He Will Make It Right

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” — John 2:13-17

So during Jesus's ministry, he attended all three Passover events. He never missed one. Passover was an annual gathering where followers celebrated God's deliverance from Egypt. All three are in John's Gospel, culminating in the final Passover that Jesus celebrated in the upper room right before his crucifixion. During each event, Jerusalem had at least one million visitors, and some historians have even suggested more. So during this event, the city of Jerusalem was packed.

The focal point of the Passover was the Temple, to which families would bring sacrifices and pay their Temple taxes. Some have estimated that during a typical Passover, about 250,000 animal sacrifices would be offered in a few short days. But it is clear from this story that something devious had been done by Annas, one of the Temple's High Priests. Businesses formerly outside the Temple were moved inside the courtyard so that he could leverage them for personal advantage. They provided two services. First, animals for sacrifices because some followers traveled so far that bringing an animal was far too cumbersome. Second, bankers exchanged money because religious officials would only accept a certain kind of coin for the Temple tax. They did not want money with pagan symbols on it, especially since people were bringing cash from all over the Roman empire. These businesses, of course, made a killing because people were obligated by Law to bring sacrifices and pay their taxes, so some dubbed these the "Bizzares of Annas." Remember that Annas was a corrupt High Priest extorting people through abusive commercial practices. And right here, at this moment, you will see Jesus the angriest you will ever see him, and you will notice it is directed at corrupt religious leaders.

What Jesus is doing was shocking as much as it was just. Everyone knew what Annas was doing and that he was intentionally doing it. In the process, he was taking advantage of millions of followers, extorting millions of dollars for an event intended to be focused on God.

But there is something iconic happening at this moment. You have probably caught it already. The Lamb of God (as John the Baptist called him in chapter one) walked onto the Temple grounds. Jesus, our High Priest, and perfect Passover Lamb was turning over religious corruption because religious men were corrupting a system that shouldn't be corrupted.

Don't miss this. If you are a little irritated about the things happening in the world, don't you worry. Jesus is going to come again and set things right. He will deal with corruption at every level and put it straight. In the meantime, we must ensure our hearts are always right with God. Because the Just Judge is coming and his ways are pure, he is right every time.

ASK THIS: Is your heart right with God?

DO THIS: Get right before it's too late

PRAY THIS: God, I need to get right with you.

PLAY THIS: Make It Right.