Temple

This could very easily turn into something so much more than what I have the time to make it...

Jesus 'Attack' on the Temple

Jesus was not trying to reform Temple worship. He wasn't trying to rid spirituality of commercialism (the moneychangers were a requirement for worship, not a distraction from it) nor was he claiming that they were abusing the pilgrims who were coming to the Temple by extorting money from them. Jesus was attacking the Temple itself. He was not purifying worship, He was preventing it from happening (by preventing people from procuring the needed objects with which a devout Jew would worship God). We are blinded to this by the fact that our worship has never been accompanied by the smell of burning animal hair, blood, and the bleating of animals, we think worship is about guitars and drums...

This was not an attack on the 'money-lenders,' this was an attack on the entire system of Jewish redemption; not, as is often supposed, an attack on the system God set up, but rather, on the way in which people were abusing that system. A system that was impeccably trusted without question to make peace between God and men, and yet touched only the outer edge of Jewish lives, never entering the heart.

Jesus attacks it as a 'den of robbers' and for failing to be 'a house of prayer for all nations.'

It had become a source of national pride, a symbol of Jewish piety and spiritual superiority, allowing them to mistreat others, and still view themselves as superior to outsiders. They saw themselves arrogantly as priveledged insiders, instead of fortunate adopted children.

I was going to draw parralels to today's "christian" culture and the body of Christ as the Temple, but since I don't have the energy right now I will let you draw your own conclusions...

Jesus was attacking the mindset that viewed the Temple and the religion associated with it as essentially a short cut to being right, and that it has little to no effect on things that really matter in a persons conduct and character...

Jesus attack on the Pharisees is (in today's Christian worldview) understood as an attack on their spirituality, they were legalists; in reality, Jesus' attack was a political one, they were using their privileged position to oppress others for their own sake. They were not only neglecting their call to be the light of the world, but were using their election as a source of pride and separation from the world that they were supposed to be illuminating! (Does this hit close to home yet!)

Jesus doesn't accept blessing unless it gives away...

(Sorry this is scattered, but I had these thoughts collected here so long that I was forgetting what some of my short-hand meant and I thought I needed to get it somewhat coherent and just post it!)