Bible Passage and Commentary
Dealing with Anger: John 2: 13-22
“When he had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew.”
We all have pet peeves. Some of mine are misleading political ads; automated phone systems that tell me at least six times in a row that my call is important; health insurance bills that are indecipherable; and spam e-mails. I could go on and on, the point being that life is full of minor irritations that set our hair on fire. An entire field called Anger Management has evolved to teach us how to cope with the daily frustrations that sometimes lead to an explosive outburst.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus dealt calmly and rationally with those who needled and annoyed Him. In debate, He could be assertive, even confrontational; He didn’t bottle up His feelings; but He wasn’t hot headed, either. He didn’t let His pet peeves get the best of Him.
In today’s Gospel, the situation is different. Arriving at the Temple, Jesus witnesses a horrendous scene. The outer courtyard is in turmoil. The booths of moneychangers resonate with the angry sounds of worshipers haggling over the exchange rate that must be paid for the special 1/2 -shekel coins used to pay the Temple tax. Nearby He sees and smells the rank odor from the stalls of the “clean” oxen, sheep and doves that must be purchased for sacrifice. The sounds and smells are too much for Jesus to bear. They are defiling His Father’s house. He lashes out in righteous anger and cleans house.
There are times when anger is a healthy, natural response to a serious situation and this was one of them.
I wonder how Jesus would have voted in our election? I wonder how He would have reacted to the way our elected officials have abused their power by adding wasteful earmarks to pending legislation. I wonder what He would think of the way congress approved of Wall Street’s “casino capitalism,” in which they bet the house - - our houses. Do you suppose Jesus would have cleaned house again?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
When he had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew.
To them that sold doves he said:
Take these things hence, and make not the house of my Father a house of traffic.
His disciples remembered, that it was written: The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.
The Jews, therefore, answered, and said to him: What sign dost thou show unto us, seeing thou dost these things?
Jesus answered, and said to them: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
The Jews then said: Six and forty years was this temple in building; and wilt thou raise it up in three days?
But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen again from the dead, his disciples remembered, that he had said this, and they believed the scripture, and the word that Jesus had said.
Ignite your world!
Bob Larranaga
Copyright 2010 Spiritual Kindling
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