2026 Lenten Season - Day 36 - Holy Anger Then and Now

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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Scripture records the anger of Jesus in the temple to point to who he is and to clarify our values.

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
Matthew 21:12-13

How quickly the emotion of the drama of Jesus’s last journey changes! After the adoring crowds, the story takes a radical turn. This is another one of those messianic vignettes that we think we understand, but need to examine more closely. We see here the holy anger of Jesus more than at almost any other moment in his life. Do you know why he was so angry? Is it only about commerce in the temple?  Why does he call the sellers thieves? What is the zeal that consumed him in this moment? Why did he overturn those tables? What can we learn from our Savior’s holy anger? How can his zeal become our hope? These are the questions begging to be answered as we consider this moment in Jesus’s journey to the cross.

Jesus enters Jerusalem and takes no time to bask in the glory of the adoring crowds along the way. He knows he is on a mission of saving grace, and he knows how far that grace will extend. He knows that what is happening in the temple is not only a violation of his Father’s house, of promises made to  Abraham, but also of what he came to earth to accomplish. Without care for what people will think of him, he is driven by righteous values and holy anger to act on behalf of those unable to act for themselves.

Consider this meditation.

The temple highlighted your holy zeal;
what was there exposed your loving heart.
More than an institution,
more than a historic place,
more than a religious edifice,
more than a place of public worship—
it was your Father’s house.
Anger filled your heart—
holy, righteous, grace-infused wrath.
The place for the Gentiles now a house of commerce.
Sales tables replaced praying places.
Animal sounds replaced sounds of supplication.
This hallowed place, now a den of robbers.
Market thieves had stolen the Gentiles’ only place.
Sellers violated your covenant plan.
Merchants robbed your place of its glory.
This place of divine love, now a place of human greed.
No love for you.
No sympathy for the displaced.
No submission to your will.
No care for your saving plan.
Out of love for your Father, compassion for those excluded,
commitment to promises made to Abraham,
you overturned the plan of those who stained the Father’s house,
declaring the zeal of your heart, your holy mission, your eternal position.
This zeal, then and now, my hope.
Your anger, then and now, my security.
Your promises, then and now, my rest.
Your grace, then and now, my life.
For I know you will remain zealous, act in holy anger, and overturn the final table,
and I will dwell safe in your Father’s house forever.

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. What was Jesus angry about? What were the moneychangers doing wrong?

2. What fills your heart with righteous anger? Where do you see modern-day moneychangers, and what are you called to do about it?

3. It’s easy to put ourselves on Jesus’s side here, but how might you be guilty of some of the same sins as the moneychangers?

Read Mark 11:15–19 and Luke 19:45– 48.

Jesus Clears the Temple

Mark 11:15-19  New Living Translation

15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. 

17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”
18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.
19 That evening Jesus and the disciples left the city.

Luke 19:45-48  New Living Translation
45 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”
47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48 But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.

From Now Until Easter - The Temple

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by The Park Forum.
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So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
Mark 11:15-17 NKJV

Every year at Passover thousands of Jews came from all over Israel and Judea to offer sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem. Since many traveled long distances, they often purchased their animal sacrifices in Jerusalem rather than hauling them from home and risking an injury or a blemish that would make them an unworthy sacrifice. It was a convenience for Jewish worshippers to purchase their sacrifices once they arrived. However, the market for these transactions had been set up in the Court of the Gentiles, where non-Jewish seekers of God came to worship. Thus, at Passover, the temple courtyard was filled with livestock, sellers of livestock and money-changers, who exchanged regional currencies for Jewish money.

When Jesus saw this, he was angry — so angry that he overturned tables and placed an embargo on merchandise. But why? Were the merchants just trying to help the travelers worship God? Perhaps. But they were doing it at the expense of those from “all nations” who were seeking God, counting their worship as insignificant...

Yet something else is going on. In a similar account of His cleansing the temple, Jesus was asked for a sign of His authority. He replied, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). But he wasn’t speaking about the building; “he was speaking about the temple of his body” (John 2:21).

In other words, when He died, the temple and its entire system — the priesthood, the sacrifices, the glory — died with Him because He Himself was the Passover Lamb, high priest and Shekinah glory...

When the temple curtain split at the death of Christ (Mark 15:38), the barrier between God and humanity came down for everyone... Today there is no need to travel to the temple in Jerusalem to worship. Nor is there any distinction between Jewish and Gentile worshippers. Worship is no longer attached to a place, but to a Person. Jesus is the temple. He is where we meet God.

Prayer:

Lord,
         We worship Jesus as the final sacrifice, priest, glory and temple. Therefore, let us join ourselves to Him so that we may love His name and be His servants (Isaiah 56:6). In Christ, may all nations — those near and far — come to You in prayer (Isaiah 56:8). In Christ’s Name, Amen.

Building the House

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it...
Psalm 127:1 NKJV

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
Ephesians 2:20-21 NLT

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.
1st Peter 2:5a NLT

You've heard it all your Christian life. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. John 15:4 NKJV, Jesus said, Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. When we ask Jesus into our hearts, He moves in.

So... what kind of house do we offer? A palace fit for a king? Or a shack? Deuteronomy 28 is very clear in telling us that the blessings of God come when we follow His plan... and it's also very clear what happens when we don't.

When the Israelites were instructed to build the Temple, God gave very explicit instructions - minute details - and He expected every detail of His instructions to be followed implicitly. He is explicit in telling us how to build the temple. He shows up after they do what He told them to do. God NEVER lives in a house He did not build. He is not obligated to come to church just because we build a building. Think about that for a minute.

So... do you need a remodel? A makeover? An extreme makeover? Whose blueprints will we use to build His dwelling place? His or ...?

Prayer:

Father,
          How lovely is your dwelling place, LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for Your courts, Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near Your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You. Build our house, O God. Make us a place where You want to live. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* A Makeover

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it...

Psalm 127:1 NKJV 

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.

Ephesians 2:20-21 NLT 

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.

1st Peter 2:5a NLT

You've heard it all your Christian life. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. John 15:4, Jesus said, Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. When we ask Jesus into our hearts, He moves in. 

So... what kind of house do we offer? A palace fit for a king? Or a shack? Deuteronomy 28 is very clear in telling us that the blessings of God come when we follow His plan... and it's also very clear what happens when we don't. 

When the Israelites were instructed to build the Temple, God gave very explicit instructions - minute details - and He expected every detail of His instructions to be followed implicitly. He is explicit in telling us how to build the temple. He shows up after they do what He told them to do. God NEVER lives in a house He did not build. He is not obligated to come to church just because we build a building. Think about that for a minute. 

So... do you need a makeover? An extreme makeover? Whose blueprints will we use to build His dwelling place? His or ...? 

Prayer:

Father, 
            How lovely is your dwelling place, LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for Your courts, Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near Your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You. Build our house, O God. Make us a place where You want to live. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Duh Moment +

You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands.

Psalm 119:73 NLT

About three years ago, I went through a book titled Jonah, Navigating a Life Interrupted, written by Priscilla Shirer. It was very eye-opening for me. I'm going to share an excerpt with you.

Now what?  The question hangs in the air after a mistake or problem. It swims through your mind when circumstances go haywire or when you fall into horrid consequences after rebellion.  We must ask while we navigate this interrupted life - What should we do?

The storm raged around the sailors, threatening to break up the ship. 

These men needed answers. Since Jonah clearly told them he was running from God, they were sure that this storm was no simple act of nature. It had theological implications and was a deliberate act of Jonah's God.  They wanted desperately to know, as we often do, how to navigate a life in turmoil.

We easily beome paralyzed by fear or guilt when our lives seem to whirl out of control. A glimpse at our lives with all of their spinning parts can make us dizzy with disgust at the mess we may have made.  It's easier to just sit, soak, and be sour. That's what the enemy would like.  He'd prefer we get lazy, complacent, and apathetic with distance between ourselves and God's best. But if, like the sailors, we see the connection between our chaotic cirucmstances and our own decision, we must ask, ""Now what?"

She asks a great question; it's then I have duh moment... Do I have the answer? Oftentimes, we hear God.  We acknowlege our own wrong-doing and He tells us which direction to take. He makes our way clear...will we take it even when we see there are some bumps and naturally occuring roadblocks? It's then we pray...

Father,

        You made us; You created us. Now, give us the sense to follow your commands. Give us hearts to hear Your voice. In Jesus' Name we pray.Amen