During Passover in Jerusalem the city is packed to the gills. A relatively small city has all kinds of pilgrims. Imagine an NFL game happening at Laidley Field while the Reds are playing at Power Park and the Mountaineers are playing basketball in the Civic Center. Charleston, West Virginia would be chaos. You’d be parking in Nitro. The wait at Pies and Pints would be 76 hours. There would be people everywhere.
Jerusalem would be something like this. And in the heart of Jerusalem was the Temple–the destination for those coming to worship, both Jew and Gentile convert.
Now, as you know, animal sacrifices were offered as part of Jewish worship. Let’s say, however, it takes you two days to travel to Jerusalem. You really don’t want to bring a live pigeon with you to sacrifice and keep that pigeon in your possession for the whole trip. I mean not only is it inconvenient, but you’re trying not to make eye contact with the pigeon, if you know what I’m saying.
So, in the Gentile courts, like a big courtyard inside the temple walls but just outside the court for Jews, and that just outside the Holy space, there would be all kinds of merchants there to sell you the finest animals for sacrifice.
Ah, but there is another problem. What if the district you’re from doesn’t deal in the same currency? Well, before you can buy your pigeons or pay your temple tax, you must get your money exchanged.
Has anyone ever done this before? Boy, I have, and boy, I have lost some money. I remember we were in Prague and I really needed (wanted) some Czech Crowns to buy this delectable pastry, and there was one of those tourist trap money changer booths to swindle dumb American tourists that look just like me.
I’m there. It’s convenient. Whatever, I need the money because I need the pastry, right?
In one sense this is a legitimate function and service. But there are some problems. The system is rife for abuse.
The priests had coordinated with this big network of money changers and livestock dealers to turn religion into a big business. But the problem is both the shady motives of those doing the business and the fact that such business has overrun the temple. (Yall, ain’t nothing new under the sun. People have been robbing people in the name of God since humans have been on this planet.)
Now, imagine Jesus walking into pure chaos. He steps inside those exterior gates, and he sees people everywhere. But these people are not worshiping. There are animals everywhere. Money changing hands all over the place. Crowds of people are filling up the space where Gentiles (non-Jews) were supposed to have a place for worship.
Friend, this is a secondary but important point, the insiders are always tempted to forget about the outsiders. Who cares that this area is for Gentiles, they’re not that important anyways. I’m getting strong, “Who does he think he is sitting in my seat at church” energy here, yeah?
What does Jesus do? John 2:15 says he made a whip and he drove both man and beast up out of that temple. He took the money and he dumped it out. He took tables and he flipped them. And he looked at the men selling pigeons. (Now, I could be reading too much into this.) But you sacrifice a pigeon because you can’t afford a lamb. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he goes to the one selling pigeons to poor people. Because Jesus is angered when vulnerable people are used and abused.
He looks at them and says, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
Jesus is righteously angry that his Father’s house (again, another sign that points to Jesus’ divinity) is being used as a place to make a profit, exploit the poor, and indulge the religious insiders.
What makes me angry? When things don’t go my way. I get angry when I get ranch dressing instead of bleu cheese, which happened again this week. Generally, my anger rises from sinfulness.
Jesus is different. This sort of anger is different. What makes Jesus angry? When we make worship about us. When we care more about making money off the sacrifice than giving it with a contrite heart. When God’s people do not revere God’s holiness.
To be clear, this isn’t an excuse to lose your cool. It’s a call to learn God’s holiness.
Elsewhere Jesus will teach that if you bring a sacrifice to the altar in worship and you have something against your brother, put the sacrifice down because God doesn’t want it. You know what he wants? He wants you to go make things right with your brother. Then he wants you, with a pure heart, to bring him your best.
Jesus cares about what happened in the Old Testament temple. He wasn’t just happy to see it full. In the same way, Jesus cares about what happens in our sanctuaries. But more than he cares about what happens in our churches, he cares about what’s happening in your heart.
Jesus cleanses the Temple (he’ll do it again at the end of his ministry because we never learn). He picks up cords, makes a whip, and cleans it out, because he wants us to see that he is the temple to which this temple points. In the same way that he came into the temple to root out sin, he comes into our hearts to root out our sin.