Summary
In a pair of symbolic actions, JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. shows that he believes the TempleThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... authorities have lost their way.
Analysis
It is hard to overstate how absurd Jesus’ action would have seemed to his contemporaries. The business that he condemns, changing money and selling doves, was part of the normal work of a temple in the ancient world and was actually offered as a service to pilgrims. The presence of buyers and sellers in the temple allowed people to carry money on their pilgrimages instead of an animal to sacrificeSacrifice is commonly understood as the practice of offering or giving up something as a sign of worship, commitment, or obedience. In the Old Testament grain, wine, or animals are used as sacrifice. In some New Testament writings Jesus' death on the cross as the.... It also allowed urban people who had no access to animals to purchase sacrifices for festivals. However, in keeping his relationship to the SabbathSabbath is a weekly day of rest, the seventh day, observed on Saturday in Judaism and on Sunday in Christianity. In the book of Genesis, God rested on the seventh day; in the Gospel accounts Jesus and his disciples are criticized by some for not... and to dietary restrictions, Jesus calls for religion based on prayer and faith in God.
The criticism that Jesus lobbies at the Temple is reinforced by the symbolic presence of the blind and the lame whom he heals. By healing them in the Temple courtyard, he shows the uselessness of the Temple for the disadvantaged in society. The chief priests and the scribes unwittingly confirm his criticism of them as “robbers,” not people of prayer, when they get angry at him for healing and at the children for stating the obvious: Jesus heals in the Temple because he is the rightful heir of DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms..
