Temper, Temper

John found a credible way to explain Jesus' hot temper.  

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. - John 2:13-22

John quotes Scripture to explain Jesus' actions.  

His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 

But did his disciples see that at the time, or was this rampage something that scared them?

John gives us a hint to the answer when he says that it wasn't until after Jesus was raised that they understood about the temple's destruction and resurrection in three days.

So, maybe they were a bit scared of Jesus.

We don't think of Jesus as scary, do we?  Maybe it is because we know the whole story and have come to see him as compassionate and loving, not frightening.

In a way, we have John to thank for that.  

John shows Jesus to be divine and yet witty.  He always has the right answer for those who doubt or hate him.

And Jesus is compassionate, wanting to cure the sick, even though he often says this is not his main purpose.

So, the question I have is how do you see Jesus?

Do you see him as a human, capable of human emotions, or do you see him as divine?

I like to think Jesus was a bit of both, since he chose to live as one of us.  If he wasn't capable of human emotions, would we believe we could be like him?

Probably not.

So, an outburst of temper every now and then is a good sign.  It shows us through him, that we are capable of going too far, and then coming back to center.

I used AI to generate the image here of the moneychangers and the animals in the Temple before Jesus arrives.

What would your image look like?

More to come...