January 21
Matthew 21: That Time Jesus Opened a Can of Whuppins . . .
Genesis 22; Matthew 21; Nehemiah 11; Acts 21
The modern church fancies Jesus constantly obeying an imaginary 11th commandment: “Thou shalt be nice.” But Jesus’ first task upon entering Jerusalem after the Triumphal Entry (1-11) is the opposite of nice. He is angry and violent. He “cleanses” the temple (12-17).
The “moneychangers” were seizing on an opportunity afforded them by sin. Sin had to be atoned for, all year long, which required sacrifices, which had to be purchased by pilgrims. The sacrifices could not be brought from home. So the moneychangers saw an opportunity and charged a fee to change the pilgrims’ currency into local currency in order to buy the sacrifice.
They were like leaches on the back of God’s system of sacrifice. We can relate today, to those who make their church or ministry into a money-making enterprise and whose mission morphs grotesquely into nothing more than keeping the enterprise going. No wonder Jesus simply calls them thieves.
But there is another reason Jesus takes such violent action. In their lust for money, they unwittingly occupied a space of the temple near and dear to God’s own heart. In fact, we might argue it was the whole purpose of the temple: the court of the Gentiles. The inner court was for Jews, and the outer Court of the Gentiles was where the nations were meant to congregate to worship God.
This is why Jesus, when they complain at being literally whipped, quotes them Isaiah 56:7:
Isaiah 56:7 (ESV): …these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples [or nations].”
Who are “these”? Verse 6: the “foreigners” who “join themselves to the Lord”, to “worship” and “love” Him. When the Messiah is said to offer himself as the sacrifice of sacrifices, thus fulfilling all that the temple pictured, it is said that he will “see his offspring” - Isaiah 53:10 - and “be satisfied” (11). Over the ensuing chapters, there are three surprising offspring who have many offspring themselves, thus fulfilling the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 15 - the father of many nations.
Those three offspring are a barren woman (Isaiah 54:1-8), foreigners - non-Jews (56:1-3), and the eunuch (56:4-5).
God loves them, too, like a momma bear and her cub. Do not, by selfish greed, get in the way of that love. There is more than one way to become a thief. All ministries and churches, take heed: kiss the Son, lest he become angry (Psalm 2:12). “Blessed are all those who take refuge in him,” under His fierce love.