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Was Jesus a radical, a revolutionary, a freedom fighter against the establishment?

Left unattended, worship twists and bends back toward the worshipper until either the worshipper becomes the worshipped or true worship itself is entirely distorted. Progressives and dominionists (theonomists) have this in common, as do those, in Jesus’ time, who were supposed to give supervision to the Temple and preserve worship, as prescribed in the Scriptures.

- There was a time when the “money changers” stayed in their lawful lane and followed up on their sacred duty to facilitate acceptable offerings. (Deut. 14:25)

- There was a time before the “Court of Gentiles” (dividing wall of hostility Eph. 2:14) when Israel followed God’s directions and made a place for the nations to pray. (Gen. 12:3; Num 15:14-16; Is. 56:6-7)

- There was a time when the Temple was a place of holy reverence and connection with God—the place where heaven and earth touch. (Hab. 2:20)

- There was a time when the authority over the Temple was actually God. (Mic. 1:2)

- There was a time when holy men and women worshipped in the Temple, recognizing a temporary symbol of an eternal dwelling of God with man, in holy, reverent, anticipation of the Messiah coming to HIS HOUSE with zeal, to bring to consummation, redemptive history. (Ps. 69:9; Mal. 3:1-4)

- By the time Jesus came on the scene, the religion of Yahweh was a mess; opportunists and their pragmatic sideshow rituals had replaced the worship of God.

WHAT WAS GOING ON?

- Hucksters using Jesus’ blood-money to bilk worshippers, selling God’s favour at blackmail rates.
- Conveniencing their racist religious business by squeezing the Gentiles out of their segregated stalls.
- Making the place of divine connection into a chaotic cacophony of confusion.

How does this incident further the purposes of John that you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah...and have life in His name by believing?

Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market.

1. Jesus drives out the sideshow because of His loving zeal for the nexus of heaven and earth and people being able to connect with God—a decidedly Messianic trait.

For zeal for your house has consumed me (Ps. 69:9)—the Greater David has arrived! CONFORMING to the will of God for the place of worship. Not a revolt against the political system in general, but a strike against the improper practices of connecting with God.

This is characteristic of Messiah, who Himself is the nexus place between heaven and earth.

What is in the way of you connecting, concentrating, or communing with Christ?
In what ways are you embracing convenience at the expense of real rich connection with Christ?

Is there anything in your life that is crowding out someone else from a clear pathway to connection with Christ, physical or conduct-wise?

What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?

(You) destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days!

2. Jesus doesn’t trash the physical Temple, He sacrifices the Real Temple, His body, for those despicable, irreverent, ingrates, toward the symbol of God’s presence—the Lamb of God, the Anointed One who takes away the sin of the world.

The Passover Lamb has come to the temple—the fulfillment of the sacrificial system—the One who is Himself the final sacrifice making peace with God and man by His blood. God has sent to the Temple the final sacrifice to save the condemned from Himself for Himself.

For you will not abandon my soul to the nether world; nor will you allow your Holy One to undergo decay. Ps. 16:10

Are you placing demands of Christ to demonstrate that He has the authority (still has the authority in modernity) to call you to some sort of behaviour, or placing conditions on Him to earn your faith?

It wasn’t radical, revolutionary, rebellious, on Jesus part, it was time to tap the Temple out! It was no longer religious—i.e. the religion of Yahweh. The Temple had become Herod’s racist, politicized, nationalized, monument to his own placational pragmaticism.

Do you really still think you can find justification for being a general religious rebel and revolutionary from a story where Jesus was fulfilling specific messianic responses to specific worship violations? If you do, you better be 100% certain you have actually picked God’s fight God’s way. Jesus’ actions were as God—I recommend pressing pause on your boiling point, mostly.

And one more thing, Jesus has news for signs and wonders chasers; He doesn’t entrust Himself to them.

Looking for Jesus, the radical; Jesus, the revolutionary; Jesus, the Braveheart freedom-fighter; Jesus, the miracle-worker; Jesus, the re-writer of the older covenant? Word to the wise; look for JESUS. Do whatever He tells you. You aren’t His unless He entrusts Himself to you.

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