Authority on Display
To fully appreciate today’s reading, we need to put the entire two days into context. Looking at the beginning of the chapter, we saw Jesus enter into Jerusalem. That triumphant presession still pounding in his ears, we read in verse 11 that the first place he went inside the city was the temple. This is fitting as his entrance was the announcement of his coming as the king. The temple was the earthly throne of God. This is the natural destination of his grand entry into Jerusalem. However, all we read him doing is looking around. We are told that it was already late, so he and his disciples went to Bethany for the night. I wonder if he thought about the things he saw in the temple all night. Did they keep him awake? Was he preparing himself for driving out all the thieves and those who were scamming the pilgrims? Was this the mindset of Christ as he returned to Jerusalem and encountered the fig tree which boasted what it did not have?
I have always loved the story of Jesus overturning the tables in the courtyard of the temple. My earliest real understanding of Jesus came from a rock opera which was popular in the 1970’s: Jesus Christ Superstar. The actor who played Jesus, Ted Neeley, is a small man. He is only 5’6” (1.68 meters). To me, he embodied the prophesy concerning Jesus that he would “have no beauty or majesty to attract us to him…” (Isaiah 53:2). He was average, about the same height as my dad and most of my friends’ fathers. Still, this relatively small man made a whip from ropes and drove out crowds of people. I had always heard about the love of God; this was the first time I saw the authority of God. Jesus’ ability to clear the temple wasn’t because he was this intimidating, strong and muscular man. His physical body was average on purpose. It highlighted his spiritual greatness. Despite being average looking, everyone ran from Jesus when he turned over the tables and condemned their wicked behavior. This was HIS FATHER’s temple, and his zeal for God’s honor was palpable.
After clearing the temple court of the things which were polluting the sanctity of the area, Jesus immediately taught the crowds. This is another aspect of the Lord’s authority in action that has always inspired me. Was he angry that the Gentiles were pushed from their place of worship? Absolutely. Was he infuriated that the priest were taking advantage of God’s commands in order to make themselves rich? Undoubtably. Did he love the people enough to do more than just condemn their actions? Yes! This is the beauty of our life. No matter what we have done or what we are doing, we are given an opportunity to accept the teachings of Christ, repent, and be forgiven. The next time Jesus comes triumphantly as the king of this world to sit upon his earthly throne, it will be too late. We need to listen now. We need to see Christ as the complete package that he is: fully loving and fully just, full of forgiveness, but also full of power and authority. Don’t wait until it is too late. Listen now and be freed.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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