1st March 2024
What makes your blood boil?
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, with the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”
John 2:13-16 (NRSVUE)
Sometimes in life we find that we are in a situation where we can’t stop ourselves from speaking up or intervening. Usually, it is over some perceived injustice, such as someone skipping the queue, or throwing rubbish out of their car window as they drive by. These are relatively small things, but what about bigger stuff where often we feel helpless to affect any change? Abuse of children or animals, violence, stealing, exploitation, greed. We can get so angry it actually feels like our blood is boiling.
Sadly, we may resign ourselves to this, thinking it is just part of living in the modern world. But we don’t usually see Jesus angry and when we do it causes us to sit up and take notice. What was going on here in the temple? What happened to not even thinking angry thoughts?
First of all, it is not a sin to be angry; there is such a thing as righteous anger, but often our anger can lead us to sin, not so in Jesus’s case. He used his anger to drive out those who were not just selling animals to the people who wanted to offer sacrifices in the temple, but cheating them as well. Not only that, the money lenders were also corrupt and overcharged pilgrims who needed to change their Roman coins, Denarii, into half-shekels to pay the temple tax. Jesus borrows from the prophet Jeremiah to accuse those doing such things of making the temple a ‘den of robbers’ (Matthew 21: 13).
The temple was a holy place and a potent symbol that bound Jews in a common identity. For them, the temple in Jerusalem was God’s permanent dwelling place, a sign of the covenantal promise. Jews made pilgrimages there at festivals and special times in their lives, such as the birth of a child, during which sacrifices were offered by the priests to God. You could say the temple was the meeting place between God and his people.
However, Jesus’s behaviour not only drew attention to the corruption going on in his father’s house, but he was also pointing to another holy place. “Destroy this temple,” Jesus said, “and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2: 19). We may wonder what Jesus meant; those listening to him were also confused, reminding him that the temple had been under construction for decades: “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” (v.20).
John writes ‘But he was speaking of the temple of his body.’ (v.21). Jesus’ body is the new ‘holy place’. God’s dwelling place is now with human beings as a human being, and we can have access to the Father not by going to a temple and offering sacrifices, but through Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).
Now that is something to rejoice about instead of being angry.
Prayer
Our heavenly Father, thank you for giving us access to you, not through a physical temple and animal sacrifices but through your son Jesus Christ. He is the new ‘holy place’ to which we come. In his name we pray, Amen.
Study by Jackie Mill
About the writer:
Jackie Mill is a minister in Grace Communion International and Co-Regional Pastor for Scotland, Ireland, and Northern England.
Local congregation:
Grace Communion International Central Glasgow
Garnethill Room
Conference Suite
St Andrews West
260 Bath Street
Glasgow
G2 4JP
Meeting time:
Sunday 11:15 am
Local congregational contact:
Peter Mill
Email: edinburgh@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church