So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
John 2:15-17
People tend to characterize Jesus as super tolerant, but in reality Jesus was love wrapped in a justice package. Jesus loves freely. He loved everyone he met and still today sends his love through the Holy Spirit in the world.
But Jesus was and is just.
Where there is wrong he demands that it be righted. When people are not living according to God and His will demands that they right their ways. Just because the world says it is "okay" doesn't mean that God thinks it is okay. He does not tolerate sinful behavior or wrong doing - regardless of what the world thinks.
Loving someone does not mean accepting their wrong behavior.
When Jesus entered the Temple, he was disgusted by what he saw. People were making a mockery of the holy place set aside purely for the worship of God. He showed righteous anger. This is anger we feel towards injustice in the world. This is the anger we feel towards habitual sinful behavior.
It may be hard to grasp, but Jesus driving the "money-changers" out of the Temple with a whip was Jesus showing love to them. If he had gone up to those who had been making their livings by profiting off of the needs of others and simply said, "Dude, this isn't right. You need to take this some place else." They would have laughed in his face. Even with his great show of force many still didn't want to listen to him:
The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
John 2:18
Sometimes to truly show love we must rise up with great force against injustice and tyranny. Love comes in many different forms but at its core is acceptance of the other person - not necessarily acceptance of their actions.
Jesus did not condemn the people, rather he condemned their actions. When we show love, this is what we are called to do: to love all regardless of the sin - but we are not called to accept the sin simply because we love.
This can be a hard line to walk, but the first place to look is yourself and how Jesus loves you.
Jesus showers you with love - but he hates the sin you commit in your life. He hates it when you are disrespectful or ungrateful. He hates it when you gossip or treat another poorly. He hates when you lie - even just a little white one. He hates it when you hate. But despite his hatred for your sin, and for my sin, Jesus loves us - all of us, even the money changers - UNCONDITIONALLY.
By driving out the money changers with a whip - he was doing justice. And he was also showing them love by bringing to light the sinful nature of their actions which were socially acceptable. Sometimes we all need the sin in our lives revealed to us so that we can cleanse ourselves of what seems to be "okay" in the eyes of the world.
Because, even if the world thinks what we are doing is okay - the Lord may seeing things differently.
Scripture
Quote of the Day
"No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."
Albert Einstein
Question of the Day
Where has God shown you sin in your life which seems okay in the eyes of the world?
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