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John 2:13–16
When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables (v. 15).
When Jesus came to the temple of Jerusalem at the time of the Passover celebration, He found numerous things that disturbed Him. There was commerce and even exploitation going on. First, certain livestock merchants were selling animals for sacrifices, as a service to those who had come long distances and had been unable to bring their own beasts. Second, money changers were doing business, converting foreigners’ money into local currency, the only form in which the temple tax could be paid. Seeing these things going on in the very courts of the temple, Jesus grew furious. He charged the merchants with making the temple into a “house of merchandise,” and He said that they had made the temple a “den of thieves” (Luke 19:46), indicating that some sort of improper activity was going on. Then, in His anger, Jesus actually made a whip and used it to drive out the merchants and money changers, spilled their money out, and overturned their tables.
We do not normally think of Jesus as wrathful. But He clearly was filled with passionate anger over what He found in the temple. And Scripture reveals that such anger on the part of the Son is not unusual. Psalm 2 speaks of the nations plotting against God and His Anointed (Jesus), and it warns the kings of the earth to “kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way” (v. 12a). Much later, in the book of Revelation, we find metaphorical depictions of the wrath of the Son (Rev. 6:16–17; 14:14–16; 19:11–21).
The Scriptures declare that Jesus came to reveal the Father, and that He accomplished that mission to perfection. Part of that revelation is wrath against unrighteousness. But the same Scriptures declare that both the Father and the Son are holy and sinless. Therefore, anger must not be evil in and of itself, for if it were, we would have to say that the Father and Son are evil when they are angry. In actuality, the perfect holiness of the Father and Son means their wrath must be a virtue. Theirs is always righteous anger.
It is not so simple for us, for our anger can be righteous or unrighteous. Our challenge is to learn to see when our anger is leading us to sin. In tomorrow’s study, we will begin to look at anger in human beings.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Do you find it difficult to think of Jesus as wrathful? Certainly He is loving, gentle, compassionate, and kind. But to worship a Jesus without wrath is to worship an un-Scriptural idol. Jesus is God, and therefore He is as opposed to sin as His Father. Pray for understanding in this matter and praise Jesus for His perfect wrath.
For Further Study
- Matt. 16:23
- Mark 3:5
- Rom. 2:16
- 2 Tim. 4:1