Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States

Our Lord Jesus is Very Disappointed!


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Our Lord Jesus Christ and His 12 disciples travelled to the City of Jerusalem to attend the Passover Feast. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they went to the Temple. The courts outside the Temple were filled with merchants selling oxen, sheep, and doves to the people who came to the Temple and needed to buy these sacrifices to offer unto God. Other merchants were sitting at a money exchange table where they were taking money from people of foreign lands outside of Judea and converting it into Judean money for a profitable price to also be used within the Temple. All of the buying and selling and bartering, taking place around the property of the Temple made the Temple appear a busy, loud, place of business rather than a quiet and prayerful place of Holy worship unto God.

Our Lord Jesus became very upset and angry at the disgraceful and dishonorable scenes He witnessed occurring around the House of God and how the merchants were selling their goods for worshipping God into a major profit for themselves. The sinful and greedy merchants were indeed selling things necessary for sacrifices and burnt offerings, very useful things especially for the traveler from a foreign land. But even so, our passionate Lord Jesus did not say they could sell on the Temple courtyards but could not make a profit. He specifically drove them away from the Temple grounds. Just how would you imagine our Lord Jesus Christ did such a thing?

The Lord Jesus picked up some cord within his reach and fashioned a whip. With the whip He drove the buyers and sellers from the Temple court yards. Next the Lord Jesus drove the oxen and sheep from the courtyard. Not satisfied with these two measures, the Lord Jesus overturned the money tables and the money landed on the floor. To those whom were selling the doves, the Lord Jesus asked that "Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!" (John 2:16).

The Jewish rulers whom were getting rich from the buying and selling of offerings and the changing of the money into Judean money were outraged at our Lord Jesus. Some confronted the Lord and told Him He had not the right to do the things that He did! Further, the sinful Jewish rulers demanded a sign from our Lord that God wanted Him to stop all buying and selling in the Temple courtyard.

The Lord Jesus in a clouded mysterious way said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). In our Lord's message He did not mean the Temple in front of Him but the Lord Jesus was speaking about Himself and His glorious Resurrection. He meant that He would be put to death and in three days rise to life again. Our Lord Jesus often dealt with unbelievers in a mysterious way to not increase their anger and cause them to retaliate. It sometimes left the believers and His followers with much to ponder over as well.

The Jews in their constant skepticism said to the Lord Jesus, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" (John 2:20).

The jealousy of the Pharisees and Scribes would be their ultimate and eternal ruination. They must have been jealous of the Lord Jesus Christ because his followers were growing in number more and more each day and they loved Him very much. The Lord Jesus made an example of the buyers and sellers of the Temple. Should we buy and sell in our churches and on our church courtyards? Absolutely not! Should we buy and sell to make a profit for our churches? Absolutely not!

Questions:

  1. Do we read in the account of the buying and selling in the Temple courtyards that our Lord Jesus inflicted pain or humiliation upon any particular individual with His anger?
  2. Explain the sequence of our Lord Jesus Christ's right actions with His anger?
  3. What was the intended purpose of the buying and selling on the Temple courtyard? Who stood to profit?
  4. How is the environment of where we come to worship God supposed to be upheld? What can you do as a child to help your beloved church maintain a calm, quiet, and prayerful place of worship?
  5. Will you be a follower of our Lord Jesus and help your church not to buy and sell?


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