Righteous Anger

So far we have made our way almost through the first two chapters of John. We have learned that

Jesus is the word; chose to come; Jesus is one with God; Eternity in your hearts

Week 2: Disciple meaning; never too late to choose to be a disciple

There is no problem too small for God. He wants to be among us and help us. We just have to ask, give it back to him, and obey. “Do whatever he tells you.”

Today we moving to an interesting part of John and I am sure a lot of you have heard this story.

Let’s read John 2:13–22

“The Jewish Passover was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there.

After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen.

He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables.

He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”

And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me.

So the Jews replied to him, “What sign will you show us for doing these things?”

Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.”

Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?”

But he was speaking about the temple of his body.

So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made.”

What do we think about this story?

Clarifying points

Jesus did not hit people; would have been arrested

Scholars do not believe that Jesus hit any person with the whip, but used it to drive out the animals and maybe as a tool of importance. It could have been loud to startle the animals. If Jesus were to have hit people, he would have been immediately arrested, which doesn’t happen here!

Context

Yearly sacrifice; up-charging; taken advantage of

The animals in the temple were there for sacrifice. People would come from far and wide to sacrifice animals at the temple once per year to cover their sins and shortcomings. This was customary prior to Jesus dying for our sins.

The money changers in the story were thought to be targeting those that traveled far, and because it was too expensive to bring animals along, charged them unfair amounts for their sacrifices and even fees for exchanging their currency for local currency to buy those sacrifices.

They were being taken advantage of.

Jesus came and saw his father’s house was being used to take advantage of the poor and those that wanted to worship God.

I love John 2:17 “And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Zeal = passion. His love for his father’s house

Consumed him = There was nothing else. This was his soul purpose in this moment, to clean our the temple.

Can you think of a time when you had that much passion for zeal for something?

Maybe you find that your brother and sister are in your room when you don’t want them to be and you storm in? (Human anger, but still passion)

Maybe you saw a friend of yours being yelled at or hurt by another and you HAD to do something about it.

But Why?

They were obstacles for faith or stumbling blocks

The greed of man was stopping or making it difficult for people to worship God. There are so many passages in the bible dedicated to being what is known as a “stumbling block” for faith.

Do nothing that will prevent someone or pull someone away from faith.

Jesus walked in and saw a temple full of stumbling blocks and HAD to do something about it.

He HAD to get involved. He was not concerned about himself in that moment. He acted with righteous anger.

Anger

That’s right. I said ANGER. He overturned tables and poured our money pouches! He likely got loud.

I know, we talk about love all the time. We know Jesus as this compassionate person who helped all that he saw.

But here we see Jesus angry. What does that tell us?

Is anger a sin?

No…it isn’t when you use it correctly. In the old testiment we see time and time again that God corrects people through incredible means. Turns whole cities to pillars of salt,

but that all changed with Jesus right?

I don’t think so. God doesn’t change and we learned from the first lesson that God and Jesus are 1 and the same right?

Jesus was here to show us how to live a perfect life. To give us a blueprint or a way forward.

Jesus shows us here that part of being human is to be angry,

as long as that anger has the right motivation.

Humans when we get angry, we tend to want to make someone suffer.

Get even

Get them in trouble

God, however, wants to find a way for you to escape his anger or wraith. he sends missionaries, prophets, judges, or his own son to help us out.

Jesus saw such an injustice that he caused a scene to clear it. He took it upon himself drove everyone and everything out.

He was angry, but not to cause the merchants harm or financial ruin. He was angry because the path to God was being hindered.

He can do that for you too and not only can he do it…

HE WANTS TO DO IT.

He wants to clear a path for you to be able to worship.

Where is the temple now

Now here is the interesting part. We are talking about the temple. The physical building that believers had to go to to repent for their sins. We have churches and temples here and now, but where does the temple lie now according to scripture?

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 “Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and that is what you are.”

Believers are the temple. It isn’t a place. It is a people. We see Jesus reference his body as the new temple in verse 19

John 2:19 “Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.””

He was talking about his death and resurrection three days later.

Even if we are not believers We all feel guilt or Shame

Across all cultures we all have that little voice

Whether you are a believer in God or not, there are things inside us that we know are wrong. They don’t feel good and when we act on them, we feel that guilt or shame. It could be teasing your friends a bit too much. It could be writing on walls or dumping trash on the ground because you are having a bad day.

It could be seeking a community in places that cause harm to yourself or others.

Across cultures we all know that little voice inside of our heads that tells us what we are doing or are about to do is wrong. Inside us all we have our own tables and money changers. We have the things that stop us from understanding the truth.

So take a second and think. What is clouding your life so much that it is hindering you from seeing God?

Is there anything in your life that distracts you seeking answers?

Video Games?

Social Media?

Relationships?

Notice I said, hindering you from seeing God.

I will make you a promise. There is no amount of self-care books or sessions with a therapist or a chaplain that will rid you of those stumbling blocks forever. There is no easy button to make things better. Life is so difficult and it comes at you so very fast.

Even believing in God does not magically remove these difficulties in your life. That is our corrupt world. A world we have to live in. But if we have to face this world of ours.

If we have to constantly worry about things getting in our way of God, I glad I have a savior that is willing to fight like Jesus did here in the temple.

I want someone standing beside me to fend off the world with whip in hand. I want someone with zeal or passion. I want someone to fight FOR me with a consuming passion.

I love the care and grace of Jesus. I want to model my life off his love for all and the mercy he showed to all of mankind. I want to be the calm in the storm.

But we all mess up. We all sin. We all do what is wrong. We all fall short. We all invite our own money changers and merchants, obstacles, stumbling blocks into our lives for a while and lose sight of God. We all, we all, we all.

I love the compassion of Christ, but when it comes to getting those obstacles out of my way. When it comes to cleaning the temple within me, Give me the passion, the righteous anger of Jesus. That is the passion we need to have a chance in this world.

As I always say, Be patient and kind, love aways, and because of that love be

bold and fight off all things that make you fall from God.

Fight them with the same zeal as Jesus here in the Temple! Don’t causally swat at it. Attack it, drive it out of your lives. Be bold!