It has been said, “When remembering Jesus, it might be good to remember Him plaiting a whip and driving people out of the temple.” More often than not, we try to remember Jesus as being the loving and forgiving Savior that He is. But, He is also a just God, as well, demanding certain levels of justice, morality, and righteousness.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, says: “Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise” (John 2:16).
A few days before the crucifixion, when Jesus came to the temple in Jerusalem, He found corruption. In the temple courts (church of that time, if you will), animals were bought and sold and ordinary money exchanged for temple currency - - at extortion rates. It seemed the purpose of the temple leadership was to take and receive, take and receive. Profit was their motive, blessing the people was not. The money-changers who may have begun the service as a convenience to pilgrims attending the Passover (we call it Easter services), now abused the system.
God’s house, the temple, was, and was meant to be, a holy place of worship. Jesus was rightly angered by the evil practices He found there. He plaited His whip; He threw them out. He cleansed the temple just as Scripture prophesied.
“The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up” (John 2:17); and “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me” (Psalm 69:9).
According to 1 Corinthians 3:16,17, we are the temple of God. He has expressed the same passionate desire for holiness within us.
