BLUF: Maintaining the Tradition of Honor

Text: And 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. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” (Mt 21:13-14, ESV)

Context, Context, Context: This event occurs during Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem to reveal he’s the Messiah, as promised in all the Old Testament. What does he find at the temple? Corruption, pride, and the big business of false religion. The Pharisees were pimping those coming to the temple for their (the Pharisees’) own pockets. Plus, the Jews were being taxed by Rome, their occupying army. Plus, there was a temple tax. Jewish families spent nearly 50% of their income via taxation.

Christ becomes righteously angry at what he encounters. It’s a travesty. It all stinks to high heaven. It’s not the way things are supposed to be. Those devoid of character are fleecing the flocks. And God hates it.

Encouragement: One of the theological principles we are to draw from this is straightforward: Honor is to be maintained, especially in places that are sacred and in institutions that are to reflect the best among us, and the character of righteousness. When that’s not the case, righteous indignation is the biblical stance. We’re to better than that level of grift and manipulation. Per Scripture, we’re to be salt and light. Why? To expose the darkness. To preserve the goodness.