Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” (John 2:15-16, NLT)
“PGA Tour pro suffers brutal SIX-putt at the Cognizant Classic.” The writer behind this Golf Digest headline called it a disaster, but only Tom Detry is responsible. His six-putt was due to his anger.
I’ve been there. You? Dub a chip and start whacking the ball with no reason. Maybe the bunker was the culprit; before you know it, your tantrum adds several strokes to your score. I once acquired a two-shot penalty at the US Women’s Open for slamming my club into the sand in anger as the ball rolled back at me.
If anger is not helpful on the golf course, why is Jesus’ anger in the Temple during Passover honorable?
Verse seventeen of today’s scripture passage peeks into the answer, “Zeal for your house will consume me (Psalm 69:9).” But to fully explain Jesus’ anger, we need to drift further back to the book of Exodus and the Ten Commandments.
As twenty-first-century followers of Jesus, we tend to superficially know the Ten Commandments, but we lack a deeper understanding from a Jewish perspective.
A Jewish Rabbi friend refers to the Ten Commandments as the Ten Sayings. These sayings are ten categories of understanding for our relationship with the Lord and with other human beings (Read Exodus 20:1-17). There is also a pairing effect within the Ten Sayings. Let’s explore.
The first (I am the LORD) and sixth (Don’t murder) teach us to not do away with relationship because it is the very thing God created us for – relationship.
The second (Have no other gods) and seventh (Don’t commit adultery) reveal not to betray relationships as we are created for oneness with God and others.
The third (Don’t take God’s name in vain) and eighth (Don’t steal) tell us not to violate relationships by taking God’s honor away or wrongfully taking from another.
The fourth (Remember Shabbat) and the ninth (Don’t bear false testimony) demand us to safeguard truth: be in God’s rest and be honest.
The fifth (Honor father and mother) and tenth (Don’t covet) admonishes us to not forget we have an individual self. When we lose the sense of who we are, we hurt God and others.
We all fail in each of these categories. Thankfully, the Apostle Paul reminds us, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1 NIV).”
Jesus’ anger in the Temple was a statement. Stop violating the essence of the Ten Sayings. Let’s keep wrestling ourselves back to the truth found in God’s Ten Sayings and be the light of God’s love to those around us.
Prayer: Lord, I need your help and wisdom to experience understanding through your Ten Sayings so that I can be your light.