John 2: Jesus clears the temple

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

 

We know Jesus to be loving and kind.  He tenderly blessed children and came to earth humbly as a baby.  He willingly and submissively died a humiliating death.

But love does not sit idly by in the face of injustice - it rises in righteous anger.  So what made Jesus, the source of love, angry?

Why were people in the temple selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others exchanging money?  What I've been taught is that this wasn't just an ordinary market - the cattle, sheep and doves were on sale for people coming to make the offerings prescribed in the Jewish Law.  Many people would have travelled a long way to come to the temple - bringing money in exchange for an animal was more practical.  Except that specific currency was needed (hence the money-changers) and the exchange rates were steep.  Like buying a bottle of water in an airport, the only option was pricey.  In short, the traders in the temple courts were making a profit from people coming to worship.

We see it again and again in Jesus' interactions with people - the thing that really riles him is when people put up barriers to worship.  Whether it's the strict traditions that the religious leaders impose on the people, or the traders in the temple fleecing those who come to seek God, Jesus hates it when those who are in a position to do so make it harder for others.

Grace is a free gift to be shared.  It is not for sale - God's temple is not a marketplace. There are no entry requirements save that of a repentance heart.  The sacrifice system of the Old Testament has been replaced by Jesus, but even when it was in force, it made provision for even the poorest (who could offer a plentiful pigeon).

What would Jesus make of Christians and Churches today?  He would have strong words for those profiting from their ministry, although that is not the case for the church leaders I know.  But there are other barriers we put up.  Sometimes it's money, sometimes it's having the right social background, or having the right job (one that doesn't require working on a Sunday!).  Most of the barriers we put up are unintentional, but they can shut people out all the same.  We need to prayerfully consider whether there are any of these in our own churches, ministries or lives.

Jesus speaks with grace and compassion to sinners - and that includes all of us.  He knows that he will pay for our sin with his life, thus opening up eternal life with God to us.  He invites us to come and dwell in his love, in safety, and to experience the changing of our hearts to align with his.  It's such a wonderful thing that whenever people have tried to put an entry fee on it, or make it into an exclusive club, we see Jesus at the angriest we ever see him.