Was Jesus ever violent?

2. Was Jesus ever violent?

3. Holy Week Day 2: Temple Tantrum?

7. Jason & Laura Porterfield

8. Should Christians sometimes be violent? • St. Augustine (5th century) used this story to defend his persecution of heretics. • St. Bernard of Clairvaux (12th century) used this story to inspire the Knights Templar of the Second Crusade to “repel the foes of Christ.” • John Calvin (16th century) used this story to justify burning Michael Servetus at the stake.

9. Temple Tantrum? 15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. 17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” 18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching. Mark 11:15-18 NLT

10. 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:13-17 NIV

11. What Was Jesus So Upset About?

12. House of Prayer for All Peoples 3 “Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say,    ‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’ 6 “I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord…    and who hold fast to my covenant.7 I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem    and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer.I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices,    because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.8 For the Sovereign Lord,    who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says:I will bring others, too,    besides my people Israel.” Isaiah 56:7 NLT

13. Jeremiah 7:1-11 NLTca 600 BC The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Go to the entrance of the Lord’s Temple, and give this message to the people…“‘Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. 4 But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. They chant, “The Lord’s Temple is here! The Lord’s Temple is here!” 5 But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; 8 “‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! 9 Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, 10 and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again? 11 Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the Lord, have spoken!

14. Money Changers

15. Temple Tax 1 Shekel: Tax for two Every Jewish male 20 and up paid an annual Temple tax of ½ shekel. Silver shekels of Tyre were not always used In daily business, but were the only coins accepted for the Temple tax.

16. Buying Animals for Sacrifices So, what was the problem?

17. Royal Stoa • Built by Herod 19 BC • Every major Roman city had a basilica used for banking, law courts, and commerce • Seat of Sanhedrin • Money changing & sale of animals took place here, may have overflowed during major feasts

18. Temple Politics 101 Who ran the Temple? The High Priest—Most powerful religious leader Appointed by Roman governor at this time Chosen from “right family,” not because of right living Usually from wealthy family (often went to the “highest bidder”) At this time high & chief priests were probably all Sadducees: Name probably from Zadok/Sadoc, the first high priest during the time of the first Temple Much of their power & wealth came from the Temple.

19. Meet Annas & Family “So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. First they took him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time.” John 18:12-13 NLT “Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests.” Luke 3:2 NLT Annas & Caiaphas French artist James Tissot Annaswas high priest from 7 AD to 14 AD. Caiaphas, his son-in-law, from18 to 36 AD. The real power still lay with Annas. The high priesthood was often controlled Annas’ family (his 5 sons became high priests) until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD.

20. Annas(Ananias)“Godfather” Priest “The high priest Ananias…was a great hoarder up of money; he also had servants who were very wicked, who joined themselves to the boldest sort of the people, and went to the thrashing floors, and took away the tithes that belonged to the priests by violence, and did not refrain from beating such as would not give these tithes to them. So the other high priests acted in the like manner, as did those his servants without anyone being able to prohibit them; so that [some of the] priests, that of old were wont to be supported with those tithes, died for want of food.” --Josephus, “Antiquities” 20.9.2 (205-207 (lived 37 to 100 AD) Annas

21. The Booths of Annas The family of Annas owned the flocks from which the sacrificial animals had to come. They also controlled the money-changing tables at the Temple, which were called “booths of Annas.” They charged greatly inflated prices on sacrificial animals, extorted money, and stole funds intended to support other priests who had no other income. --Lois Tverberg Our Rabbi Jesus website

22. “Temple Mafia” The family gained much of their wealth from the four booths of the sons of Annas, which were market stalls located on the Mount of Olives. They also had other market stalls inside the temple complex in the Court of the Gentiles. Through these, they maintained a monopoly on the sale of sacrificial animals, as well as the exchange of foreign money into temple coins for the offerings. This enabled them to charge exorbitant prices, effectively amassing wealth through the exploitation and oppression of the poor.  When Jesus cleansed the Temple, he effectively declared war on the House of Annas. He raised their ire by striking at the source of their wealth and like a typical Mafia chieftain, Annas responded with violence. E. G. Lewis Sowing the Seeds website

23. Malachi 3:1-3 NLT “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.

24. Jesus Predicts His Death And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, Saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise.“ Mark 10:32-34 NLT • Chief priests—instigators • Turn over to Romans (Gentiles) who could give death sentence

25. “So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples.” --Mark 11:11 NLT WHY?

26. The Whip Where did Jesus get the whip? He made a whip out of cords.” John 2:15 (Oldest mss: “something like a whip”) Cords=schoinion: Reeds, rushes Where did Jesus get reeds? Reed ropes were a tool used to herd animals.

27. What did Jesus do with the “whip”? He “drove* all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle.” John 3:15 NIV • * “Sent out,” “shooed out.” “He stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.” Mark 11:16 NLT

28. Any evidence of violence? Temple security forces • Temple guards • Fortress of Antiona—600 Roman soldiers • Additional soldiers brought by Pilate from Caesarea Maritima for Passover week Temple area was swarming with security forces, yet there was no arrest.

29. Did the Jewish leaders accuse Jesus of violence? John 2:16-20 NLT  ”Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” 18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” 19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” 21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.” They accused Jesus not of violence, but of not having authority over the Temple. At Jesus’ trial when they charged him with blasphemy for claiming this authority.

30. What is a prophetic act? Acts 20:10-12 NLT 10 Several days later a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea. 11 He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

31. “When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.” Hosea 1:2 NLT

32. Temple Tantrum? 15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. 17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” 18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching. Mark 11:15-18 NLT

33. What did Jesus’ prophetic act mean? John 2:17: He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” Jesus put the “Temple Mafia” out of business for one day, condemning it and foreshadowing its destruction.

34. Not an impulsive “temple tantrum,” but a carefully planned non-violent prophetic act to dramatize: • God hates corruption. • God hates the exploitation of the poor. • God hates the exclusion of and discrimination against “outsiders.” • God especially hates corruption, exploitation, and discrimination against outsiders when it is done in God’s name. • His prediction that he would be raised from the dead and replace the Temple. Jesus went head-to-head with the corrupt “Temple Mafia” even though he knew it would lead to his execution.

35. Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty,creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,he is seated at the right hand of the Father,and he will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy Christian church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.