Scripture
John 2:13-22
13The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (NRSV)
Devotion
I was scrolling through a Presbyterian Facebook group, when I saw a question that caught my eye. The poster was preparing for a Bible Study on John 2:13-22 and asked, " What would anger Jesus the most in our house of worship?" People's answers ran the gamut from the items that people will use their churches to sell what they saw displays of idolatry or in-hospitality. Some mentioned using their church's habit of letting members sell items like Tupperware or Girl Scout Cookies in the building while ignoring the needy at their door. Others pointed to the influence of nationalism, racism, sexism, and homophobia. Still others claimed that Jesus would seek to remove traditions or theological beliefs that their churches cling to but that they personally view having no basis in scripture.
The question sticks with me. What would Jesus turn over in my church...or in any of the churches I've served over the years?
In order to answer this question, we need to understand why Jesus was so angry in the first place. Contrary to our quiet worship spaces today, temples in the ancient world were bustling places. In the case of the Temple in Jerusalem, people came from all over the Ancient Near East to makes learn Torah, make sacrifices and pay their religious taxes. For Jews, these trips to the Temple were a requirement; Gentiles known as "God-fearers" also made sacrifices by going to the Court of the Gentiles (which was a far into the Temple as they were allowed to travel) and handing over their animals to be given to the priests.
Having a type of "marketplace" at or near the Temple wasn't sinful in and of itself; in fact, it was a necessity. James F. McGrath explains that in order to avoid something happening to their animal sacrifices along the road, pilgrims traveling long distances would sell their animals before leaving home and then use the money to buy a new ones once they got to Jerusalem. Pilgrims also had to convert their various currencies of their homelands into the shekels they needed in order to pay the Temple tax. By placing the money changers and animals sellers in the Court of the Gentiles, those running the Temple were giving Jews and Gentiles alike access to the resources they needed.
The problem was that while the establishment of a marketplace might not be sinful in and of itself, it gave people the opportunity to do things that were in direct opposition with God's laws and the Temple's purpose. The money changers began charging exorbitant fees for their services. The animal sellers took advantage of those in poverty by overcharging pilgrims for the "poor man's offering" of pigeons and doves. Finally, the hustle and bustle of the marketplace made the Court useless as a prayer site for the Gentiles who gathered there to worship God. Human sinfulness had turned what was supposed to be place of welcome, inclusion, and worship into a site of exploitation, exclusion, and greed. Jesus flipped over the tables and drove everyone out not because animal sellers and money changers weren't needed, but because their unscrupulous and sinful practices were harming God's people and getting in the way of worship.
What tables would Christ overturn in today's churches? The answer varies from place to place. I remember the woman who made me feel loved as I sat beside her on Sunday mornings...and who later broke my heart when the onset of dementia made her feel okay about using racist slurs as we stood in the sanctuary. In that case, Christ would overturn the tables of prejudice and my discomfort with speaking back to my elders. I think about the mostly middle-class church who rented out space to a food pantry...but whose members almost called the police on evening when a down-on-his luck father pulled into the lot in search of a safe place to do a custody exchange with his ex. In that case, God would overturn of classicism and fear. Finally, I think of the urban church was committed to social and economic justice...but whose Mission Chair asked me why people in my homeland of rural Appalachia were "either too stupid, too stubborn, or too lazy to better themselves" by moving to cities. In that situation, Jesus would overturn the tables of metronormativity, stereotypes, and condescension.
The truth is that every church has some table that needs overturned. Every institution has something that turns what should be a space of welcome into a space of exclusion and pain. Christ's followers are called to recognize those tables for what they are and begin flipping them over. The process may be messy. We will get push-back from those who are comfortable with things as they are. Then again, Jesus was no stranger to opposition himself. If we are to worship a Christ who overturned everything for our sake, then we need to be willing to do that same work for the sake of his Gospel.
One thing that I appreciate about the Gospel of John is that unlike the other gospels (in which Jesus cleanses the Temple during the final days before his crucifixion), John places the story at the beginning of Jesus's earthly ministry. For John, the Cleansing of the Temple is the first act in a long series of events in which Jesus will flip over tables of sin and hypocrisy. Jesus will challenge people on what it means to worship God, who is welcome at God's table, and how we are to treat one another. As each table flips, Jesus's notoriety grows, and the Good News he has come to share spreads. That Goods News was transformative then, and it remains so today. If we just have the wisdom, compassion, and courage to flip over a few tables in our own lives, Christ-Within-Us will help transform both our places of worship and our communities into more just, merciful, and holy places.
Today, I ask each of us to search our hearts and ask: What tables would Jesus turn over in my life... my church...my community? And what am I going to do about it? The answers we come to will undoubtedly challenge us. The Good News is that if we follow through on flipping those tables, we will discover that they are the first step on the road to creating a better world. And with Christ to help us, we know that world will come into being.
Prayer
Jesus, you continue to turn over the tables of sin and hatred. I admit that my life/church/community have tables that need overturned. One table is ____________. Grant me the wisdom and courage to flip over what is unjust, drive out what is unmerciful, and get rid of what is exclusionary. May your Spirit empower me to join together with others as we labor to create spaces that are just, merciful, and welcoming. May the fire of your zealous love for both God's house and the world itself blaze within us. Amen.
Works Cited
James F. McGrath, "Jesus and the Money Changers (John 2:13-16)", n.p. [cited 8 Mar 2021]. Online: https://www.bibleodyssey.org:443/passages/main-articles/jesus-and-the-moneychangers
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