The Truth of Jesus' Act in the Temple
One famous scene in the Gospels is that Christ Jesus turned over merchant tables in the Temple, exercising his human physical strength.
Some movies about Christ Jesus or the Bible depict this scene somewhat violently. Christ Jesus looks like a crazy man in these works. But is that true?
Mar 11:12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
Mar 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mar 11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Mar 11:15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
Mar 11:16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Mar 11:18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
From a human point of view, it is rather understandable. First, Christ Jesus was hungry. He found a fig tree and wanted to eat figs, but there were no figs in the tree. While He was hungry, He entered the temple to encounter servants of Satan selling and buying goods. He seems to have got angry extremely. Maybe due to His hunger, He lost His temper. He took action with violent force, which is, however, not fit for a saint to do. And after having quieted down, Christ Jesus preached to people, blaming those merchants. Dangerously, the scribes and chief priests were hearing the word of Christ Jesus to be afraid of Hims so much as his teaching appealed to people so strongly. They must have finally come to decide to arrest and execute Christ Jesus.
If Christ Jesus had been an ordinary person, we may as well support the above view. But He was neither an ordinary person nor an ordinary saint. Christ Jesus was the Son of God. We have to change our view on this scene.
God set the course of Christ Jesus to the Crucifixion. It directly started from the scene of the fig tree through the scene of the temple with Christ Jesus expelling sinful merchants. Causal laws should work, leading to the Crucifixion: violence vs. violence.
But why did God set such a course? Probably Satan told the God, "Take out super natural power and heavenly might from Christ Jesus, and then we can see how powerless and foolish He will be. Christ Jesus has nothing great except the power you gave to Him. So, turn Him to a plain man without holy power!" God probably said, "We may see as you want."
That is why Christ Jesus got hungry and wanted to pick a fig from a tree that Satan had planted so that it could not offer any figs to Christ Jesus. Accordingly, the nature of Him as a man drove him to the violent action in the temple. He could not even take enough caution against his enemies who were listening to His word on site. Indeed, Christ Jesus was acting like an ordinary man but not a great saint, since God had taken away His super power.
Accordingly, Satan succeeded in killing Christ Jesus on the cross. But finally God wan, as Christ Jesus resurrected three days after the death of the ordinary man in Christ Jesus.
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Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.