Why did Jesus flip those tables?

 Hi Everyone!

Most of my life, I have wondered, When do we get to flip tables?!  I mean, I don't know about you, but every time I read the story in John 2:13-17 and Matt 21:12,13 (the story is in all the gospels, but these two show a couple key pieces regarding the story), part of me goes " YA!!! Let's do this for a Ministry focus!" Then I walk away a little sad because I don't realize the context of when such aggression is appropriate.

Recently, I was coaching a guy online to work with Somalis. We have been going through a book called  Sent to Serve. (I do not receive any funds from the sale of this book. I am friends with the producer, and he is key to understanding and engaging the region. Because of his quality of engagement, I share the book link so you can purchase his materials.) In Chapter 5 of Sent to Serve, the story starts with a man who comes to faith from a revival that overtook his community when he was young. Then, when he became a missionary, he remembered that revival. The DNA of revival is reliance on prayer and being broken before the Lord, and those were the keys to seeing God move among the Somalis. I realize that John 2:13-17 and Matt 21:12,13 and Sent to serve look like a separate issue, but bear with me, I will show you the connection.

The day before, I had been watching TV, and it was a mob show called Tulsa King starring Sylvester Stallone. I enjoy these kinds of shows because they remind me of a time when life was simpler. Keep in mind, I never functioned like the Tulsa King, but there were some overlaps in lifestyle.  In one episode, the mob bosses were fighting over a justice issue, and in this particular issue, their standards actually matched scripture. In my observation, I have seen people in ministry roles compromise Biblical standards, at times, in ways even Mob Bosses would be offended by.  That's when it hit me, the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. Tables get flipped when Ministry Leaders compromise integrity by misusing God's Kingdom for their benefit. I was silenced and floored.

Over the years, I have heard John 2:13-17, Matt 21:12,13 as a condemnation of using the church to sell goods and God's anger over not focusing on UPGs because it was Solomon's portico, which was designed for Gentiles to worship God. This statement about integrity is much broader and also more stringent than those teachings. So I took to the book to make sure I was hearing the Lord.

The Jewish Passover was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me. 

John 2:13-17

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Jesus went into the temple and threw out all those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!” 

Matthew 21:12-13

I colored portions in red and purple to draw our attention to in the text.

The red portions are active, aggressive language. It doesn't matter if it's in the original language or in English; it is the language of forcefully repossessing a space. No text confirms physical altercations beyond the belongings.

The second piece, arguably key to confirming the integrity compromise as a misuse of God's kingdom for personal benefit, is the "Den of Thieves" wording. It is literal in its usage, but what does that mean?

Have you ever been in a den of thieves? I have. I was never what you would have considered a "thief," but I knew a few, and before I knew Jesus, I helped them out a couple of times if their morals were justifiable.

The key to understanding the den of thieves is how a thief views the world. It's through justification. You often hear thieves say things like " They have enough," or "They don't really need it, they're rich, and it can help me." A common one is, "If it's insured, it's not really hurting them, they'll get their money back!"

A thief justifies compromise for the benefit of themselves, their careers, and sometimes their family and friends.

We observe similar justifications and compromises in the choices of the religious leaders who permitted the temple to be used in this manner, as well as in the mentality of the people involved in the sales.

Now, how does it tie to revival? Jesus repossesses what's his by force. The mass manifestation of the Holy Spirit that brings a community to repentance so the Lord can set the Body of Christ back to his standard. Once the church is walking in repentance, his kingdom can be established among those tribes that don't know him yet. Jesus flipping the tables in Solomon's portico is the very essence and action of a revival. Is it about corrupt money? Yes. Is it about UPGs? Yes. More importantly, it's about leadership walking in repentance instead of compromise and leading others to do the same. We can't have unbiblical standards being reproduced by the body of Christ. We need absolute repentance as a lifestyle of the body of Christ to be the foundation for establishing God's kingdom among the Unreached tribes (UPGs). The re-establishment of a lifestyle of repentance in all areas and depths of our lives by the Holy Spirit to reclaim a demographic that once was a thriving example of God's kingdom is the start of Revival.

The degree to which our integrity and humility combine creates our capacity to model transparency and vulnerability.

Integrity and humility are key to the repentant DNA of revival. Revival is how we flip the tables.