Let your anger guide you
Sermon based on John 2:13-22 and I C
orinthians 1:18-25
A few weeks ago, I attended a training on Non-Violent resistance put on by Christian Peacemaker Teams. We did several activities that involved us being put in uncomfortable situations–like pretending we were at a rally, or role playing bystander intervention.
All of those role plays are uncomfortable and thought provoking. The thing that really had me thinking was one particular exercise. We were given scenarios, and based on what we heard, we had to stand in a circle that had been divided into quadrants. Violent on one side of the circle, and nonviolent on the other. And on the other axis–effective or not effective.
Here was the scenario that was given to us: You are at a peaceful demonstration, and police arrive in riot gear–shields, helmets and face masks–and they throw tear gas into the crowd. The tear gas lands in front of you, and immediately begins to spray the noxious fumes everywhere. You think fast, and grab the tear gas and throw it back towards the police.
And then we were asked: Is this violent? Is this effective?
Most people in the room stood over on the violent, non-effective side. I stood on the nonviolent, effective side. It felt pretty lonely over there on that axis, I’ll admit. But I had my reasons. I put myself in that scenario, and was worried about the people around me being hurt by teargas when they had no protection from it. And I knew that the police had protection. So, while they would be mad that I threw it back in their direction. They would also be safe from its impact. And the protesters would be safe too. This move felt to me like the safest option.
There’s was a lot of great conversation generated here. And some people changed their minds, and others did not.
It had me thinking about this text we read today. This one where Jesus entered the temple, makes a whip out of cords, and drove the vendors and animals from the temple. He turned over the money changers table, and the money flew everywhere. This story confounds those that read the texts and try to see Jesus as non-violent. Because Jesus seemed angry and aggressive here. But Jesus calls us to peace. So how do we reconcile this?
This story is often called the “Cleansing of the temple” story. But I’m not sure if cleansing is the right word. I have the sense that Jesus is doing more than simply cleansing. I think Jesus wants to do away with the system altogether, he doesn’t just want to clean it up.
Here’s why: This story is happening in Jerusalem during the Passover, the biggest festival of the year where folks are required to come to the temple to make an offering.
Jesus came to Jerusalem expecting to see a celebration of the people’s liberation from slavery in Egypt, and instead he witnessed a scene where poor people were being exploited.
There were two points of exploitation in the temple that day, and both had become commonplace. First, the selling of ritually pure animals to poor people who could only buy the animals at the temple at outrageous prices. And, the money changers who changed money from international currency to local currencies so it could be used in the temple. Both vendors were corrupt.
The animal sellers sold animals of all sorts in the temple. If you were rich, you’d sacrifice a cow or ox, and if you were poor you’d sacrifice a dove or a pigeon. But the temple couldn’t take just any animal–the animals that were sacrificed had to be unblemished, and in order to ensure that, they had to be purchased at the gates of the temple, where the prices were higher than the countryside prices. And, as with any tax or pricing system, the costs tended to be felt more by the poor than the rich. If you wanted to purchase two doves, you paid two days wages just outside the temple. The doves had to be inspected just inside the temple, and if they were found to be blemished, you had to buy two more doves inside the temple for the equivalent of two months of pay.
The second place of exploitation was found with the money changers who were located just inside the temple court–they bought and sold money because temple taxes could not be paid with roman images on them (graven images). So roman money had to be exchanged for usable local currently.
While money changers were important, they were also corrupt, because they could inflate the exchange rate and exaggerate the fees. So for poor people, the money changers exchange rate was the equivalent of a day’s wages, this was before the person purchased an unblemished animal and had to buy them again at a higher rate because the temple inspector found a blemish.
When all was said and done, a one day stay in Jerusalem could cost $3,000-$4,000 in contemporary value. This was an outrageous expense for a poor family in occupied Palestine.
Jesus, coming from a poor family himself, understood that this system was designed to exploit people, especially poor people. So he made a whip out of what he found lying around, and he ran the money changers out of the temple. He turned over the tables, poured out the coins, and demanded that these folks “Stop making the realm of God into a realm of commerce.” Interestingly, Jesus doesn’t call for a systemic reform, but an end to this system altogether.
Jesus was calling for an end to this system that was oppressing people. And Jesus was bringing about an end–at least temporarily–to this system, by mixing up the blemished and unblemished animals as they ran out of the temple. He was bringing about an end to the money changers, at least temporarily, by having coins scatter all over the courtyard. He was bringing about and end to this oppressive system in the chaos by mixing up who had paid and hadn’t, and by demonstrating the chaos of the oppressive system on poor people’s lives.
Meanwhile–those in power were more concerned about HOW Jesus did something, than they were outraged by WHAT Jesus is exposing. We get more worked up about the anger of Jesus than we do about the system Jesus is calling out. We get more upset that tear gas is thrown at cops in riot gear than we do that cops in riot gear show up at a peaceful demonstration.
And I’m not talking about those people out there that do that–I’m talking about me. I’m talking about us. Mennonites spend a chunk of time deconstructing Jesus’ actions here. Because they scare us. His actions certainly scare me. It scares me that our peaceful Jesus appears angry. It scares me that in order for reign of God to come near, that the world must be turned upside down, property must be scattered, my life must be radically changed, and the system that we comfortably exist in must be chaotically overturned.
Perhaps we are more scared of Jesus’ anger here because it will upend our lives and the ways that so many prosper on the backs of poor.
But anger is a healthy emotion, a good emotion. Because it tells us that something isn’t right. It tells us there is danger. It tell us that we have to pay attention to what is underneath that feeling. Are we feeling protective and that’s why the anger is bubbling up? Are we fearful? Are we feeling deep love?
And what do we do with that emotion, with that anger? Because yes, anger can be toxic–anger can turn into violence, but can also turn into creativity, it can tell us to change our behavior, it can call us to deeper discipleship.
In Jesus’ case here, even in his outrage and anger about what he saw happening in God’s temple, he took time to let his anger guide him. He took time to fashion a whip out of cords. Jesus was resourceful. He was coming up with a plan. This was a well thought out demonstration. He knew what he was doing.
And we are so focused on his behavior, that we forget to look at the system he is criticizing. Where is Jesus’ anger taking us? Where is this outrageous display taking us? Some would argue that our anger and outrage makes us look foolish. How can we work towards the reign of God? It’s wishful thinking. It’s impossible. But I think our anger and outrage at injustice takes us to the cross. The cross is foolishness to those who don’t understand, but to those who have a better sense of what God is up to, this cross–this perceived foolishness–is saving our lives. This outrageous expose’ of injustice and unfair treatment of poor people would send Jesus to the cross, and it would save him and us in resurrection.
Don’t let your anger scare you. This anger could be the Holy Spirit at work–calling you deeper into discipleship. Let it take you to the cross. Let it take you to the place where injustice is exposed and all the hidden things are brought into light. Let your anger guide you to a world as it should be. Let your anger guide you to resurrection. AMEN.