The Life of Christ

These animals roaming around were to be used in the temple sacrifices.

• What outraged Jesus was that these animals were supposed to be penned up in a remote part of the temple, rather than left to roam within the Court of the Gentiles.

• “Also you shall have a place outside the camp, where you may go out; 13 and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse. 14 For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore, your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you” (Deut. 23:12-14).

The moneychangers should also have been out in the streets of Jerusalem rather than inside the temple wall.

• The reason they were even there was to exchange different foreign currencies for Galilean silver shekels, the only currency accepted for temple services and taxes.

• Another problem with these moneychangers was that they were known to be thieves.

• The exchange rate was always highly to their advantage, and in addition there was an extra surcharge that went to the High Priest. • This all compounded to grieve Jesus to the point of godly anger, an anger that had been compounding for the past 18 years. Jn. 2:15-16 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a house of merchandise.”

Jesus boiled with anger, but He never lost control.

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Eph. 4:26 says, “Be angry, but sin not.”

• For example, when He chased the oxen away, He made sure they could be recovered.

• When He overturned the money tables, He made sure they could pick them back up and recover their money.

• He was also careful not to let the doves out of the cages, lest they fly away and Jesus be accused of making another man poor.

• We learn from Jesus that anger can sometimes be appropriate, as long as it is for the right reason and that we remain in total control.

Jn. 2:17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME.”

What made Jesus angry was improper behavior in the house of His Father.

• When it comes to God's house, Jesus is very concerned that nothing distracts from its proper purpose.

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