Interesting evaluation on Jesus driving out the merchants in the Temple

[nebula]

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Al Mack

Jesus cleaned out the temple twice, once at the beginning of his ministry, and once at the end.

A lot of folks read the story about Jesus chasing the cattle and sheep out of the temple, of Jesus overturning the tables of the businesspeople there, and they infer that Jesus was angry, that he was displaying a holy wrath.

But that’s not what the stories actually say. In fact, since the stories never say what Jesus was feeling. Anybody who declares what Jesus was feeling – whether he was angry or whatever – are using something *other* than Scripture for that statement. Mostly, they’re imposing their own imagination into the gap of where the Bible is silent.

That is not Bible interpretation. That’s abusing the Bible to justify your own prejudices and misunderstandings of who God really is.

So what does the Bible actually say?

The first time, in John 2, it says that Jesus saw what was going on in the temple, and then stopped to weave a whip out of cords (literally, out of cords made from rushes, from plants like grass). Some observations:

• It takes a fair bit of time to make a whip, and it takes even longer to make one out of *small* cords. This was not a rash action, not an act of rage or passion. This was carefully thought out.

• The sort of whip you make from rushes or small cords is not a weapon. It’s a flimsy thing, only useful for driving livestock. This is not Indiana Jones’ favorite weapon; it’s more like a sisal rope. It will get the animal’s attention, but no more.

• The record is very clear: Jesus used even that wimpy whip only on the cattle and sheep. He reacted to the people differently, and unpleasantly for them, but Jesus did not go after people with even a wimpy whip.

The second event (Matthew 21, Mark 11, and Luke 19) is different. Jesus came into the temple during his “Triumphal Entry” on Palm Sunday. So he saw the shopping mall that they were setting up that day.

But it was the *next* day that he came back and cleaned the place out [Mark 11:11-12].

This was not a rash action either. He went back to his AirBNB outside town, and took no action whatsoever until the next day. He certainly had time to think through his choices. And knowing how Jesus did things, I’ll bet he talked it over with Father before he did anything. After all, this is the guy who said, he “can do only what he sees his Father doing” [John 5:19]. So apparently, cleaning out the temple was something he saw his Father doing.

Conclusion: the actual facts of what the Bible says about these events, absolutely do not support the idea of Jesus flying off the handle, Jesus in a rage, Jesus having a temper tantrum. Jesus was not out of control.

Yes, he did clean the place out. Yes, he did make a big old mess. Yes, he interrupted business in a very big way.

But there is no record of him ever hurting anyone, either human or animal. This was not an emotional reaction of any sort: in both cases, the record is very clear that he took his time before responding.

Summary: there are lot of folks who have a vested interest in the idea of an angry God. Some of them have leathery wings. But the New Testament doesn’t actually support that silly idea nearly as much as they shout and fuss.

Don’t believe their shouting and fussing.

[Deborah_]

Two observations:

1) Although it's clear that Jesus didn't 'lose His temper', how can it be assumed that He didn't have an emotional reaction of any kind? He wasn't a Vulcan (as in Star Trek); but His emotions were under His control.

2) God does get angry at some things - and I don't say that because I have any "vested interest in the idea of an angry God" but because the Bible speaks in many places of God's wrath. Including the New Testament...

So... does the author have his own "prejudices and misunderstandings" that he's reading into the text?

 

[Jayne]

I think this Facebook poster you've quoted missed it.

Jesus felt a lot of things on this earth during his three year ministry:

[1] Deep sorrow and grief:

• In the Garden of Gethsemane, he sweat drops of blood in asking God THREE times to take this away from him.  He almost died in the garden the Bible says - assumingly from anxiety and sorrow.
• When he came into Jerusalem, he cried aloud in sorrow that he wanted to take them in under his wing like a mother hen, but they would not allow it.

[2]  Frustration:

• He said to the disciples who couldn't rebuke a demon from a child, "Oh, perverse and unbelieving generation....how long am I going to have to put up with you?" [Something to that effect.]

[3]  Compassion:

• In don't know how many times the Bible says that Jesus "had compassion on the people" because there were like a sheep without a shepherd.

There's more - a lot more.

Of course he felt anger - a righteous wrath.  He is God.  His Temple was being defiled and corrupted.  Did he beat - as in abuse people and animals in driving them out and overturning tables?  No.  But was he displaying the wrath of God over what the devil had turned the Temple into via these hypocrites?  Yes, indeed.

Jesus was definitely mad.  But he did not sin.  And you can better believe it got the people's attention.

Jesus was not this pale-faced, milquetoast, namby-pamby Messiah who didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  His was and is meek, by his own admission, but meekness is NOT weakness.

People's eternal souls were at stake.  This was a spiritual battle that the devil was waging and temporarily winning in the hearts of those money-changers.

Wrath - and holy and righteous wrath HAD to be displayed.  He was also merciful in not striking them all dead.

They had no idea what they had done.  He had to set it right.

 

 

[nebula]

I agree in that it would be very strange to think of Jesus as having no emotion, or that He wasn't angry.

But it is an interesting perspective to note that He wasn't flying off the handle at the moment, and that He took time to calculate and prepare.

[Neighbor]

Jesus claimed possession  and rule at his Father's house. He did not say please fold up your tables gentlemen. He was angry with righteous anger slow to build anger and was deliberate and determined to be forceful in correction of what angered the Son of God., the insult to his Father at His Father's house. Jesus displayed anger.

 

[listener24]

On 1/1/2019 at 3:12 PM, nebula said:

But that’s not what the stories actually say. In fact, since the stories never say what Jesus was feeling. Anybody who declares what Jesus was feeling – whether he was angry or whatever – are using something *other* than Scripture for that statement. Mostly, they’re imposing their own imagination into the gap of where the Bible is silent.

Great point.

On 1/1/2019 at 3:12 PM, nebula said:

Conclusion: the actual facts of what the Bible says about these events, absolutely do not support the idea of Jesus flying off the handle, Jesus in a rage, Jesus having a temper tantrum. Jesus was not out of control.

Yes, he did clean the place out. Yes, he did make a big old mess. Yes, he interrupted business in a very big way.

But there is no record of him ever hurting anyone, either human or animal. This was not an emotional reaction of any sort: in both cases, the record is very clear that he took his time before responding.

Summary: there are lot of folks who have a vested interest in the idea of an angry God. Some of them have leathery wings. But the New Testament doesn’t actually support that silly idea nearly as much as they shout and fuss.

I actually find this post as completely making sense.

True, emotions of Jesus are displayed in the New Testament.

Sorrow, grief, compassion.

But not anger.

Even when He says to the pharisees "you snake, you wood of vipers", He is just stating what they are, especially to warn other people, He is not making up "insults" out of rage, as humans usually do.

In fact, soon after He cries on Jerusalem.

People don't cry out of rage, they cry out of sorrow and grief.

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by listener24

[Neighbor]

On 1/1/2019 at 3:12 PM, nebula said:

there are lot of folks who have a vested interest in the idea of an angry God. Some of them have leathery wings. But the New Testament doesn’t actually support that silly idea nearly as much as they shout and fuss.

 

 

I sure do have a vested interest for “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.”

But I do not fuss and shout, least not much. I am in awe of God who is fearsome. His love  so great that even in his great wrath, sadness, and sorrow for having made his creation, He has come to save out many to be with Him before judgement will burn  that which has been and  a new heaven and a new earth will be set in place by Him. 

 

 

[Mike 2]

I too have often thought that we are assuming there was evident wrath in what Jesus was doing.

The very boldness to do what he did would be evidence of his zeal. I, like everyone else, automatically go to the vision of an angry face like I have seen in so many re-enactments of this, but as I said, I often wonder if he did it with some sense of calmness and purpose letting the act portray the power of the message.

Something I also wonder about is what is the significance of this happening at the beginning and the end of his ministry. Pretty sure God had a reason for that. That may be a part of and an interesting factor in this discussion.

[nebula]

Just for clarity, I have a hard time believing Jesus did not feel anger; however, I have learned that there are different kinds of anger. There's the unseen anger that burns inside of you. And there is the explosive anger that can be downright scary to observe or be the brunt end of. When I read the commentary, I read this as Jesus was not erupting in explosive anger. But I am sure there was unseen anger burning inside of him. Hurt and anger are often two sides of the same coin.