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.
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. 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
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. ThWe 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!
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.
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!!
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?