Easter and Its Impact on Business TodaySýnishorn

Today we will set the scene and observe the context in which New Testament was written. It is important to be aware of the social, economic, and political environment Jesus was living in, so we can understand the meaning conveyed by Jesus’ words and actions.

Christians often assume that Jesus is gentle, meek, and mild. However, that is not the Jesus who tackled the evil that was decimating God’s people during this time and is still decimating millions of people worldwide today.

When we examine Jesus’ ministry, we can see He set out a precise strategy to destroy the greed and corruption that was present in the marketplace at the time. Surprisingly, the majority of this ‘Babylonian’ culture was perpetrated by the actions of the religious leaders who were pillaging the people for their gain.

Jesus regularly confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees (the priestly and political elite), calling for them to repent and change from their evil ways. Yet, they would not change because they had too much to lose. Their allegiance was to Rome, which allowed them to make money through the taxation system at the expense of the Jewish people.

As a result, Jesus sought to break this systematic corruption and replace it with a culture of caring and sharing.

He started by converting the tax collectors responsible for channelling the plundered wealth up the line from the public to the priests (who took a healthy cut) and then up to Rome.

Jesus converted Levi, a senior tax collector and customs agent who became the Apostle Matthew, Zacchaeus, another chief of tax collectors, and many others.

In Matthew 9:10, Jesus ate dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and other people with bad reputations came and ate with Jesus and His followers. If you were eating with someone in ancient customs, you became aligned.

Throughout this dinner, Jesus explained a more sustainable economic model whereby all parties prospered based on caring and sharing. As a result, this whole group of corrupt tax collectors was converted to this new way of thinking, which inevitably had a massive downward impact on the revenue to the temple.

Following this, Jesus set about healing people for free. Typically, people had to go to the temple and pay exorbitant costs to be healed. This was why nobody could afford to be healed and why people were sick for a long time. Therefore, Jesus performed many miracles, healing crowds of people for free and then sending them to the temple to show the priests. Again, this was putting the corrupt priests out of business.

Then, Jesus forgave people’s sins for free. This was another huge expense imposed by the priests. Again, Jesus’ strategy was to put the crooked priests out of business.

On multiple occasions, Jesus fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and fish. These are very common miracles that Christians are taught. Still, it is important to recognize this was another deliberate strategy by Jesus to reverse the culture of greed and corruption that was decimating the people of God. In this case, Jesus set out to show others that they had the power and capacity to use their wealth (a few loaves of bread and fish), multiply it, feed thousands, and still have multiples left over.

This infuriated the priests and aristocracy as they did not want the peasants to be well-fed and strong, as this would give them the strength to rebel against the system. Instead, the priestly elite wanted them weak and starving, as this would perpetuate their income streams.

Another strategy Jesus implemented was to bankrupt the money changers who were responsible for creating another revenue funnel in the temple. The money changers ripped people off in various ways, one of which revolved around an annual Jewish tradition whereby the people would present their offerings at the temple. It was impractical and impossible to herd cattle, sheep, and other livestock from the far reaches of the Empire to Jerusalem to slaughter for the offering. Therefore, the Jewish people would come with their country of origin currency to buy the animals directly at the temple.

However, the vendors of animals would not accept foreign coins with pagan insignia on them, so the money changers exchanged these for the more acceptable Tyrian coins. In the process, the money changers ramped up the exchange rates during the festival seasons. This often left the Jewish people impoverished. Additionally, the vendors of the animals ramped up their prices, too, a double whammy for the Jews.

This is the reason why in John 2:13-16, Jesus cleared the money changers out of the temple courts and called them “a den of vipers.” Jesus understood how important the greed and corruption of these business owners (money changers and animal vendors) was to the whole toxic system, and He wanted it shut down.

Jesus’ actions throughout His ministry teach us that greed and corruption in the marketplace are not God’s way and will not be blessed. His miracles are not often applied in the marketplace context, yet it is crucial to our understanding of Easter that we recognize Jesus’ overall plan to wipe out the corruption, greed, and self-centeredness that sustained the leaders’ lifestyles because this is why they wanted Jesus killed.

Today in the modern marketplace, we must realize there is a more sustainable way to create wealth. If we follow God’s way, we will be able to create wealth without creating poverty. We will experience supernatural favour and the creation of multiplied wealth without creating human misery. Additionally, we will prosper personally, but so will our communities, our cities, and our nations. This is the concept of Sheep Nations that Jesus taught in Matthew 25.

Tomorrow we will discuss Judas’ betrayal, the Last Supper, and the significance of communion.