We are continuing to examine how Christ lived and served the Father.

Jesus would not allow the temple, which He called “My house” (Matt. 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46), to be corrupted with sinful behavior. He protected His house from those who would tarnish it with sin. He kept the house of God safe from the sin of the money changers who would change the “house of prayer” into a “den of thieves” (Matt. 21:12-13). Jesus demonstrated by His actions that anger, if properly controlled, is not sinful in and of itself. Paul recorded, “’Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil” (Eph. 4:26-27). Sin had infi ltrated the house of God in the form of greed. These money changers understood that everyone, because of their sins, needed a sacrifi ce to offer to God, so they were taking advantage of the poor by providing doves at extravagant prices (Lev. 14:21-23).

This sin angered our Lord for two reasons. One: it took advantage of the poor, and God has always protected the poor from those who would oppress them. “Do no rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the affected at the gate; For the Lord will plead their cause, And plunder the soul of those who plunder them” (Prov. 22:22-23).

These money changers remind me of loan companies that offer extremely high interest rates on small loans to people who are in fi nancial trouble and down on their luck. They take advantage of people whom they know need money, the same as the money changers were taking advantage of people whom they knew could not go without the doves to sacrifice, because God required sacrifice for sin. Is this not taking advantage of the poor, in some cases the same as the money changes did in the temple? The money changers were fellow Jews who should have understood the need to sacrifice to God, but they were shutting up their hearts to their brothers in need. “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17). Jesus dealt with these money changers accordingly.

Two: it dishonored the house of God with sin. In Numbers twenty-five is an account of God’s tabernacle being defiled with sexual impurity, and this angered God to the point that twenty-four thousand Israelites died in a plague because of this sin. This demonstrates how angry God becomes when His house is defi led. If Phinehas had not taken a javelin and run through both the man and the woman who were defi ling the tabernacle, God’s wrath would have consumed the children of Israel entirely. Jesus was justified, the same as Phinehas was justified (Num. 25:11), in cleansing the temple by turning over the tables and seats of the money changers and then running them off with a whip (Matt. 21:12-13; John 2:13-16). The money changers should count themselves blessed that God did not strike them dead on the spot for dishonoring His house, like he did Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus chapter ten.

Today, the church is the house of God and we need to be careful that we do not defile it with sin. “These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:14-15).

We need to protect the house of God (the church) the same as Jesus did by turning over the tables and seats and running off the money changers with a whip. The money changers today are those who would corrupt the worship of God in His church by practicing doctrine that is not authorized by God’s Word (Col. 3:17; Matt. 15:9), causing sin to defi le God’s house. Jesus lived and served the Father by protecting the house of God. Will you protect the house of God or allow it to be defi led?

Just something to consider!