Money Changes Everything

Today's readings: Psalms 34; 146, Deuteronomy 9:(1-3) 4-12, Hebrews 3:1-11, John 2:13-22

Today's reading from John is one of the most famous Jesus stories of all time. Jesus enters the temple and -- incensed by the money changers and people selling animals -- he fashions a whip out of cords and drives them away livestock and all. He then turns over the tables of the moneychangers. Scary, eh? This  Jesus is not the forgiving Prince of Peace in whom we find comfort. This Jesus is angry and impulsive.

Or is he? We don't know how many cords he used, but creating a whip involved knotting each one in a specific fashion. Not an all-day process, but long enough for people to notice what he was doing. And whipping was not a typical Jewish punishment: it was a specifically Roman practice. Money changers converted Roman currency, which the Jews were forced to use under Roman occupation, into currency acceptable at the temple -- at very high cost. Those selling animals took advantage of poor people who had no livestock of their own to sacrifice. More than impulsive rage, Jesus's response communicated a specific message: those who used the occupation to further oppress their Jewish brothers and sisters placed themselves outside the community and were subject to the brutality of the masters they chose to serve.

While whipping is off the table, we need have no patience for people who try to insert commerce between us and our God. True followers of Christ do not ask for donations in exchange for prayer or show favor in proportion to one's financial resources. Religious leaders who do such things, particularly when they exploit the poor and desperate, deserve to be challenged and -- if necessary  -- rebuked. No human agent stands between us and God. His love and grace are free to all.

Evening readings: Psalms 25; 91