As we look now toward Easter, let’s begin with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We know the story from every Palm Sunday service and Sunday School lesson through the years – the choosing of the colt, riding it into Jerusalem, the palm branches, the cheers along the road, and the happy welcoming crowd, plus several baffled Pharisees and Sadducees along the way.

But what happens next is unforeseen. Jesus humble character seems to turn tyrannical. He goes to the Temple, but instead of teaching or healing, he scatters the coins of the money changers and turns their tables over. Why do such a thing?

Always ready to make more money, the Sadducees demand that the people of other lands must exchange their foreign coins for Temple coins. Of course there is an extra charge for such. Cha-ching! Worse than that, they choose to set up their money-changing tables right in the Temple area.

Added to that, the Passover pilgrims must also have sheep or doves to offer as sacrifices when coming to the feast. If they have to come a long way, they have the convenience of buying their animals at the Temple. The animals are not kept in near-by fields, but smack dab in the Temple area. Imagine the coin-clanging, sheep-baaing, dove-cooing, people-shouting chaos! Nothing conducive to prayer or worship.

When my son was about six years old, we were talking about this event in Scripture. I said, “What do you think Jesus said?” Jason replied in his softest, gentlest voice, “Now people, you shouldn’t be doing these things.” Yes, we want the humility of the colt ride to carry over to the Temple.

Here’s the picture John gives us.

In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves,and others sitting at tables exchanging money. John 2:14

Oh, but you may have overlooked this next verse.

So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. John 2:15

A bit extreme you say? I’ve tried to get preachers to preach on this passage and have yet to hear a sermon about “the whip!” I suppose we could call it righteous indignation or justified anger. There are times we must stand up for the right thing. I don’t believe Jesus harmed man or beast, but he certainly made his point. Just to be sure, he said,

“Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” John 2:16

And:

“It is written, ‘My house will be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers.’ ” Luke 19:46

The disciples remember the Scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” But the temple leaders ask for a sign that he has the authority to do this. Jesus responds,

“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up again in three days.” John 2:19

The leaders are thinking literal temple, but the disciples hang on to these words and will understand several days after the resurrection, that he is talking about his body .

Thus we get a first glimpse of what is to come.

~ Joyce ~