And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.”
John 2:15-16
That sweet little baby lying in the manger? He grew up to be this guy! The way in which worship motivated Jesus was a lot different from what we might see in a house of worship today! Jesus saw the awful way in which people were profiting and abusing the poor in the name of God’s worship and He could not let it stand.
Sacrificial animals that were inferior to the standard of the law were being sold at high profits. Money changers were ripping off people who could only pay temple fees in Hebrew shekels, reaping enormous transaction fees from traveling pilgrims with foreign currency. Those who sold pigeons, the cheapest sacrifice available for the very poorest of the poor peasants, were chastised for their calloused capitalism.
There was a rebel streak in Jesus when it came to standing against sin that was entrenched in false worship and sanctimony. A whip and an intense, muscular action drove Jesus to restore the heart of worship in the temple. A cross and nails drove Him to do the same for our hearts at Calvary so our lives could now be the temple of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment