Incident in the Temple

Freshly arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus heads straight for the Temple. He makes a massive statement at the heart of the city, at the heart of Israel’s whole way of life and self-understanding. This incident is recorded in all four gospels, but Luke’s version is remarkably short. We cannot say whether Jesus’ act here was aggressive, or center-stage, or the occasion of a whole long public denouncement. But it was certainly shocking: an unmistakable declaration of intent. Jesus contrasts Isaiah’s great vision of what the Temple should be (Isa. 56:7—“a house of prayer for all nations”) with Jeremiah’s despairing critique of what the Temple has become (Jer. 7:11—”a den of robbers”). And if the Temple—at the heart of everything—is not right, then everything is not right. Jesus’ claim to be challenging the current understanding of how to live for God is not missed by anyone. So it makes sense that, just one verse later, his opponents are trying to kill him. He’s started something that cannot end well, at least this side of the resurrection.