Jesus Casts Commerce from the Temple

91. Jesus Casts Commerce from the Temple

This passage is often used to make the point that even Jesus could lose his temper if given sufficient cause. This interpretation, however, is not consistent with the Jesus we have come to know. The Jesus we have studied has taught that we should love, not resist, our enemy; that we should live in a state of constant forgiveness; and that we should be merciful, even as our Father is merciful. Is he now, in this final stage of his mission, throwing all of his teachings out the window? The suggestion here is, not likely.

Instead, it makes more sense to view this as a calculated act. Our first clue is in the final paragraph in the last section, where we read that Jesus enters the temple and “when he had looked round about upon all things, it being now eventide, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.”

Jesus, no doubt an extraordinary tactician, came the day before to take in the situation in the temple, so that he could evolve a conscious, premeditated plan – one that he may have finalized in prayer during his rest time in Bethany. And to what purpose? To make an impact, gain attention, and draw a following, so that he may quickly begin what he came there to do: Teach.