JESUS AND HOLY ANGER
THE TEMPLE
In ancient Israel the temple was built as a dwelling place for God’s name, (2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Kings 3:2) a house of prayer, sacrosanct from all other buildings and places. This is the house where God said, “My name shall be there.” King Solomon, on finishing the house of God, said, ‘But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less the house that I have built ! He prayed, ‘Regard your servant’s prayer and his plea, O Lord my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today; that your eyes are open day and night to the prayers of his people. Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray towards this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling place; heed and forgive. Listen to every plea of the people Israel whenever they face this place to pray; yes hear in heaven where you live, and when your hear, forgive (1 Kings 8:27-30)
God’s name was identical with God’s presence. By promising his name to be in the temple, God was confirming his presence there at all times and even though God dwelt in the heavens the prayers of Israel would be heard. Thus the first temple, built by Solomon, was the centre of worship in Jerusalem and a house of prayer. A temple tax with promise, was an obligation of every Israelite over 20 years of age, of half a shekel for each person to maintain the temple, yearly. (Ex 30:11–16) This temple might have stood to this day had not Israel sinned greatly. God, as Jeremiah prophesied, sent Israel into exile for seventy years, ruled over by the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks, until finally the second temple in Jerusalem was built. This took forty years with additions made by King Herod in 19 BC. Herod reconstructed the temple, adding to its length and height (Josephus: Ant. 15.11.2) Hence this was the temple Jesus visited and revered as the house of God.
JURISDICTION OVER THE TEMPLE
Jurisdiction over the temple was in the hands of the high priest and the sanhedrin. The high priest was, in fact, the president of the sanhedrin, who ruled over all the affairs of the temple and the courts, although without the power to impose the death penalty. They had however, the power to excommunicate an Israelite from the temple and the synagogue. It is therefore inconceivable that they did not know what was taking place in the temple. When Jesus entered the temple he found merchants selling and buying, changing money and the seats of those who sold doves. (Matthew 21:12)
The Lord was incensed that the house of God was being turned into a market place. It was grotesque, sacrilegious and obscene. He said to them, ‘ It is written, “My House shall be called a house of prayer;” but you are making it a den of thieves.’ (Matthew 21:13) And he began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. (Mark 11:15) A great commotion ensued. News of this spread far and wide. People came running to see what the Lord was doing. Sick people, hearing that Jesus of Nazareth was in the temple, came to be healed. The fame of Jesus had spread throughout Judea and all the countryside. People were waiting to see and meet the prophet. Some even said he is the Messiah. After order had been restored in the temple Jesus healed the sick, there.
Those in authority, the priests and scribes, questioned Jesus there and then. They confronted him and said, ‘By who authority are you doing this? What sign can you show us for doing this?’ And but for the crowds praising Jesus they would have arrested him on the spot. Instead they reported the disturbance to the chief priests who, when they heard of it, discussed ways to kill Jesus, not just because of his violence but because the crowds were spellbound by his teaching. (Mark 11:18)
The violence disturbed the priests, not just the violence of driving the business merchants out of the temple but the violence to their feelings and their conscience, if they had any. For they knew the Scriptures and what was written there. But they were greedy and profited greatly by the temple business. The temple tax, payable each year by the people, the half shekel commanded by Moses, was unacceptable in local currency but had to be paid in the Tyrian shekel minted in Tyre. This contained 95% silver and was far more valuable than local currency. This was why moneychangers had been allowed into the temple to exchange the value of local currency into that of Tyrian. Also, disgracefully, the Tyrian shekel had pagan gods stamped on the coins. Thus a profitable business was taking place in the temple that the priests turned a blind eye to. This is the reality of the Jewish faith at that time. But there was no turning back for Jesus. He would not tolerate the gross abuse of the priests and scribes. He was figuratively standing on the edge of a precipice. ‘Destroy this temple,’ he said, and in three days I will build another not made with hands.’ (John 2:19) This was a showdown and Jesus challenged the priests to do their worst. They had no idea what he was talking about.
He was not speaking of the temple buildings but his own body and his resurrection from the grave.
DISCIPLESHIP
For the disciples this was the road to Calvary, a road they never imagined they would take. They were not ready to follow Jesus to the cross. They only looked forward to the restoration of Israel with Jesus as their king. The road to Calvary was hidden from them, even though Jesus told them explicitly that he would be killed by human hands. ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands,’ he told his disciples, ‘and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ (Mark 9:31-32) The twelve who followed Jesus were not ready to follow Jesus to his death. They did not understand his words and were distressed that he should talk about dying. (Matthew 17:23)
They had yet, of course, to witness his resurrection and the great joy of fully realising that death was not the end of their dreams.
THE TEMPLE
In ancient Israel the temple was built as a dwelling place for God’s name, (2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Kings 3:2) a house of prayer, sacrosanct from all other buildings and places. This is the house where God said, “My name shall be there.” King Solomon, on finishing the house of God, said, ‘But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less the house that I have built ! He prayed, ‘Regard your servant’s prayer and his plea, O Lord my God, heeding the cry and the prayer that your servant prays to you today; that your eyes are open day and night to the prayers of his people. Hear the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray towards this place; O hear in heaven your dwelling place; heed and forgive. Listen to every plea of the people Israel whenever they face this place to pray; yes hear in heaven where you live, and when your hear, forgive (1 Kings 8:27-30)
God’s name was identical with God’s presence. By promising his name to be in the temple, God was confirming his presence there at all times and even though God dwelt in the heavens the prayers of Israel would be heard. Thus the first temple, built by Solomon, was the centre of worship in Jerusalem and a house of prayer. A temple tax with promise, was an obligation of every Israelite over 20 years of age, of half a shekel for each person to maintain the temple, yearly. (Ex 30:11–16) This temple might have stood to this day had not Israel sinned greatly. God, as Jeremiah prophesied, sent Israel into exile for seventy years, ruled over by the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks, until finally the second temple in Jerusalem was built. This took forty years with additions made by King Herod in 19 BC. Herod reconstructed the temple, adding to its length and height (Josephus: Ant. 15.11.2) Hence this was the temple Jesus visited and revered as the house of God.
JURISDICTION OVER THE TEMPLE
Jurisdiction over the temple was in the hands of the high priest and the sanhedrin. The high priest was, in fact, the president of the sanhedrin, who ruled over all the affairs of the temple and the courts, although without the power to impose the death penalty. They had however, the power to excommunicate an Israelite from the temple and the synagogue. It is therefore inconceivable that they did not know what was taking place in the temple. When Jesus entered the temple he found merchants selling and buying, changing money and the seats of those who sold doves. (Matthew 21:12)
The Lord was incensed that the house of God was being turned into a market place. It was grotesque, sacrilegious and obscene. He said to them, ‘ It is written, “My House shall be called a house of prayer;” but you are making it a den of thieves.’ (Matthew 21:13) And he began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. (Mark 11:15) A great commotion ensued. News of this spread far and wide. People came running to see what the Lord was doing. Sick people, hearing that Jesus of Nazareth was in the temple, came to be healed. The fame of Jesus had spread throughout Judea and all the countryside. People were waiting to see and meet the prophet. Some even said he is the Messiah. After order had been restored in the temple Jesus healed the sick, there.
Those in authority, the priests and scribes, questioned Jesus there and then. They confronted him and said, ‘By who authority are you doing this? What sign can you show us for doing this?’ And but for the crowds praising Jesus they would have arrested him on the spot. Instead they reported the disturbance to the chief priests who, when they heard of it, discussed ways to kill Jesus, not just because of his violence but because the crowds were spellbound by his teaching. (Mark 11:18)
The violence disturbed the priests, not just the violence of driving the business merchants out of the temple but the violence to their feelings and their conscience, if they had any. For they knew the Scriptures and what was written there. But they were greedy and profited greatly by the temple business. The temple tax, payable each year by the people, the half shekel commanded by Moses, was unacceptable in local currency but had to be paid in the Tyrian shekel minted in Tyre. This contained 95% silver and was far more valuable than local currency. This was why moneychangers had been allowed into the temple to exchange the value of local currency into that of Tyrian. Also, disgracefully, the Tyrian shekel had pagan gods stamped on the coins. Thus a profitable business was taking place in the temple that the priests turned a blind eye to. This is the reality of the Jewish faith at that time. But there was no turning back for Jesus. He would not tolerate the gross abuse of the priests and scribes. He was figuratively standing on the edge of a precipice. ‘Destroy this temple,’ he said, and in three days I will build another not made with hands.’ (John 2:19) This was a showdown and Jesus challenged the priests to do their worst. They had no idea what he was talking about.
He was not speaking of the temple buildings but his own body and his resurrection from the grave.
DISCIPLESHIP
For the disciples this was the road to Calvary, a road they never imagined they would take. They were not ready to follow Jesus to the cross. They only looked forward to the restoration of Israel with Jesus as their king. The road to Calvary was hidden from them, even though Jesus told them explicitly that he would be killed by human hands. ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands,’ he told his disciples, ‘and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ (Mark 9:31-32) The twelve who followed Jesus were not ready to follow Jesus to his death. They did not understand his words and were distressed that he should talk about dying. (Matthew 17:23)
They had yet, of course, to witness his resurrection and the great joy of fully realising that death was not the end of their dreams.