Flipping Tables and Eternal Life

As Jesus entered the temple gates during Passover, His eyes were open to the corruption of that sacred place. Where there should have been awe and a sense of holiness, a marketplace existed. Instead of forgiveness, the religious leaders were requiring fees. Jesus could not stand this happening in God’s temple, so He drove out the buyers, sellers, and money changers! The temple priests challenged Him on this but Jesus did not falter. Later that evening though, one of the Pharisees came to Him to know more about who He was and what He came to do.

In our last episode, we saw Jesus calling his disciples, men who believed he was from God, even if they didn’t fully understand his purpose or the path he would take as the Messiah. We also heard how Jesus performed his first miracle at Cana, turning water into wine. This miracle further strengthened the disciples’ faith in Jesus. Today we’ll hear how Jesus shows righteous anger at the disrespect of God’s house by greedy men who were seeking personal gain at the temple gates. Christ will act swiftly and forcefully to cleanse the temple, showing the disciples that He was zealous for His Father’s house and serious about calling out wickedness in any form it presented itself. Most of the religious leaders will look on with scorn, but one man will seek Jesus out in secret, hungry for more.