Upending Our Tables

Okay, here’s a side of Jesus the church rarely talks about. In John 2:13-17 Passover is approaching and Jesus comes to the Temple in Jerusalem. And what does He find? He finds the Temple enclosure full of merchants selling sheep, oxen and doves for sacrifices, as well as money changers, those who, for a fee, convert foreign currency into shekels for visiting Jews.

Jesus’ reaction is swift and fierce. He makes a whip and drives “them all out of the temple enclosure;” the animals, the merchants, the money changers. Then to add insult to injury, He overturns their tables, scattering their precious money all over the floor while stating “Make not My Father’s house a house of merchandise.” The apostles understand that this is in fulfillment of the Scriptures and illustrates Jesus’ consuming zeal for His Father’s house. The Amplified also adds, “I (meaning Jesus) will be consumed with jealousy for the honor of Your house.”

What happened here? Why was Jesus so upset? Because man had mixed the profane with the sacred. Because they had tainted the holiness of the Temple with unholy things. They had made God’s Holy house a marketplace, a shopping mall.

I often write about God’s love for I believe that describes God best. But we must understand that God can also get angry. And I think He gets angriest when He sees His holy church defiled. Many pastors will have much to answer for at the judgment! For many have allowed the world to pollute their churches with worldly ideas and ways. Many have let their love of money and riches and the desire for fame and a bigger congregation crowd out the pure Word of God until it is nothing more than a shopping mall selling lattés and “feel-good” messages that offend no one.

But this must be how God feels about us, individually, at times, too. After all, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and are to live holy lives through His power. And when we pollute ourselves, sometimes God must upend our tables, too. He must turn our world upside down out of “jealousy for the honor” of His house. And so again, not surprisingly, love enters into the equation. It’s His great love for us that makes Him jealous and not able to stand idly by while we allow pollutants to enter His holy territory. He must address our offenses—our chasing after other gods of money, fame, pleasure, ease, etc. So before He has to upend our tables let us partner with Him and get our house in order.

Until next time,

Sylvia