus’ own mouth?
The smell of disappointment . . .
The sight of disgust . . .
The sound of expectations, hopes and dreams unmet?
Here was Jesus shouting
there was Jesus whipping
Everywhere, it seemed, was Jesus chasing
It was Pan . . . demonium . . .
Pan . . . all . . .
Daemonium . . .evil . . .
Pandemonium . . .
Uproar
and chaos
a place of wildness
and wild things
Pandemonium . . .
The place where all evil resides . . .
Satan’s temple right in the center of hell . . .
Maybe that’s what Jesus was seeing that day . . .
In the temple . . .
The place of order
and calm . . .
peace and tranquility . . .
safe haven and sanctuary
The very place where God resides . . .
There was pandemonium . . .
Wild things
trampling everything
in their wildness . . .
Going back to the primordial . . .
the chaos of before God . . .
the darkness and void
before the beginning . . .
Jesus must have wondered
in that split-second moment
before the anger
why we would go back
to all that
why we would settle for so little
when God offers so much
why the cacophony of the market
would seduce us into thinking
that this was God?
How it must have torn his heart . . .
Each cha-ching of the proverbial cash register
a gut punch
He told us so clearly
why could we not hear?
He showed us so plainly
How could we not see?
The Temple was him . . .
and we were making him for sale . . .
putting a price on what he gave so freely
Holding praise and worship hostage
to the currency of the realm
Brick by brick
we dismantled him
we annihilated God
invaded God’s own house
set up our own booths
made our own rules
and called them good
Who says God’s heart can’t be broken?
______________________
*Pandemonium was coined by John Milton in Paradise Lost, as a word meaning the Temple of Satan in the center of Hell.
I learned something :D. I love word origins. Plus this was a great piece to ponder. Lovely poetry Beth!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ginny! Me too on word origins - such a journey of exploration!
Delete