Jesus cleansing the temple has been a favorite story for me. As a preacher it rings out with the true character of God's only begotten son. He's no wimp, no gutless man who has no standards or identity. Quite the opposite Jesus in this story is strong and pays no respect to men; but gives all respect to God.
In my first call at Gol in Kenyon back in the 1990's a confirmation student and I had a great conversation based on the stories of Jesus' zeal displayed in his cleansing of God's house. He'd been taught that Jesus is always loving, which he is. But we've unfortunately confused God's always loving nature with God's acceptance of our misdeeds and misbehavior. Jesus cleansing the temple proved 2 things clearly.
- Jesus, God's son, is always loving. Above all others in the universe Jesus loved God. He loved God the Father so much that he couldn't watch for in his day as the temple was disrespected used not for prayer but as a market place.
- Jesus Zeal would put him on a crash course with any who stood in the temple, or before God, claiming a special place of prominence.
Thank God Jesus is so bold and thank God even after he was destroyed 3 days later the true temple of God, the Incarnate Son, was rebuild.
pax
unlikely