“To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’” – John 2:16
Abuse of His “Father’s house,” made Christ angry. Yes, the Savior of the world who describes Himself as “gentle and humble in heart,” who promises rest for our weary souls also flipped the tables of the money changers and drove people and livestock out of the temple courts with a whip (Matt. 11:29, John 2:13-17).
The scene that evoked Christ’s anger was not abnormal. Passover was approaching, and rather than celebrating the Lord passing over Jewish homes, sparing them from His destruction, and freeing the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery, church leaders used this opportunity to exploit the common Jew for personal financial gain. Jewish law required every Jewish family to bring a sacrificial animal to Passover. These animals were required to meet specific standards to be considered blemish free, and many families traveled from great distances. This was an opportunity for church leaders to sell animals for sacrifice at extremely inflated prices. Additionally, every male 20 years or older was required to pay the temple tax. The currency of the area was Roman, yet Jews were not allowed to take image bearing coins into the temple. So, church leaders set up money changing tables where the people could exchange their money for coins that did not bear the face of Caesar. Ceasing the opportunity, they charged fees to exchange money that were as much as half a day’s labor. Church leaders were not caring for their flock, they were exploiting them.
This story evokes two questions: since Jesus was angry and without sin, is my anger justified? And as a modern church, do we honor the purpose of our church, or do we commit the same sin as the church leaders who evoked Christ’s anger?
Let’s first consider what the Bible says about anger. James teaches us we should be, “slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires,” (Jam. 1:19-20). Ephesians 4:26 teaches us “In your anger do not sin.” From this verse we see both that it is possible to be angry without sin and that our anger can be sinful. The rest of Ephesians 4:26-27 advises, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” We see that although we are capable of anger that is not sinful, we should be slow to anger, and it is not something we should hold onto. In fact, we should let it go before we go to sleep and if we do not, we are giving the devil a foothold in our life.
As a church, do we honor it as the Father’s House—a place of worship and glory to God, embodying the grace and redemption of Christ, and humble obedience to His Lordship? Or have we turned it into a market for our financial gain? A stage for our talents or our life to be on display? A social club where fellowship is had, but it does not reflect the Gospel or give glory to God?
Prayer
Lord, help us to trust You with our anger, that You are in control and Your justice will be accomplished. Bring our hearts joy as we delight in and glorify Your church.
Susanville Christian Fellowship 