John 2:16 (ESV) And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."
In centuries
past, there was a big distinction between the sacred and the secular. Things,
places, and people dedicated to God were held in great reverence. Even the word
“sanctuary” connotes a place set apart for God and God’s purposes only. This
helped people gain a real “fear” of God and be mindful of how much greater he
is than we are.
Yet, those in
power can use the sacred/secular distinction to further strengthen their power
and personal gain. In an ironic way the first century Jewish leaders had done
just that. They held the power to determine what animals to be sacrificed were “unblemished”
– good enough for God – so they could reject any brought to them and require
worshippers to purchase theirs. Of course, those leaders claimed the profit. They
could have also argued that a much larger percentage of the Jewish population no
longer derived their income from agriculture, so they provided the sale of
animals at the Temple as a convenience so the worshipper could be sure they offered
a holy enough sacrifice.
Jesus was
deeply offended by the Jewish leaders’ use of the sacred Temple for the secular
function of buying and selling (the Greek word here in John 2 is emporium) at an unfair profit (the other
gospels show Jesus overturning the tables again at the end of his earthly
ministry and calling them robbers). Even though the ostensible purpose of the
marketing was to help the people be sacred, its real purpose was the secular
gain of the priests. Some have speculated that the two Temple cleansings at the
beginning and end of his public ministry did more than anything to provoke the
Jerusalem leaders’ hatred of Jesus.
We no longer sacrifice
animals at a temple to cover our sins. As Jesus hints in the following verses,
the temple itself has changed (vv 19-21). As the true temple, Jesus became the
one sacrifice for all time and the real presence of God among us. We no longer
need mediating priests to stand between us and God. Yet, does that mean there
is no longer a place for the sacred in our lives and worship? More than a place
or a thing, the sacred is Jesus himself. How casually do we treat him? Has he
become a means for our own profit and benefit and his name an expletive of
disgust, or we do remain zealous for him? He is holy. I hope we never forget
that.
