Holy Anger?
Notes
Transcript
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
What does our passage say about Jesus?
First, Jesus is a defender of the poor, the week, and the helpless.
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
Some commentators argue that Jesus was angry because they where defiling the scared house of worship but I think it is deeper than that. I am sure that is part of it but something else is also going on let’s look at the second time he cleanses it in Matthew
13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
Why would He say they turned it into a den of robbers?
People who had to travel from a distance sold their animals and the had to buy new ones at Jerusalem
The temple tax couldn’t be paid with Roman coins so the money changers were ripping off the poor.
My other understanding is this was in the Gentile court. So the market would have been loud and the animals would also be loud. Could you image trying to hold our worship service in the middle of a busy market place? It would be difficult to hear me and it would be difficult to focus.
So I think it is a combination of irreverence, a barrier to worship for the Gentiles, and the fact they were taking advantage of the poor.
What else does our passage say about Jesus?
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Jesus is making a transition away from the temple and the temple sacrifice to the new covenant. Where the very Spirit of God lived in believers. Jesus says tear down this temple and in three days I will raise it up again. And what is the reaction of the Pharisees? It took 46 years to build this temple how can you rebuild it in 3 days? John in verse 21 tells us Jesus was speaking about His body. What is the significance of this? What was Jesus telling them?
Jesus fulfills the Temple system. There is no longer a need to sacrifice animals. Because His sacrifice is the final sacrifice.
1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.
2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?
3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
What does our passage say about us? The scariest part I see is how easily our hearts deceive us and lead us astray. The religious leaders were given such a gift. There lives were to be dedicated to serving God. God entrusted them with the scriptures. And gave them the privilege of teaching others and leading people to the one and only true God. BUt we see from our passage how far from serving and teaching the poor they had drifted. What do we see in our passage? They were taking advantage of the poor. They were using them to make a large profit. So much so Jesus called them thieves. I wondered as I prepared. If Jesus was referring to them stealing the poor’s money or if He was referring to the leaders of robbing the people of a true relationship with God.
The other truth I see about humans from our passage is our inability to self evaluate. Let’s look at their response to Jesus’ Rebuke.
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
They didn’t stop to evaluate what Jesus said in His rebuke did they? Instead they wanted to know what gave Him the right to do this.
What hope do we have? Just like Jesus, our bodies are now the temple of The Holy Spirit.