Do you know that God sometimes gets angry? God is not just some gentle, soft-spoken grandparent figure sitting up in heaven with casual indifference to what is happening here on earth. When the things of this world get twisted and radically distorted from what He has planned for them to be, it infuriates God! We see this often in the Bible (The story of the flood, or Sodom and Gomorrah, etc.) and maybe sometimes we feel this in our personal life, when we allow ourselves to become self-critical, and judgmental, we can inadvertently assume God is mad at us. Life experiences, when tragedy strikes, when things do not go as we hoped or planned, we can assume He is punishing us (a subject for another time). But let us not forget that God’s judgment, wrath, or anger is free of human emotions and limits. It manifests and is delivered knowing all things, all motives, and DESIRED outcomes. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19 So this verse, while sounding as if it is stated in anger, it is stated in and with total truth, above human feelings or intellect, perfectly just and sovereign.
We also see some of this on display in the life and ministry of Jesus from time to time. After His triumphal entry to Jerusalem on what we call “Palm Sunday,” He soon after made his way to the temple. There are four different recordings in the Bible of the following story, but for today we will pull the story from the Book of Luke. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers. The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things, he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,” ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise”? One must ponder that if Jesus got angry about what happened in the Temple back then, is the church today guilty of anything similar that would cause Jesus to be angry with us? In the temple courts, he [Jesus] 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!’ John 2: 14-16
Why, specifically, did Jesus flip the tables?
1). They were turning what was supposed to be God’s house of prayer into a marketplace! It was not just a marketplace, but a place where, supposedly those selling items/animals and exchanging currency were ripping off those trading and purchasing, thus the “den of robbers” statement by Jesus. The temple courtyard had come to resemble an outdoor market. Greedy merchants cheated their buyers if they could, especially during the feasts when pilgrims from far away crowded the temple area. However, it was that Sadducean priests permitted merchants to conduct business in the Court of the Gentiles, rather than how the merchants conducted their business, that provoked Jesus’ wrath. Could it be that Jesus was upset that the religious leaders of the day were part of the problem in the Temple? Yes! Most likely, it was a combination of all the above.
2). The market cut off the Gentiles from their place of worshipping the God of Israel.
The Jewish leaders turned the location where the Gentiles were allowed to gather and worship God into a place of sales and thievery. The outer court or the court of gentiles was a promised worship location for the Gentiles, built specifically in the Temple for those outside of the Jewish faith to come and worship the God of Israel! Gentiles, due to the noise and commotion in their temple court, could not and did not have a place where they could come and worship God! They were supposed to be included but were now restricted by the practices taking place in the Temple. This outer court agreement was a foreshadowing, a picture of the future Church, where both Jews and Gentiles are welcomed.
Jesus made it clear that “my house will be a house of prayer.”
We are to live in such a way that brings honor to the Lord. And one way is stewarding our resources and time, with reverence, order, and honor to God. How much do we see today in our modern “seeker-friendly” churches that resembles much of what Jesus saw in the Temple? Are our churches today truly a “house of prayer.”? In this story, we can also learn about the righteous anger that Jesus displayed at the temple. We can also learn from those Jesus was speaking out against and not making the same mistakes as they did. By examining the story of Jesus and the money changers we can learn a lot about anger, and how to respond to situations where righteous anger is needed. We can also learn the root of evil in this story and avoid what had become common practice in the Temple.
Jesus met many people who were thieves during His ministry, but why during this encounter did He turn the tables and drive the buyers and sellers out? The problem not only was cheating people and going against the ten commandments but the fact they were conducting business in the temple. The temple was a place where God came down and His presence was there. This makes the situation all the worse for those who were cheating, for they were cheating in a special and holy location, therefore, spurring Jesus' righteous anger toward them. Today, we do not have a temple to go to meet with God and reconcile our sins, instead, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Since the Holy Spirit is in us, we are the temple. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body. As Christians, we have the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit inside of us, therefore we must strive to glorify God in all that we do. We do not want to make the same mistake as the money changers did by turning a place of worship into a “den of robbers” (Luke 19:46). The Bible is full of events and stories that teach us and help us grow in our walk with Christ. This event is no exception, we see here that Jesus is angry, specifically at the money changers, He drives them out and overturns their tables, but never sins during all of this. We can also take unjust situations in the world today and respond with righteous anger. We also understand after reading this story that the sin of cheating people at the temple angered Jesus, so we should also avoid taking advantage of people, especially since the coming of the Holy Spirit our bodies are now a temple to the Lord. We are the Temple!
The Rest of the Story (restoration of order)
This is part of the story that I think too often gets overlooked or downplayed. When Jesus drove the moneychangers out, what occurred next was a little bit of a mystery, but still holds a deep spiritual pattern for us today. There was probably a startled hush as everyone nervously waited to see what would happen next. The Bible informs us that the blind and the lame flocked to him and that many there recognized him as ″Hosanna, son of David. ″ As soon as Jesus dealt with the opportunists, and restored order, He became a magnet for the very people who were previously being taken advantage of by others. Any time God brings discipline or correction, God’s plan then becomes manifest among us. Even more so for the unbeliever who also sees order restored, peace and calm return, and God is honored. A restored life with order and purpose lived out in front of them often brings reconciliation to them as well.
Let me present the following question: What has caused many to become like the merchants and money changers that Jesus was so enraged at? Is it possible that our churches, activities, and social media accounts have become so overrun with commercial pitches that the voice of the gospel for the countries and our lost neighbors has been drowned out? Worship resources have been prioritized over repentance, and wholehearted discipleship and the pursuit of holiness have become out of focus. In what instances have we placed the pursuit of riches, platform, and our own glory ahead of the pursuit of God’s glory? When the unbeliever comes into our sanctuaries, can they get past the clutter of commerce and see the heart of God?? It is necessary for every one of us again to beg God to wash our hearts, our witness, and worship, in the same way Jesus cleansed the temple.
Turning Over Tables in Today’s Church
Is it possible that the present Western church culture resembles the busy outer courts of the temple more than we would want to admit? Have the mercenary practices that roused Jesus’ wrath seeped into our churches and our hearts today? Should we consider the following? Would it be OK for us to quit writing and marketing our Christian books and music? Should we shut down the publishing firms, the record labels, and the conferences? You may say “Is that too extreme or is that necessary”? But I do often wonder how much of what we see today in our churches, is inspired, and ordained by God. When was the last time you asked the Holy Spirit to turn the tables over in your heart so that our congregations and organizations could be purified? What will be our reaction to this warning? This reminds me of a story in Acts often called “The Damascus Road Experience.”
Acts 9: 1-6 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So, he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” His tables had just been overturned!!
Sometimes just for fun, I search the internet for subjects that perplex or interest me. I just did a Google search for this phrase in quotes: “The Holy Spirit is a gentleman”. It got 21,000 hits, way too many for me to search out, but there was one right near the top that said we know that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman because scripture tells us. And I thought, “Oh really?” Scripture tells me that He’s a counselor, a rebuker, a teacher, a convictor, a judge, an exhorter, an enabler, a baptizer, and a consuming fire but nowhere in Scripture does it say that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. While it is true that He will never choose for us because of our (free will), if you are a believer, you have already given over your right to the will of the Holy Spirit at your conversion. If God is the author and finisher of our faith (our sanctification), He will use any decision, any circumstance, the good, the bad, success as well as failure to mold you into His image because of what was given at the cross for you and me. The result of the Damascus Road experience was fear, trembling, blindness, a filling of the Holy Spirit, a change of direction, and a confounding of the religious system of that day. Of course, Paul could still have said no, but the scenario made it virtually impossible to do so. “Why are you kicking against my will for you”? Implies to me that God's plan and purpose had already been determined for him. Paul just needed to get with the program.
Jesus: True Temple and Our Only Hope
Jesus is the more authentic and superiortemple. As the law’s completion, He is also the ideal high priest, as well as the immaculate lamb. He is the more trustworthy and reliable testimony, and it is through him that people of every country, tribe, and tongue may and will come closer to God. Moreover, Jesus lived a life of perfect worship, driven not by selfish gain but rather by self-sacrificial love and obedience to the Father. For this to be true of us, Jesus, must from time to time turn over the tables that we have allowed to be set up in our lives. Jesus brought restoration and order to Saul by the Holy Spirit, and He restored the order to the Temple. In both cases God’s will was done, lives were changed and transformed, and God was glorified. When the world, the unsaved, or the disenchanted believer wants to enter the sanctuary, will they be unable to do so because the building is overcrowded with the attitude of merchandise or commerce? I am grateful that I serve a God who loves me enough to discipline me. I am grateful that I serve a God who is willing to take away my sight until I finally see Him. Allow the Holy Spirit to overturn your tables!!What will be our reaction to this warning?