The Man From The Desert

I was a stranger in Jerusalem. I had come to the Holy City to Behold the great temple, and to sacrifice upon the altar, for my wife had given twin sons to my tribe.

And after I had made my offering, I stood in the portico of the temple looking down upon the money-changers and those who sold doves for sacrifice and listening to the great noise in the court.

And as I stood there came of a sudden a man into the midst of the money changers and those who sold doves.

He was a man of majesty, and he came swiftly.

In his hand, He held a rope of goat's hide, and He began to overturn the tables of the money changers and to beat the peddlers of birds with the rope.

And I heard Him saying with a loud voice, "Render these birds unto the sky which is their nest."

Men and women fled from before His face, and He moved amongst them as the whirling wind moves on the sandhills.

All this came to pass in a moment, and then the court of the temple was emptied of the money changers. Only the man stood there alone, and His followers stood at a distance.

Then I  turned my face and I saw another man in the portico of the temple. And I walked towards him and said,"Sir, who is this man who stands alone, even like another temple?"

And he answered me,"This is Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet who has appeared of late in Galilee. Here in Jerusalem, all men hate Him.

And I said,"My heart was strong enough to be with His whip and yielding enough to be at His feet."

And Jesus turned towards His followers who were awaiting Him. But before He reached them, three of the temple doves flew back, and one alighted upon His left shoulder and the other two at /His feet. And He touched each one tenderly.

Then He walked on, and there were leagues in every step of His steps.

Now tell me, what power had He to attack and disperse hundreds of men and women without opposition?

I was told that they all hate Him, yet no one stood before Him on that day.

Had He plucked out the fangs of hate on His way to the Temple?

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All four gospels describe what is commonly called “the cleansing of the temple.”

 By some accounts, Jesus kicked the money changers out of the Temple as soon as he arrived in Jerusalem. When he saw them taking advantage of people’s faith in God, he exploded. It was the only time that Jesus used physical violence in the Bible.

 Jesus poured out the coins of the money changers and turned over their tables. Then he made a whip of cords and used it to chase them out, along with the sacrificial animals that they were selling. Nothing made Jesus angrier than religious hypocrisy.

 He yelled, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.” It was one of many occasions when he blasted religious leaders for exploiting the poor. He talked more about money than anything else except God.

Jesus, thank you for your anger. Give me the courage to act up against injustice.