City Life Starter

By Joslyn Jayaram

I. The Word: John 2:13-17 English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 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. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

In this excerpt, Jesus became angry.  This is not the Jesus we often picture in our American imaginations.  Too often we picture Jesus with only one shade of personality: peace and calm.  We want to put him where we feel comfortable.  It’s what most people in the crowds who followed him around Galilee and Jerusalem wanted too: more miracles, more healing, do the bread and the fish one again!  

Yet, a disruptive Jesus? An angry Jesus? A flipping tables Jesus? No! Most of us can’t find a place for that kind of character in our polite, humble King. 

Except..

Wouldn’t it be great if there was an angry Jesus with eyes on fire, thunder, and lightening bolts when it comes to our enemies?! Yes! This is the Jesus we could all get on board with! Come on Jesus, get those bad guys! 

“That guy cut me off, Jesus!” 

Bam! Car flipped over!

“That company totally overcharged me!”

Bam! Bank account empty!

Yes! A Jesus with a vengeance for Justice!

Even the Jews were waiting for that type of Messiah!  The one that would free them from the bondage and oppression of Rome.

… 

However, Jesus wasn’t going after the tax collectors and the Roman authorities.  He was going after the Jewish working class small business owners at the temple! What?!  This was not the Messiah everyone was hoping for! He was getting it all wrong!  Ok, sure, they were called to be a people of priests and now they were ripping off the foreigners that had to buy their sacrifices in Jerusalem.  Sure, they were not converting the prices appropriately and making a steep profit… But Jesus, these were your people! Couldn’t you have let this go? No doubt, the Romans were doing much worse.

The answer? No.  There is no letting go. There is no compromise when it comes to His temple.  The temple demands holiness.  Our God is the One that is consumed with zeal for his people (his temple).  Zeal for the ones suffering injustice and zeal for the ones causing it. Zeal for the sin in our hearts that imprisons us and hurts those around us. That means sometimes calling us out and flipping our world upside down to show us our own injustice and hypocrisy.  However, my friends, don’t be afraid.  Even as He was flipping tables, Jesus already had a plan of redemption.  He was going to take that zeal all the way to the cross!  

Application: Remember that you are the temple of God! Are there any ways that you have mistreated and misrepresented that temple? Are you ready for the God that is zealous about you to come and change your heart? Will you let him deal with those areas of hurt and darkness?  He is an amazing God, He has not forgotten you and He will not compromise when it comes to You.  

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You that You are God and we are not.   Your ways are not our ways.  Sorry for the times we try to control you and rather you deal with everyone else but us.  But thank You that you love us and that your love will come and help us be more like you.  Zealous for the truth.  Zealous for justice.  Do what you need to do in our hearts today, first within Your Church and then the world!