Tomorrow March 11th at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “He Drove Them All Out (John 2:13-17).”

Dear Christians, We should never get the impression that our Lord made His best diplomatic effort to reach people, but that things somehow got our of control and as a result He was unexpectedly rejected, persecuted, tortured, and then crucified. No, that’s not what happened. Jesus started His public ministry off with a “bang!” and made a lot of enemies. When He entered Jerusalem on the Passover and saw what was happening in the temple, He had to act, and act immediately. There was no coddling what was sinful; this was not the time for counseling. There was nothing to negotiate.

Those actually participating in the transformation of the temple’s outer court into a marketplace, probably thought they were fully justified. After-all people needed the proper animals for the sacrifices and people needed the proper coinage in order to pay the temple tax. They were facilitating the religious needs of the people. They must have thought they had great reasons for doing what they were doing. Such are the operations and rationalizations of sinners!

What they were actually doing was making a mockery of God’s House! The Scriptures in Zechariah 14 said that Gentiles would come to worship God in Jerusalem. If this was going to happen, then this outer court taken over by the marketplace was in fact cutting them off! Thus the Scriptures were being denied and rejected by such actions. But more importantly, the very worship of God the Father was being withheld. When Jesus saw this, there was only one reaction…and it was one that was going to “consume” Him…it was going to get Him killed. He knew it, and did not avoid it, not for a micro-second!

So much for the hyper-gentle images of Jesus. Jesus acted out with an angry, but holy love. He made a whip and drove out both men and animals, He scattered the coins and turned over tables, and He shouted “get out of here!” One might wonder why some did not resist Him! No one could: God was angry and no one can resist God under such circumstances. But there was no sin in His action. This was about giving honor to the Father, it was about defending the Scriptures, but it was also about providing for the salvation of all people…even those selling in the temple…and even for you.

Christ’s zeal continued all the way to the cross. Nothing was going to stop Him from giving His life for you and your sin. We are now called — in Romans 12:11 — to also be zealous. In fact, to “never be lacking in zeal.” As those redeemed by Christ, we too have zeal in speaking the truth in love, standing by the Word, and keeping the worship of God! Such zeal is Christ’s zeal and it keeps the world in contact with His Word and Sacrament so that people continue to know the Savior who drove out their sin by taking their sin; the Savior who was zealous for them, even to the point of dying in their stead. Jesus was zealous for you!

In His Peace,

Dr. Espinosa

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