So approximately 2000 years ago today, Jesus turned over the tables AND in doing so, the tables turned for him. Please read the following passage for today:
Jesus Clears the Temple
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written:
But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]”
18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
19 When evening came, they[e] went out of the city.
The section of the temple Jesus was in was called the Gentiles court (for gentiles- those that are not Jews). The court was basically a mockery to God. I mean, imagine this scene we were presented in class yesterday: A quarter of a million lambs (that's just the lambs, not mentioning the other animals) and 3 times as many people as could fill the Bryant-Denny stadium all crowded in a court, shoulder to shoulder. The place reeks of animals and waste, and its also getting near 100 degrees in the room. People are shouting and yelling to, "Buy our lambs! We've got the best!". If this place is supposed to be the temple, place of worship to the almighty God. You can kinda see why Jesus would be mad. And he was really mad. If you think about a fight at a college football game, everyone around them moves out of the way a little, but it doesn't disrupt the rest of the crowd or interrupt the game. It usually only lasts a few seconds. In the temple, where there were 2 to 3 times as many people as in the football stadium, he runs and turns the tables over, with doves and animals and people going everywhere, and actually scaring the people in the temple. Actually scaring them away! Its got to take a lot to do that. Then he teaches to them the word of God. The priests probably don't like this (1) They were probably making some money off the vendors (2) The people were amazed at Jesus, and they probably feared people following him and doing the same thing. This is where the tables turned for Jesus: They started looking for a way to kill him. I don't blame him for trying to stop the whole thing, because without it, we wouldn't be here today. On top of that, this is God's house and dwelling. That's important.
And this part of the story is a bridge to the rest of the week.
Until tomorrow...
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