John 2 - Turning over Tables

John 2 Part 2 - Turning over Tables

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 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. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:13-17 ESV)

Why were the people selling animals? It was Passover, when Jewish people made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and sacrificed animals for the forgiveness of their sin. There were all sorts of animals that could be purchased according to how much money someone had. It was presumably very loud, very crazy, very hectic.

Why was Jesus angry?

From John - this is church, this is my father's house, this is where worship happens, this is where scripture is read, where sin is forgiven: and you're turning it into a marketplace! This is not a flea market, this is a place of worship! Not cool!

From Mark (Matthew and Luke are similar) And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” (Mark 11:17 ESV). People are supposed to be bowing down before God, worshipping and praying in the temple courtyard. Women and non-Jews cannot enter the temple; this is their place of worship. The courtyard is as close as they are allowed to come to God. There should be greeters, saying welcome, glad you're here! We are happy to see you, come and worship! This is the epicenter of Jerusalem, the city on a hill. . .this is where man comes to meet with God and God with man. And the pilgrims are competing with cows and greedy men for God's ear? Not cool!

Why is a really big deal that Jesus gets mad?

“You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:3-6 ESV)

God's jealousy is written in the Ten Commandments: I am God, don't worship any other God. That's not cool and I'm going to get ticked. Remember me, and I'm going to be really, really happy. Forget about me, turn your back on me, and I'm going to be upset. Forget about me, turn your back on me, and prevent true worshippers from worshipping me, and I'm going to send Jesus in to flip your tables over.

What are idols?

"Idols are much more than statues that our ancestors bowed down to. Anything that we build our lives on, anything that we lean on for meaning or identity, anything that we hope can bring us freedom can be an idol."

Remember our play-dough people? You create a world and a bunch of little play-dough people, and you just want to play with them and love them.
But they decide they want nothing to do with you. You say, "hey, how about this, I get that you're a little freaked out about me, being as I'm like a hundred times your size. I get that you live in play dough land, and that you have trouble believing in anything more than what you know. So why don't I build a special house where we can come hang out. I'll be there, and when you show up, I'll be very happy to see you and we'll work on that whole forgiving you for worshipping play dough cars and play dough money instead of me."

You have this great idea, to take a part of yourself and send it into play dough world. This play dough Jesus will be you, he'll have all of your power and abilities, but he won't be all big and scary like you. He'll look just like the other play dough people, only he'll act differently. . .he'll act just like you. So you send this part of yourself to earth, and play dough Jesus is born. And play dough Jesus walks into the house you built to hang out with your people. Only your people aren't allowed to come hang out. . . There are play dough cows and play dough doves and goats and sheep running around everywhere. There are guys charging too much money to get in and throwing out the poor people. What are you going to do? You made part of yourself a play dough person so that everyone could remember how awesome and cool a creator you are and so that they will want to hang out with you. And there are these play dough bad men preventing that very thing from happening. What do you do? You throw the bums out, right? You make a little play dough whip and run them out of there! This is my dad's house. This is my day's world! You don't keep the people my dad love away from him. You flip over play dough tables, throw their play dough money all over the place. Get out of here robbers! You're robbing these people of being with their creator. . .get on out of here!

When is jealousy a good thing?

When is jealousy a bad thing?

Why should we be glad that God is jealous?

Jars of Clay has a cool song called Love of a Jealous Kind that illustrates this, that God really really wants to love us, and really really wants us to love him. He will move heaven and earth, and even give up his own son to death in order to bring us to himself. And God will not put up with anyone or anything keeping us from him:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 ESV)