In a fit of rage

There's a story in the gospels that has always made me scratch my head. It's always seemed a bit of an inconsistency and out of character for Jesus. Because of scriptural reports that Jesus never sinned (i.e. Heb 4:15), the story of Jesus overturning tables in the temple has led pastors to try all kinds of theological kung-fu. Most often, the solution that is settled upon is that Jesus overturned the tables out of righteous anger, a justified fit of rage caused by the defilement of God's temple in Jerusalem. That has never really sat right with me.

This is one of those posts where I share a little somthing I've learned in my classes, namely, that it is important to look closely at what scripture says. Look - actually look - at Mark 11:11:

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve

The beginning of the chapter is Jesus' famous, "Palm Sunday" entrance into Jerusalem and the passage immediately after verse 11 is his demonstration in the temple. But what is interesting in verse 11 is that it shows Jesus assessed the situation the night before his demonstration. He looked at everything. It wasn't like he walked into the temple and his jaw dropped at the horrible acts going on. Jesus may not have been acting in a fit of rage so much as making a statement that the end of the temple sacrificial system was ending.

I am not claiming I am an authority on this, but it does seem likely to me that there is truth in this one small, easy-to-miss verse. What it tells us is that we can have confidence that he is sinless, that his ministry was intentional and purposeful. This particular story tells us that the temple is done. Trying to be "holy enough" had clearly not worked, ringing in a new promise that we can have direct access to God absolutely all the time.

Timing is Everything

Today's post is a little different because I'm not sure I've found the answer to the question, and so your thoughts are totally welcome. This goes in the "food for thought" category.

I've been studying the Gospels for school and there is a question that's been relatively unaddressed. We know a lot about Jesus' birth from Matthew and Luke, and all four gospels' focus is on his adult ministry, but we know very little about his childhood and adolescent years. Luke does include a story of a visit to the temple at the age of 12 (odd because he was still considered a boy at that point). In this visit, he showed himself to be wise and gifted at teaching, even at such a young age. Luke says that "everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers" (Luke 2:47).

I guess my question is this. Without making too many assumptions about a history we simply don't have record of, what can we take and learn from those 17 years or so between this experience and Jesus' baptism in the Jordan? He clearly had some understanding of his identity early on, and in Jewish culture, boys are considered men at 13 without an adolescent period as we know it. The only thing I can come up with is that having faith in God's timing is important. There were prophecies about the start of the Messiah's ministry, and for those to take place, John would have had to start his ministry. But I don't know if that is all there is to it. Maybe I'm trying to read into it and have already stepped too far. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Cool Parallels between OT Sacrifice and Jesus

In the Old Testament there are a lot of rules about sacrificing, the different types of sacrificing and the rules for offering each. Hebrews 10 deals with Jesus as the final atonement sacrifice for our sins, and 1 Corinthians 5 calls Jesus our "Passover Lamb." Here are some interesting parallels that show how Jesus fits these descriptions.

• The passover lamb is to be "without defect" (Ex. 12:5). Jesus never sinned (Heb 4:15)
• Exodus 12:11 says they are to eat the Passover meal with their "cloak tucked into their belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand." These things symbolized being prepared to move, leave or travel. After Jesus' resurrection, he told us to go to the ends of the earth. We were challenged to go out, to spread the good news. More importantly, though, the next scene in exodus was the Israelites actually leaving captivity, being set free. Once we accept Christ as our Passover sacrifice, we need to be prepared to leave captivity and move to freedom from sin.
• Exodus 12:13 says "The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." This is where we get the understanding that Jesus' blood acts the same way as the blood of the passover lamb. We allow it to mark us and God's judgment will pass over us. 
• Exodus 12:46 says they are to partake of the passover sacrifice but "not break any of the bones." John 19:32-33 says that, although it was customary to break bones when taking men off the cross, none of Jesus' bones were broken.
• Jesus came to Jerusalem and was crucified at Passover (Luke 22:15).
• The once-a-year atonement sacrifice (Yom Kippur) made by the High Priest was the only time he was to enter the "most holy place" in the temple. The High Priest was to make two sacrifices. One of a bull for his own sins. "He is to take some of the bull's blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover (of the ark of the covenant)." (Lev. 16:14). This made him clean to come before the Lord. Then he was to sacrifice a goat for the sins of the people and, "take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull's blood" (Lev. 16:15). Hebrews 10:19 says that "we have confidence to enter the Most Holy place by the blood of Jesus."
• The last part of the Atonement sacrifice is that a second goat was brought to be the scapegoat. This goat would have all the sins of Israel laid on its head, and would carry them off into the desert. The sacrifice cleansed the people, the scapegoat removed the sin from the people. Jesus is our scapegoat! On the cross, he "took away" the world's sins (Rom 11:27, Heb. 9:28, 1Jn 3:5)

These are not prophecies fulfilled but rather ways in which God designed Jesus' sacrifice to represent rituals that first-century Jews would understand. Those that "got it" would become the first early Christians, understanding that the sacrifice made in Jesus' crucifixion stood as the final blood sacrifice for the atonement of our sins and our deliverence from God's judgment.