Tipping over Tables



Matthew 21:12-17
12And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.
13He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant,
16and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
17And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

Whenever someone expresses anger in ways that go beyond words we all take a step back and wait to see what else is going to happen. Angry words – well, that one thing. But when someone starts breaking stuff we all pay closer attention and become a little more self-protective. Imagine you were in the temple court that day Jesus arrived and started tipping over tables! So far you may have seen this guy feed a bunch of people when there was no food apparently available; you may have seen him heal a chronically sick person, you may have seen him quiet a storm. But until now, you’ve never seen Him get violent. Time to pay closer attention!

Upon reading today’s passage, I was struck by the word “And” which opens the passage. Of things to pay attention to, right? But what that word “and” does in this passage is tie these temple events to the previous passage – the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem as the people raised up praise and laid down palms. He goes from those triumphant moments as the people welcome Him into Jerusalem to an angry outburst that caught everyone’s attention. Clearly, Passion week is here and Jesus means business.

There are a couple of Old Testament verses to which Jesus alludes while He is letting His anger show. The first is Zechariah 14:21b. “And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.” That is how the book of Zechariah ends! Jesus makes a clear reference to this prophet’s voice. The other important Old Testament quote that Jesus uses is Jeremiah 7:11. “Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.” He uses two words specifically from the Old Testament – מְעָרָה פָּרִיץ  which literally mean “cave of terrorists”!

Here is what modern theologian D.A. Carson says about this verse. “Jesus is employing a vivid metaphor. By preventing the Gentiles who fear God from worshiping Him in the place especially reserved for that purpose, the temple leadership represents ethnocentric prejudice and repression analogous to literal, state-sponsored terrorism.” (Commentary on the NT Use of the OT. pg. 68) In this usage of these words, Jesus accuses Israel’s leaders of gross rebellion against Him. Tipping over a few tables is minor compared to what is deserved for this behavior. In essence, the leadership is keeping the people away from God and this behavior cannot be tolerated by our Savior. These “red Words” have some kick! Jesus is angry because the people are being kept from the Father. That still grieves Him today. When we step between someone and the Lord this is a causes Him grief. When we keep ourselves from Him, this too is a source of pain for the Savior. A few toppled tables is nothing when compared with a soul that God loves and wants with Him forever.

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