Someone recently said, “when we ask ‘What would Jesus do? Remember that flipping over tables and freaking out is always an option.’” They were, of course, referring to the incident recorded in St. John’s gospel which we read today, an incident often referred to as ‘the cleansing of the Temple’ by Jesus.
It’s very important to understand what brings Jesus to this point, and to understand His reaction. For the Jewish nation, the Temple in Jerusalem was the holiest site on earth. It was the centre of their state, their culture, and their religion. It was believed that the glory of God dwelled within the Temple precincts, in a place called the ‘Holy of Holies’, a place in which only the high priest for that year could enter, and only on a specific day in a specific ritual. The Temple complex extended out from the Holy of Holies, and encompassed a number of ‘courts’ or places where not only the religious leaders could attend, but all people, including Gentiles. This Temple, one of the wonders of the ancient world, was a place where one could study and reflect on the Sacred Scriptures, meditate and contemplate, praise and worship the One True God.
Those who were exchanging the different secular currencies for Temple currency (money changers), and those who sold animals for sacrifice had a practical purpose to serve in the regular activities of the Temple. Originally, they would have plied their wares on the streets and roads leading up to the Temple mount to those on pilgrimage. Yet, over time, they moved closer and closer until eventually, stalls and pens and exchange tables crept into the Temple complex itself. It was just ‘another’ place for business. The Temple was meant to provide a place for God’s glory; it was a place to gather and contemplate and honour God. Imagine, if you will, coming into a place of worship where you are there to reflect and pray, to worship and honour God, in fulfilling that command to love God with all your heart and soul and mind. Now imagine trying to do that in an environment filled with the clatter of goods, the clinking of coins and scales, the noise of animals, the shouting and arguing of sales and haggling, the dust and smell of herds of sheep and cattle.
That is the setting in which this episode takes place. Would we be upset? As people of faith, I would expect so. Yet Jesus displays what we would call ‘righteous’ anger at the sacrilege and irreverence of what is happening around Him. He doesn’t lash out in a blind rage, or in vicious hatred; there is direction, control and purpose in His actions. He doesn’t hit anyone (despite what our cultural adaptations have added to this event); read the words carefully, “Making a whip out of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle.” It doesn’t say he whipped or used the whip on people – he used it to direct the animals out. Yes he overturned the merchants’ tables, but he didn’t strike anyone. His was an anger that expressed itself ultimately in a positive action; an act to restore the Temple to the place of worship and honour and glory of God. Jesus saw the ultimate act of sacrilege, was moved to righteous anger, and in a measured response, He did something about it. It turned some against Him, but He did it just the same.
This opens up a host of implications for us, as we look around our own modern world and community. We live in the wealthiest part of the world, blessed with riches and resources and freedoms. Yet thousands of people in cities across our country have nowhere to live- they are out on the streets. Many children do not get enough to eat in our own country. Every year hundreds of unborn children never see the light of day because they are aborted. Many of the people of our First Nations communities do not have proper housing or basic things like clean running water to drink. We look at millions starving in various parts of the world; we hear of people being persecuted and killed for no reason other than their faith; and again we are drawn as a nation, into armed conflict to defend the victimized.
Do these things make us angry? As Christians, they should. Not with a vengeful, vindictive hatred; rather we should be compelled to act with a sense of justice and charity. We should feel driven to be an instrument for righteousness, for cleansing, as Jesus was – in a controlled and directed manner; not blindly striking out. Our calling as disciples of Christ in the world should move us to act to restore and to strengthen; to heal.
We used to hear it said often that our bodies ‘are the Temples of the Holy Spirit’ because we are all made in the image and likeness of God. We need to cleanse our own inner temples too, when those worldly things creep in and threaten to overpower our relationship with God and others – greed, desire for power, pride and arrogance – we need to work on our inner temples so we can view our world with eyes and hearts cleansed and purified and open to see where we, as people of God, can best serve Him amongst each other.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
Thoughts from Theophilus 