Jesus gets mad

Jesus cleared the temple! Yea, Jesus took a whip and ran cheater dudes off. Wow! The Jesus of my Sunday school days would never do such a thing. He was busy carrying lambs, blessing children, and being nice and safe. What made Jesus snap? What pushed Him over the whip-lashed edge?

I have heard this account retold throughout my church life most of the time it comes up when there is something being sold in the foyer of the gathering place of the church. (The church is not a building but a people!) Some wise “biblical scholar” will quip “we need to run those money changers out of the temple”. I faced this in Texas when we put in a high end coffee shop and book store. I had a vision of a place where people could connect and a place for resources the help them grow. Oh well, the very ones that complained were the first in line for a latte! (Sorry ADD writing)

Jesus cleared the temple that day because the folks selling stuff were blocking the gentiles for their place of worship. The money changer had set up their retail space in the court of the gentiles. This was the place that was meant for non Jews to connect with God. God is the God of all people not just the Jews. He had provided a place for them. These guys were in the way.

With this in mind I must ask the question, what is in the way for people connecting in our churches today? Is it music, dress, traditions, rituals, or style? Would Jesus take a whip to us? So often we create barriers that keep people away from the good news of Jesus. I am praying that Fellowship of the Hills provides a clear path this Easter week-end that people can connect with God not just church people but all people!