Indignant
| On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: " 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it a 'den of robbers.' " (Mark11:15-17) |
Mark is clear. Jesus went into the temple on Palm Sunday after the Triumphal Entry but He did nothing because it was late.
"Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve." (Mark 11:11)
Jesus saw what was going on...
The priests were strict about the animals that were offered for sacrifice. They had to be perfect and without blemish. If they could nit-pick and find something wrong with the animal you bought, you would be forced to go and buy a "pre-koshered" animal at inflated prices from the traders in the court of the Gentiles. But you couldn't pay with Roman coinage because this "unclean money" was not suitable for the temple so you had to exchange it for Jewish shekels, again at an exorbitant rate. The worst was that all of this took place in the Court of the Gentiles - the only part of the temple that a non-Jew could go into to pray.
I imagine that Jesus spent Sunday night thinking about the temple. On Monday morning on the way to the temple he sees a fig tree without fruit. It had leaves, but none of the pre-fig-buds that promised a good fig-harvest. Jesus curses it because of this fruit-lack - it is symbolic of the temple.
Then He goes to the temple and overturns tables and drives out the traders. He hasn't "blown His top" or "lost His cool." He has thought about it and His anger is righteous and calculated.
People misunderstand this passage - they think it's about the trading. But it's about keeping people from connecting to God and it's about using religion to cheat people.
And it makes God really angry.
CHALLENGE: Are there things in your life that prevent others from experiencing God?
