Monday

On Sunday, he rode into town. We often call it the "triumphal entry," but there was very little that was "triumphant" about it. Perhaps it picked up that name because some thought it was similar to the Roman "triumph" parades, where a conquering hero was welcomed back into the city. But those were more like what we think of as a "ticker tape parade" than what happened on the side of the Mount of Olives that first Palm Sunday. If anything, this "parade" might have been somewhat subdued. It was not large enough to attract anything in the way of Roman security, and at a time of the year when security concerns were high (this was Passover, after all, when Jerusalem's population swelled), anything perceived as a threat would have brought out the Roman guard. But Jesus was no threat, not to Rome. He was simply another Jewish rabbi, coming into town with other pilgrims, singing the psalms and preparing for the celebration.

That was Sunday.

1st Century Temple Model, Israel Museum, 2017

On Monday, Jesus returned to the Temple. He walked around and found himself becoming more and more frustrated that the place where the Gentiles were allowed to pray had become a market. According to some scholars, the market (the place where you bought what you needed to offer a sacrifice) was, at one time, outside the Temple courts, maybe over on the Mount of Olives, but in order to catch as many customers as possible, it had been moved into the actual Temple Courts. The only place available was the Court of the Gentiles, the place where people who were not Jews but who wanted to worship God could go to do so. So imagine the place you're trying to pray full of the sounds of animals, salesmen and coins being exchanged. It was more than Jesus could take.

The scene is familiar and famous: Jesus overturns the tables, runs out the merchants and then tells them what made him so angry. In fact, he quotes Scripture: "My house will be a house of prayer." Jesus isn't upset over the sacrifices, or even over the merchandising. He's upset about the location. He's angry that commerce has gotten in the way of people praying and worshipping.

We often use this passage as a way of saying, "You can't sell stuff in church." I had a parishioner many years ago who wouldn't even come to a dinner held in the church because of this passage. While I respect his convictions, that's not what Jesus is upset about here. He's upset that something—anything—has gotten in the way of people coming to God. Those sorts of things always upset Jesus. I believe they still upset him! Rather than cause us to point fingers at commerce in the chapel, this passage ought to cause us instead to ask, "What in my life or my behavior is preventing someone from worshipping, from coming to know God?" That's what upsets Jesus, still today.

It's Monday, and Jesus has already upset the Saduccees and the priests, the ones who control the Temple (and the ones who make money from the sales). Those in power over the Temple are already angry with Jesus, and it's only Monday.