Two weeks ago I introduced a short sermon series about the importance of seeing Jesus as he is portrayed in the Bible, and not just in the way that makes us most comfortable. We all like to think about the Jesus who held babies and forgave sinners and ate dinner at tax collectors’ houses. We may not be as comfortable with “that other side of Jesus”: the one who turns over tables, talks about “weeping and gnashing of teeth” and excoriates the “scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.”
But in order to read the Bible faithfully, we need to see Jesus as he is, not necessarily as we wish him to be. This Sunday we’ll look at one of the more famous stories about “that other side of Jesus”–the one where he goes into the temple and drives the money-changers out and turns over their tables.
It’s fascinating to consider: what would make Jesus angry enough to engage in such uncharacteristically violent behavior? What was going through his mind? And what does this teach us today?