This is the latest installment of my "Blood" series, about events around Christ's murder and ressurection. I was atheist most of my life, recently becoming a believer. A lot of this came from a play I was dragged kicking and screaming into as a kid, think Bart Simpson forced to play Pilote... Some events in this "Passion" story have had a big influence on me. This part in particular. Not so much the casting down of the Jewish religious leadership but rather ALL religion. The symbolism is that the temple was cracked open, the sacred veil ripped, the sacred object (?Ark of the Covenant?) laid bare. In that time they did this thing where people paid them big $ to cleanse their sins, then the head rabbi was the only person who could see it and pray for forgiveness. You'd better not look otherwise, "You will die!". But they rejected Jesus and when he started to interfere with their moneymaking "This is my father's house and you have turned it into a den of Robbers!" schemes and IMO worse he recruited non-Jews to follow him -they might have rejected their messiah because he got in the way of their moneymaking and comfort but how DARE he despite who he is...sigh... But the miracle is, even with the Devil who clearly ran most of the world handing him a torturous exit at the hands of whom had been his chosen people, he still forgave all mankind. The only 'revenge' was that this happened, that the temple was sundered, the veil ripped, the holy of holies laid bare, and no no one died seeing it. It disappeared/was stolen soon after. Every single religion had failed, starting out noble but over time becoming wretched and corrupt, so the only option left was to let man turn to him directly. Man really didn't learn this lesson, even the faith in Christ's name becoming a dictatorship then splitting after a few kings and militant students with pamphlets got PO'd over the corruption and stupidity, but else where "This is between you and me. Come back to me, you have only to lose your pain!"