John 2:13-22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
Is it just me, or have you noticed a general rise in public anger?
- Angry words
- Rebellious behaviors
- Rhetoric of outrage
We live in an anger-immersed culture.
- Riots
- Politics
- Social media…deleted our Facebook accounts
The church is not immune to angry attitudes, words, and actions either. Any long-standing member of virtually any church can attest to the outbursts at a business meeting. What Christians must understand is that wrongly placed anger is destructive. Righteous anger is corrective, it actually can lead to positive outcomes. Anger is not unbiblical. There are many passages, including today’s where we read of God’s anger. Just listen to some of them.
Exodus 4:14a, Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses….
Exodus 32:11, Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?”
Isaiah 10:25, “For in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction.”
In Isaiah 13:3, we read that God assigns people to express His anger.
- I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have even called My mighty warriors, My proudly exulting ones, to execute My anger.
Writing of Jesus’ ire toward the Pharisees Mark 3:5 records…
- After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
Misplaced, misdirected, wrongly motivated anger is never sanctioned in Scripture. In fact, it’s punished by God. Starting with the episode between Cane and Abel. I want to be direct. God’s people; the church needs to be righteously angry. Not at unbelievers, they do what lost people do. No, the righteous anger of God’s people must be focused internally. This is the message of the Gospels. Jesus’ wrath was aimed at the religious leaders while His compassion was toward sinners. Our passage is another example of the Lord’s righteous indignation against self-righteous people.
1 Peter 4:17a, warns, For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God….
If the church is to ever experience revival, it must be stirred to righteous anger against the sins within before it can claim a legitimate voice against the sins outside it. As we move through this passage, reflect on how its truths may apply to yourself and your church. Because it is time for judgement to begin with the household of God.
The Selling (13-14)
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.
Passover was the Superbowl, Daytona 500, and Masters of Israel’s religious life all wrapped into one. The spectacle of Passover is hard for us to imagine. Ancient historian, Josephus reports that 2.7 million people participated in the annual Passover observances. With over half-a-million animals sacrificed during the eight day celebration. Thousands upon thousands of Jews squeezed into the Temple to give their atoning sacrifice to the priests. Since many traveled from far away it was impractical for them to bring their animal with them.
A market for selling oxen, sheep and doves to Passover pilgrims was conveniently set up on the Temple grounds. And like convenience stores today, everything sold at inflated prices, with the markup justified by the convenience factor. Additionally, since the travelers would bring their currency from their distant country, moneychangers were in the marketplace to exchange what they brought into Jewish money. Their exchange-rate was typically 10-12%.
So, these Passover pilgrims were paying inflated prices for the animals, and extremely high fees to the moneychangers. But that’s not all. There was an annual Temple tax which had to be paid to make the required sacrifice. It was a sweet gig to be a Temple official during Passover. Also, right after Passover was the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. Most people spent sizable money at the Temple for two weeks. Basically, religious leaders were extorting people who could least afford it. This is what infuriated Jesus.
The priests preached sacrifice to people while building their own financial security. It was systemic corruption on full display, and everyone knew it. Before I pass judgment though, I must weed out my own hypocrisies. My double standards and areas of pride. Where am I unwilling to make sacrifices for the Lord, while criticizing others for how they live their faith.
When have I sold God short by my lack of genuine faith?
- Not believing He is able to provide whatever I need
Spiritual incompetence, whether personal our congregational, should stir all of us to righteous anger. Scourging those deficiencies out of His church…out of His people.
[The Selling]
The Scourging (15)
And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
Jesus’ physical attack on the sellers and moneychangers depicts the priority of cleansing His Temple today. What do you mean, there’s no Temple today? We, His people are God’s Temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16, Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 6:19, Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Jesus likely took some pieces of rope used to secure the crates of birds or tie oxen to posts, and braided them into a scourge.
- A small whip to swing against the crowd of swindlers
I want you to see that He performed a miracle. Look again at verse 15.
And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
Now remember what I described earlier; how thousands and thousands of people along with animals were pressed into the Temple area. We’re not talking about a few people and a couple doves here.
- And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple
Jesus unleashed His divine strength to cleanse the Temple. His holy anger is turned against unholiness. See, that’s the proper application of anger. In this case, rage against religious corruption. Here, Jesus’ holy hostility comes as an outburst; an eruption of indignation. But this isn’t the only way to vent righteous anger. Some situations call for a slow simmering of correction. Not a scourging but a warning. Here, Jesus’ dramatic response is equal to the spectacular sin against His Father and the people. He took proportional punishment.
Notice too that there’s no mention of the Lord doing physical harm to anyone. His divine wrath drove them all out without hurting them. Jesus can miraculously cleanse His temple without destroying His people. He can drive out the persistent sins that plague His people and church without ruining them. I believe the past twelve months has been a season of God’s cleansing of the His church, as only He can. Because the Lord cleanses from the inside out.
Please hear me! I’m not saying that those who’ve left our church this past year aren’t right with God. I don’t know and I’m in no position to judge. What I can honestly say about each instance is they claimed to be incompatible with our church. Well that’s equally damaging because that position eventually fosters congregational clashes, as we experienced. Our Lord will apply whatever means He deems useful to drive sin and division out of His people and His church. And realize this is an act of grace. God wants better for us than we often want for ourselves. Sometimes He’ll take us there kicking and screaming.
Look at Hebrews 12:4-11…
You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Next, Jesus’ actions are justified by the Word.
[The Selling, The Scourging]
The Scripture (16-17)
And to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.”
God establishes His people and places for higher purposes. They are to be uncommon. They’re to be more than ordinary. Not in the sense of self-righteousness or feeling better than others, but when His people and places embrace the common values of the world. They mock the Lord who saved them. They message to others that their God is ordinary and common. There’s nothing special about Him.
In Matthew’s record of a second Temple cleansing near the end of Jesus’ ministry He shouts:
- “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you aremaking it a robbers’ den.’”
Quoting Isaiah 56:7, at the top of His lungs, again the Lord calls on the higher purpose of God. In the church’s rush to connect with the culture many have compromised biblical reverence that’s due the Creator. Are we losing our fear of the Lord trying to be relevant to the world? How can the church preach the hope of a higher calling to the lost when it downplays the dignity of genuine holiness. Is the press toward informality a kind of selling God’s glory cheap?
Our relevance in this world is what it most needs:
- The Gospel message
- And Gospel love
The church must strive for both, relevance and reverence. Verse 17 speaks to this issue. Either during the Temple cleansing or later the disciples connect Jesus’ righteous anger with David’s impassioned claim from Psalm 69:9.
- “Zeal for Your house will consume me.”
I want to read a portion of it to give you the context, it’s a very important passage.
O God, it is You who knows my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from You. 6 May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts; may those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel, 7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; dishonor has covered my face. 8 I have become estranged from my brothers and an alien to my mother’s sons. 9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. 10 When I wept in my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. 11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. 12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me, and I am the song of the drunkards.
David calls on God to deliver him from those who laugh at the intensity of his love for God and His house. David faces national criticism for his white-hot devotion to all things God. The Lord’s disciples see the same response to His strong stance against the sellers and moneychangers. They, in fact, thought so little of His driving them out the first time. The priest’s and their business partners set themselves up for the second lashing during Jesus’ last Passover the final week of His life.
We must recapture a zeal for God and His house; consumed by enthusiasm that energizes us.
[The Selling, The Scourging, The Scripture]
The Sign (18-22)
The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
This first incident at the Temple happened very early on in Jesus’ public ministry. He’s called the first disciples, changed the water into wine at a wedding feast in Cana. He wouldn’t have been well known by most people at this point. What He does is so unprecedented, so extraordinary they demand some answers. They weren’t so upset Jesus made a mess, hey demanded to know who gave Him power to attack their system.
- To interrupt their commerce
They likely expected Him to say the High Priest or Roman authorities gave it to Him. His answer made no sense to them whatsoever. How could it. Jesus is talking about His death, burial, and resurrection when their biggest concern is gathering all the loose change and scattered animals. The crowd doesn’t even pause to consider the deeper truth. Verse 22 teaches us that His disciple didn’t get it until Jesus was raised from the dead. You know, it’s one thing to be able to tell people what has happen and something completely different to tell them what will happen.
His impending sign wasn’t a prediction, it was a promise. Something His followers could only appreciate in hindsight. Jesus wants us to have faith that receives His promises with foresight. Lord, it sure feels like you’ve abandoned me, but you promised that you’d never leave or forsake me. So, I’m going to hold on to that. God you know I’m so anxious about everything right now, but your Word promises a peace that surpasses all understand.
By faith, I believe you’ll give me that blessing when You see fit. Jesus I’m so low right now but You promise to be my hope. I’m going to be hopeful because of that. Ladies and gentlemen, stop looking for a sign from the Lord. Lean into His promises, His word, with abiding faith! And you will see more of Jesus than your imagination can summon.
Conclusion
The time is long due for believers to exercise righteous anger. The church should expel racism, and nepotism from its midst. It should cleanse itself of arrogance and blind affirmation of domestic violence. As long as it endures mistreatment of one member by another. God will withhold His favor.
Yes, it’s time to get angry.
Pray