Matthew 21: The Prayer of Hosanna - The Weapon of the Weak in Jerusalem, as Recorded by the Editor of Matthew

Matthew 21: The Prayer of Hosanna - The Weapon of the Weak in Jerusalem, as Recorded by the Editor of Matthew

12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

13 "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'"

14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.

21 Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.

22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

23 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?"

Chapter 21, set in Jerusalem—the heart of religion and politics—paints a confrontational picture by the editor of Matthew. One group includes chief priests, scribes, elders, Pharisees, temple merchants, and vineyard workers. The editor metaphorically compares this group to a fig tree that only has leaves. They hold authority. The other group includes children, tax collectors and prostitutes, the sick, John the Baptist, and Jesus. They are the prey of those in authority.

For those classified as the elite, authority is paramount (verse 23). To them, authority is a tradition that maintains the system, and at times, a means to cover their faults. In a society where church and state are one, God is seen as the giver of authority, and those who receive it become His agents. The authority of God's agents becomes, in essence, divine power.

In this system, it's crucial that the giver of authority remains unseen behind the curtain. His face, let alone his voice, must not be heard. He should communicate only with his agents. This creates a hierarchy where one is above all others by law. This law is untouchable. The more the agents exalt the giver of authority, the more their own status is reinforced, as they are connected to the unreachable giver of authority. This hierarchical structure naturally applies to society, becoming a logic of dominance. Church-state unity thrives in this system.

Jesus positions children, infants, tax collectors, prostitutes, and John the Baptist opposite the agents. They seem weak. Children are not yet counted as people, tax collectors and prostitutes are considered the lowest of the low, and John the Baptist was beheaded for speaking out. They are the food of those in authority. However, Jesus assures that the cries of children, tax collectors, prostitutes, and John the Baptist, akin to throwing eggs at a rock, will prevail. The editor of Matthew highlights Jesus's confidence when the fig tree withers: "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done" (verse 21). Their protest cannot be violent. They lack strength and organization. Their only weapon is the Hosanna (Help us!) prayer. The defiled temple must be cleansed (verse 12). The temple should be a house of prayer for those crying Hosanna (verse 13). Jesus boldly heals the blind and the lame who were ignored in the temple courts (verse 14), believing that the Hosanna prayer of children, tax collectors, and prostitutes could immediately wither the fruitless fig tree (verse 20).

Reading chapter 21 through the editor of Matthew's perspective, cursing the fruitless fig tree doesn't seem like an odd act of killing an innocent fig tree out of season. His cleansing of the temple doesn't appear excessive. His concept of the temple is not unfamiliar. His curse on the outwardly flourishing fig tree, saying 'With the Hosanna prayer given by God, you too can do it,' empowers us to hold an egg, even if we must muster courage again three days later.