Jesus cracking the whip on HaTorah observant Jews...

[Stranger]

I am studying the NT several times over to make sure I leave no stone unturned that I may regret later. I am reading the story of Jesus' "senseless harassment" of HaTorah observant Jews visiting the Temple on Yahweh's moedim. I am shocked to learn that at the end of that hazing the children and young people that were watching Jesus were praising him. I believe that Jesus rage at the money exchangers and live stock merchants and so on was uncalled for. Yahweh established a rule of Law for Israel and the Temple was under such authority. Even Paul duly recognized the Temple authorities. I would have thought that Jesus would be more respectful of the law established by Yahweh. I thought that he would have confronted the legal authorities at the Temple about his concern that the Temple looked like a market place and that the money exchangers were shortchanging their customers. Actually, "Jesus" was in the habit of purifying the Temple quite often. He did it twice in a 3 year period. Once on account of the looks, "you turn my Father's house into a market." The last time was because they were shortchanging the people, "you are making it a den of robbers." There is no record if the Temple was "purified" after that.

In all honesty, I'm puzzled at how easily Jesus got away with what he was doing. None of the businessmen affected registered any complaint! The children loved what they saw, too. It was a lesson on taking the law in one's own hands and acting in complete contempt of it. I'm trying to see all this in a real life setting. One cannot deny that "Jesus" was very unforgiving here. He gave no advance notice of his intentions to anyone. Jesus didn't show any respect for private property, either. Is this another sweet story of Jesus made up by the Christian writers of the NT? The following is a report of the 2 occasions that Jesus "purified" the Temple. Some Christians say that Jesus "purified" the Temple only once, but the NT documents report two cases. The circumstances and the reason for the "purification" are very different in each case.

FIRST PURIFICATION TRY…

John 2:13 (NIV) When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.
15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"
17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

SECOND PURIFICATION TRY…

Matthew 21:12-16 (NIV) Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.
13 "It is written," he said to them, "`My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a `den of robbers.'"
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.
16 "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "`From the lips of babes and sucklings you have ordained praise'?"

Mark 11:15 (NIV) On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves,
16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "`My house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it `a den of robbers.'"

The first time that Jesus "purified" the Temple was at the very beginning of his ministry and the second time was at the end of his ministry. Jesus went around cracking the whip on the back of the money exchangers and overturning tables and benches and stopping people from moving around the temple area at the crack of a whip. Apparently "Jesus" was in the habit of doing this. On the first occasion "Jesus" was bothered to see a "market place" atmosphere invading the temple. On the second occasion it was the money exchangers shortchanging their customers that made him mad.

The report implies that "Jesus" was unsuccessful in driving the money exchangers and animal sellers and the BUYERS away from the temple area on his first "purification" try and now at the second try he is accusing the merchants of robbery. Their business was perfectly legal, though. It was a supply and demand free market. Maybe the prices went up around the feast days, but that's about it. Shortchanging the customers is stealing and that is robbery. I don't really know what or how else they were robbing their customers, but for Jesus to chase away the BUYERS is clearly in contempt of HaTorah…

Deuteronomy 14:24-26 * But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by Yahweh your Elohim and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where Yahweh will choose to put his Name is so far away),
25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place Yahweh your Elohim will choose.
26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink [i.e. booze], or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of Yahweh your Elohim and rejoice.

Yahweh is telling his people to go to the Temple and buy all they want and Jesus is chasing the BUYERS away at the crack of a whip. All of Jesus' actions in these stories don’t square with a HaTorah compliant messiah. Was Jesus above the Law? Although, I strongly suspect that the Christians who wrote the "gospels" were not too literate in HaTorah. To me, the stories are very much anti-Jewish in context and very phony indeed. They look like they were put together to make the Jews look bad. I get sick to read that the children were shouting "hosanna" while watching Jesus crack the whip on the back of HaTorah observant Jews who came to the Temple according to Yahweh's mitzvoth. Why is it reported that Jesus chased the BUYERS away? Is it a glitch?

[Sandy]

The business was actually conducted in the forecourt, which was not part of the sacred precincts of the temple. The venders and money changers served a necessary function. The Ioudaios, unlike modern Christians, actually did believe in and obey the Second Commandment prohibiting graven images. Caesar's image was on the Roman money, and Ioudaios wishing to make sacrificial offerings to the temple had to exchange the Roman money for temple gold which had no graven image.

Ioudaios at that time still obeyed Elohim's commands concerning animal sacrifice. Many traveled great distances and it would not have been practical for them to bring these animals with them so they purchased them at the stalls in the temple forecourt. The temple priests and their Roman masters were getting their cut from the action, but for Iesous, who had often preached at the temple and was familiar with the practice of obtaining suitable sacrifices, to suddenly act in this manner is quite mysterious.

There is always the possibility that the venders were cheating the people. They may even have attempted to cheat Iesous, which could have provoked him to act as he did.

[Stranger]

Shalom Sandy,

I think that you are being too apologetic on this issue. You seem to have missed the key point that I wanted to make. What about the innocent BUYERS? Why should they be flogged along the sellers?

There is no record that the Romans got involved in the Temple business. Although they probably imposed a "cut" as you say. They had Jesus support on this, anyway. Jesus taught to pay the "cut" in order "not to offend them." He sent Peter to catch a fish and get the money inside the fish to pay the Temple taxes. He probably knew that a "cut" went to the Romans, if that were the case.

Matthew 17:24 (NIV) After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"
25 "Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their own sons or from others?"
26 "From others," Peter answered. "Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him.
27 "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

So the "cut" was not an issue with Jesus. I'm not sure if you read what I wrote about the innocent BUYERS people like you and I who were actually following Yahweh's commandment and wanted to buy anything they wanted to tithe before Yahweh in his Temple. BTW, real Scriptural tithing was a big meal a family would eat at the Temple after their animal was sacrificed. It was done to atone for ones sins and to restore fellowship with Yahweh. Anyone can dine with the Almighty only after sacrificing an animal to atone for one's sins. So the market place outside the Temple was a great convenience. I believe that the Christian writers of the NT didn’t like the whole Temple idea because they were banned from it and so they tried to discredit anything going on in there. In fact, one of Paul's crazy ideas may have been to get at least a Heathen (i.e. Gentile) inside the Temple area just to prove that the Gentiles were inside the Temple too, but it backfired him. Do you imagine how different Christianity would be if a Gentile ever got smuggled into the Temple? Apparently, Paul was involved in trying it. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually happened this way. Trophimus was one of Paul's bossom budies (2Tim4:20). Luke is making up too much in his script so much that he gets to contradict himself, too.

Acts 21:28 (NIV) shouting, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place."
29 (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple area.)
30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.
31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.

[Sandy]

Hi Stranger
You are right. It seems I have overlooked the fact that the buyers were included in his rampage.

[simchat_torah]

What many seem to forget is that by law these people could have been executed. Thus it would be said that Y'shua saved their lives.

[Stranger]

Simchat, are you saying that Jesus should have used stones instead of a whip? You came up with something very original. Can you show me where is it written that they should be executed? Who was going to execute them? Can you destroy other people's property without due course of justice? Are you sure the buyers and sellers didn't return the next day?