This is a question from my friend Chris. I like getting questions about my faith and it just so happens that we just went over this story in Bible study last week, so this kind of made my day. The answer got really really long, so I put it under a cut, and you can’t put jump cuts in answers to questions, so here you go. More questions for me go here!
You’re referring to the “Cleansing of the Temple.” You can find the story in John 2, Mark 11, Matthew 21, and Luke 19, though there is some debate about whether it’s the same incident in all four Gospels. (I believe the Bible is meant to be read more symbolically than literally, so I’m not too concerned about the historical accuracy of the timeline.)
The story describes Jesus going into the Temple in Jerusalem, getting angry, and kicking various people out by overturning tables and cracking a whip. It is so well known because, like you said, such a violent outburst does seem uncharacteristic of Jesus. It’s often taken as an example of “righteous anger” - a demonstration of reasons & ways it’s appropriate to get angry if one is trying to live like Jesus. It also serves as a reminder that Jesus was “fully human” and experienced the whole range of human emotion, including anger.
Like every story in the Bible, it has a bunch of different meanings and interpretations, some of which people get into arguments about. Every story in the Gospels is full of layered meanings and connections to other parts of the Bible. Here’s the best I can do for you under the cut, but first, a tl;dr:
- People are selling things in the holy Temple, which distracts from the worship of God and prevents poor people from being able to worship - Jesus is mad about this
- The entire scene (what’s being sold, where it is, the layout of the Temple) represents and perpetuates a hierarchy of status that oppresses people and prevents certain people from approaching God - Jesus is mad about this too
- It gives Jesus and the Gospel writer an opportunity to use symbolic language to point to bigger truths in the Christian worldview, like the establishment of “God’s Kingdom” and the indwelling of the “Holy Spirit” - this layered and subtle use of symbolism is what the Bible is all about
Thank you so much Lily. I sincerely appreciate the time you spent on this explanation. This is the Christ I can get behind - I find it upsetting that it doesn’t feel representational of the Christianity that exists today. Not to disparage your faith. Because I agree with the sentiment of your previous post, no one should speak as though they know another’s beliefs. I’m sure there are a lot of Christians out there living by these values. What I find upsetting is how loud that other, self-righteous side seems.
It’s interesting too that you bring up people’s difficulty with reading this story in terms of the world we live in today. This was the contradiction that originally led me to ask the question. I just didn’t want to say as much if I was misunderstanding the story… but going off your interpretation, I don’t understand how you can argue - for instance - against welfare and call yourself a Christian. Maybe that’s too simple of an understanding, but it doesn’t make sense to me.
Anyway, thank you again. If I have more questions I’m definitely coming to you.
