October 24th~Temple Temper

John 12:37-50

Mark 11:12-14

Matthew 21:18-22

Mark 11:15-19

Matthew 21:12-17

Luke 19:45-48

Mark 11:20-33

Matthew 21:23-27

Luke 20:1-8

“Despite all of the miraculous signs He had done, most of the people did not believe in Jesus, which was exactly what the prophet Isaiah had predicted” (John 12:37, 38). Thus, the scene of Jesus and the fig tree was fitting. The tree, which was a symbol of Israel, had no fruit to give, so Jesus cursed it. It was withered from the roots (Mark 11:12-14, 20, 21). The Jews’ hard-heartedness will open the door for Gentiles to receive salvation during a period known as the Church Age (Romans 11).

Another snapshot of the state of God’s people came when Jesus entered the Temple. Twice in Scripture we read about Jesus cleansing the Temple of money-changers, once at the beginning of His ministry and here at the end. Since the Jews were required by law to make sacrifices and offerings for various reasons, the Temple was constantly full of people, all needing animals, doves, or half a shekel. For convenience sake, businessmen provided these things in the Temple at steep prices. They took advantage of a sacred system in order to make a profit.

Of course, Jesus took offense at what these men were doing and drove them out to make a point. Here we see a side of Him that seems incompatible to us — Jesus exhibiting anger. When His disciples saw and heard His righteous rage, they were reminded of a verse in Psalms, which prophesied that the Messiah would be filled with zeal for the things of God (69:9).

Getting angry, which is a natural emotion, is commonly believed to be sinful. However, it is not getting angry that is the problem but what we do or say in our anger Ephesians 4:26). God gets angry, Jesus got angry, and we too can get angry. It is mishandling our anger that gets us into trouble.

More important than Jesus’ anger here was the reason for it — zeal for the things of God. We get angry for so many reasons, most of them trivial, but do we get angry for righteous reasons, when the things of God are corrupted or abused?

Daily Reflection

For what reasons do you typically get angry? Are these reasons legitimate or uncalled for?

What is your usual response when you get angry? Have you stayed above reproach or have you allowed your anger to cause you to sin?

If you were only to get angry for the things of God today, what would that look like?

Jesus was angry for the right reasons. He hated sin and He could not stand to watch the things of God be abused or corrupted by men. Can you say as much? For what does your anger burn — self-centered or God-centered reasons?

BiAY.org | Day 297 — 68 Days to Go