Source of the image: Spoiled Milks
You read correctly, there was an episode in which
Jesus got nervous, it is narrated in the four Gospels, but in John, there is an
extra detail in the narration.
When it was almost time for
the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found
people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging
money. So he made a whip out of cords,
and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the
coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold
doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”
His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume
me.”
(John 2:13-17. Bible NIV.)
Among all reports of Christ’s life in the Gospels,
this has a particularity. The text doesn’t show Jesus as calm and gentle as he
is portrayed in other texts. Neither shows Jesus only talking with authority
against the Masters of the Law. This time, Jesus uses physical force. Verse 15
says that he made a whip out of cords to drive out those who were trading goods
in the temple. Matthew and Mark report that Jesus overturned the tables and the
benches of those who were selling in the Temple.
These actions deviate from Jesus’ usual behavior, I
suppose even the disciples got scared when they saw the Master being so radical
to the point to use a whip out. But all that Jesus did has a reason.
Historical context
Jewish people went to the Temple to offer sacrifices
to God.
And because of the urbanization of that society, many of them hadn’t flocks and
needed to purchase animals to offer them to God. So far, so good. The problem
starts at the moment that the priests allowed the entrance of merchants into
the Temple. The Law of Moses is very clear and exhaustive when it mentions
purification rituals to get into the Tent of Meeting (future Temple), the person
should be ceremonially clean and should get in only with the sacrifice; that
was a Holy Place.
However, during the time of Jesus, the Temple was even
open to merchants, and they sold and profited in the House of God. Another
important point, according to the Bible King James Study Bible (Portuguese
Version), there was a “scheme” between merchants and the priests. The faithful
ones bought the animal and delivered it to the priest for the sacrifice. But
the priest didn’t sacrifice it, he gave back the animal to the merchant to sell
it again. So, they divided the profits. There was a set of errors and sins in
the Temple. Matthew, Mark and Luke report Jesus’ words:
“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.’
(Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46)
What do these happenings
teach us?
This text made me reflect on the role of the church in
society. Think with me: Jesus lived and died under the rule of the Roman
Empire, and the Romans are known for their sinful practices: violence,
injustice, promiscuity, perversion, etc. Jesus didn’t go into the Roman palace
to condemn their sins, nor did he require his disciples and followers to do so.
For the Lord, it wasn’t a priority to change what happened in general civil
society (Jews and non-Jews). Jesus got angry and required changes in His House,
the Temple. The sin was starting there inside, in leadership. The Lord wanted
to show that the House of God must be the first place to be purified, then,
everyone will have a place for true adoration and devotion to God.
And today, think about how the Christians are
behaving. Everyone is more concerned about civil society than the church. If a
rumor arises about some law against Christian principles, people get scared,
revolt, and do their best to fight that. But, what about when a church teaches
doctrines against the Bible? What about when a pastor or leader sexually
harasses the women of the church? What about when a church uses God’s name as a source
of income? What about when a
church evades taxes and doesn’t comply with current laws? What about when a church
gets involved in illicit acts to get financial resources? What about when a
church covers up domestic violence? What about when a church covers marital infidelity?
The list of errors and sins is endless, but the church
is more concerned about what happens outside of it. Jesus also spoke about the
hypocrisy in judgment:
“Why do you look at the
speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in
your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of
your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite,
first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to
remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthews 7:3-5; Luke 6:41-42)
And the Apostle Paul also speaks about the importance
of judging those who are inside:
I wrote to you in my letter
not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of
this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that
case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you
must not associate with anyone who
claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an
idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such
people. What business is it of mine to
judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? (1
Corinthians 5:9-12)
Conclusion
The message of Jesus is very clear: purify the church
from all sin. The church must be a refuge, a House of Prayer for all the
people.
If the church acts like the world, for what reason
anyone will seek anything different there?
