“Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” John 2:16-17

 

A survey of teens around the world found that almost half had a perception of Jesus Christ as “loving.”[1] None of them cited “angry,” but that’s the Jesus we find in the second chapter of the Bible book of John.

Jesus said that peacemakers were blessed (Matthew 5:9). But the same Jesus made a whip from some ropes and cracked it over self-righteous people who were oppressing and preying on others in the temple of God. He flipped over tables, scattered coins, and drove out livestock being sold in God’s house, saying, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace” (John 2:16).

Today, much of the Church around the world looks like a marketplace. Many Christians have figured out how to monetize and capitalize on God’s presence. Rather than using money to worship God, reach the unreached, and help the needy, much of the money in today’s churches is about personal profit or getting rich.

We can each ask ourselves, “Am I using money to share God’s love with those in need?” Are there tables in my life that I need to figuratively flip, realigning my values with those of Jesus? Jesus sat down and ate with unlikely people at many tables where no one expected to find Him. But He also angrily flipped ones that were built on corruption and selfish gain, defiling the true purpose of God’s house.

Sometimes, following Jesus means refusing to ignore corrupt systems that others are happy to ignore. There’s a time and place for righteous anger. Ask Jesus to guide you in these decisions so that you’ll be filled with wisdom, love, and passion for God’s house, just as He was.

[1] Kumar, Anugrah. “Survey Reveals What Teens Think of Jesus.” The Christian Post, 9 Oct. 2022, www.christianpost.com/news/survey-reveals-what-teens-think-of-jesus.html.