Christ driving the Traders from the Temple – ~1600 – El Greco (1541–1614)
Jesus was A.N.G.R.Y!
And rightly so.
Can you imagine how threatened the moneychangers must have felt when a young and buff man with a whip came tearing through the temple? (John 2:13-22) It certainly made a lasting impression, because the Sadducees were out to get him from then on.
Jesus tends to get caricaturized as a soft and gentle man. That was not always true, as we see in this event. Our Lord was not afraid to be forceful in defending his father or his father’s house.
Many that would criticize the Jews today for their treatment of the temple have little room to talk. Today we see church meeting houses mistreated both during services and other times.
Depending on the denomination or liberality of the congregation we see:
- Cake sales
- Dances
- Sports
- Secular or para-Christian ceremonies
- Amusement for children during worship
- Theatrical productions
…the list goes on.
I don’t want to say that our modern meeting houses are in any way like the Jewish temples. We have no scriptural basis for our buildings to be considered holy. The building is just a house.
But… would Jesus care about what was happening inside a house with his name on it? When the world looks in from the street, would they see only what Jesus would approve of?
If we look at 2 John 1:8-11, we get the right answer:
We do not allow the things that Jesus would not teach in our house. (2 John 1:10)
Even greeting them that would bring it makes us participants! (2 John 1:11)
Challenge: What is going on in your meeting house that would make Jesus angry?
May 2, 2014
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