Be Still and Know - "Stop Turning My Father's House Into A Marketplace!"

(from www.premierchristianradio.com)

1. John 2:15-16
   
   
   
   
   
   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!”
   
   The Gospels generally give us a picture of Jesus as being a calm, compassionate and peaceful person. This account of him clearing the Temple forecourts of traders seems to stand in marked contrast. Jesus was clearly angered by what he saw and determined that it should stop. He longed for his Father’s house to be a focus of prayer and worship, and yet all he could hear was the noise of sheep, cattle, money and shouting traders. It could be argued that the money changers and the sellers of sacrificial animals were all making a contribution to the people’s worship, but they were doing it in such a way as to totally obscure the purpose of the Temple.
   
   There’s no doubt that Jesus was angry. He may not have actually used the whip that he made, but the fact that he made it at all shows us how determined he was to clear the Temple. His anger came from the fact that he knew nothing was more important than worshipping God, and the traders were making that impossible. He had to take action, and he did so in an extremely dramatic way.
   
   There are times when it is right for us to be angry. When we see people being abused or discriminated against, it would be sinful for us to look the other way and accept it. However, unlike Jesus, we are not sinless, and so we need to make sure that we never allow our anger to lead us into sin. The apostle Paul was clearly very familiar with anger, writing to the church in Ephesus: “Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26-27). We will all have times when we feel angry, and Paul’s advice is important. We need to make sure that we are letting God control us and not the anger.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Question: How do you cope with your times of anger?
   
   Prayer: Lord God, help us live so close to you that our times of anger will not be destructive but a blessing. Amen