Pastor Zach (3:49)

What makes God angry? And what would it take for the Prince of peace, Jesus to act out in rage? Micah 6:8 says this he has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. God has told us what he's required. He wants justice and mercy to be balanced with humility. What happens when an entire religious system forgets justice, ignores mercy, and puffs themselves up with pride? Welcome to the Jesus Podcast, stories about triumph, love and the passion of Jesus. I'm Pastor Zach with Pray.com and I want to invite you to follow this podcast. We're going to be going through hundreds of gospel stories all throughout the year, told in a way to awaken your imagination and challenge your faith. It's Holy Week, the time between the triumphal entry and the resurrection from the grave. Jesus last few days before his crucifixion were filled with tense moments that inspire both reflection and praise. Today we focus on the intensity of Jesus. We just listened to him curse a fig tree and now we're going to hear him proclaim woes over the city of Jerusalem and storm the temple courtyards, picking a fight. While you listen to this story, I want you to look closely for parallels between the fig tree and the religious leaders Jesus is about to challenge. There are many parallels between them. Jesus despises vapid and empty religion. Jesus knows the end is near and he's turning up the temperature here. He's not running away from conflict and he's not running away from the trials that await him. Each act is deliberate and purposeful. His feet are pointed like arrows towards the destination, the place called Calvary, the place of the skull, Golgotha, the cross. Jesus isn't going to do anything by accident. Everything right now is purposeful. Do you think Jesus is tame? Do you think Jesus is a passive spectator of corruption? Think again.

Narrator (5:50)

Jesus shoulders relaxed as he released his grip on the tree. He turned back and saw the city of Jerusalem shining brilliantly in the light. Its glory was vibrant, beautiful like the tree's leaves. His jaw clenched and his bottom lip began to quiver. Jesus looked at Jerusalem with disappointment in his eyes. The disciples drew back and gave him space. There was tension in the atmosphere like a shifting wind before a storm. The dam in Jesus soul broke and a flood of rushing emotions poured out of him. A mixture of anger, sorrow and love poured out of him as he bellowed. His cries echoed down the hills. He fell to his knees and wept with a ferocity like a mother bear roaring over her lost cub.

Jesus (6:51)

Oh, my children, how I wish today you would understand the path to peace.

Narrator (6:56)

He gripped his chest as if pleading with the city and his own soul.

Jesus (7:01)

But it's too late. It's too late. Peace is hidden from your eyes.

Narrator (7:07)

There was a momentary pause, a break in the tears as he closed his eyes. The wind continued its descent toward the city, carrying his heartfelt message with it.

Jesus (7:18)

It won't be long now before your enemies build ramparts against your walls and surround you from every side. They will crush you, Jerusalem. They will bury you into the ground, you and your children with you. Your enemies won't leave a single stone in place, and all of it could have been saved if you had just seen God in your midst.

Narrator (7:41)

His followers remained at a healthy distance, allowing space for his prophetic weavings. They had assumed their journey with their master would ultimately end with a provisional rise to power. However, at this moment, on the hill overlooking the Holy City, they sensed something else was in store for them. The passion of the prophet King was awakened and Jerusalem was about to be shaken. Jesus disciples stayed a few paces behind him, trying to discern what would happen next. Their teacher's demeanor had shifted since his triumphal entry. He wasn't anxious or hurried, but there was an urgency in his stride they hadn't seen before. Jesus entered the city with intention. Every step was aimed at the temple like an arrow. They arrived at the temple courtyard, a space set aside for gentiles and foreigners to worship God. The intentions for the outer yard were explicit in God's word. The outer squares were designed to be a refuge for the alien and onlooker to experience the love of God. However, what the group stepped into was something else entirely. Money changers and merchants occupied the courtyard, peddling animals for sacrifice and exchanging foreign currency at an unfair rate. The outer courtyard had ceased being a place for outcasts to worship God and had become a place to milk the foreigners for all they were worth. The poor were now unable to make sacrifices at the temple. The middle class was forced to exchange their modest sacrifice for a more expensive and temple approved sacrifice. Tables arrayed the courtyard, holding weights and scales to balance silver and gold. Yet for all the scales there was no fairness. For all the guards there was no justice. Jesus peered up at the temple's leaders and snarled. He could smell their greed from a mile away. They had been fattening themselves off the exploitation of non Jewish worshipers. He looked upon the sea of innocent Faces desperate to access God. He saw poor families walking away because they could not afford the temple's approved animals. They wanted to be near to God. They wanted God to redeem them. God was near and he would redeem. The words of Isaiah reverberated in his mind. Give wisdom. Grant them justice. Make your shadow like night at the height of noon. Shelter the outcasts. A large stone table was in the center of the courtyard. Scales with gold and silver weights were placed on them to measure against the foreigner's coin. God's passionate prophet took a decisive step forward. He was about to balance the scales. He placed his work worn hands underneath the large stone table, gripped its edges tightly and swung his whole body upward, flipping it into the air. The stone cracked as it hit the ground and coins scattered along the cobbled floor. The same power that sent fire down from heaven and split the earth in days of old coursed through. One by one. Jesus flipped every table in the courtyard that had been hewn as an altar of greed. He shattered the crates of the animals, sent sheep running from their owners and halted anyone from carrying anything into the temple. His strong legs marched up the steps to where the temple leaders remained in shock. He stood inches from them and stared into their very souls. Jesus saw past their ceremonial robes and religious medallions. Outwardly, they appeared to have life, but Jesus could see the void within them. Jesus turned to the crowd. The chaos he had caused paused momentarily, and all were silent as he spoke. He spoke with glorious authority. His voice boomed and reverberated across the courtyard as he said, it is written,

Jesus (12:26)

my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations. Look at what you made it to turn this refuge for prayer into a den of thieves.

Narrator (12:36)

Everyone in the courtyard heard him, but only his students truly listened. They watched his children rise and fall with every emboldened breath. He was more than a passionate prophet, like Elijah or John the Baptist. He was the voice that once boomed from Mount Sinai. None could fathom the depth of what was happening at the moment. The tables and temple currency represented the walls of separation between God and humanity. The connection between them had been lost. But his chosen hero stood before them on the steps to restore what had been lost. The broken tables and spilled coins represented the toppling of a religious system that kept people far from their Creator's heart. All would be restored soon, but not without a sacrifice. His battle was not ultimately against the priests or the money changers, but against the sin that ensnared their souls.

Pastor Zach (13:51)

What makes us angry often reveals what we cherish most. If someone ever disrespects my wife, I'm stirred to anger. If my kids are threatened in any way, I begin to boil with fury. The same can be said for not so righteous things in my life. I enjoy food probably more than I should, so I get irritated when somebody interrupts me during a meal. What angers us most reveals what we love most, or at least reveals a crucial part of our character. So what angered Jesus the most? What stirred him to action? This episode showed us a few scenes of Jesus being moved to outrage. First, we saw him lash out at a fig tree that wasn't bearing fruit. Does that reveal Jesus deep and passionate hatred for figs? Of course not. In our next episode, we're going to get into more detail about the fig tree. But here's a teaser. The fig tree is a metaphor. It's a metaphor for the priests, the Pharisees and the religious system. The tree showed vibrant leaves as if it was the season for figs. But upon further inspection, no fruit was found in the tree. Jesus hates spiritual false advertising. Next, Jesus turns his face to the city and laments. He talks about how they've missed it. They've missed this incredible work of the Messiah that they'd been pining after for so long. Peace with God was right in front of them, but they were blind to it all. Jesus is angry with their willing ignorance. He revealed himself to the Pharisees. He revealed himself to the religious leaders. They saw all the signs, they heard his preaching and they beheld the glorious work of Jesus. But still, because of their pride, they ignored him. You see, Pride blinds us. When he looked back at the city draped in splendor, he couldn't help but weep. For all its beauty, it was dead inside, just like the fig tree. Why was it dead? Because they had strayed from the heart of God and were unprepared for the struggles ahead. Jesus was emotional at the thought of his people suffering as a parent mourns over a child who has strayed. God is passionate about you, and he mourns when you've strayed or when pride has blinded you. But Jesus anger didn't stop there. In this episode, what else stirs Jesus to indignation? Well, when God's people are being kept from intimacy with him. Remember how I said that? What angers us most reveals what we love most. If we look at the story of God in the Bible, it becomes very clear as to what God loves most. He loves to dwell with his people and bless them. God loves to Dwell with His people and bless them. We first see this in the Garden of eden. In Genesis 1:27, it says this. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female. He created them. Then God blessed them. After the Garden of Eden, God chose a family to dwell with. He chose Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In Genesis 17, he makes a promise to Abraham and He says, I will establish my covenant between me and you and, and all of your descendants and all the generations after them. I'm going to make an everlasting covenant to be God to you and your descendants after you. In Genesis 22, it says, in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. So God has this divine plan to bring all of the nations into intimacy and unity with Him. It starts with him establishing a nation through Abraham's descendants, a people group, a nation whose history would be centered around a holy God pursuing them at all costs. A God that would send plagues, part seas and shatter the earth and demolish walls to get them and bless them. As a symbol of this unity, he established the Ark of the covenant and the Tabernacle. God wanted to dwell with his traveling people. Then, once the nation of Israel was established, God dwelled in the Temple, a place where people could travel thousands of miles to visit and commune with God. Here they would pray and make sacrifices and, and seek intimacy with God. Sacrifices would be made and offered up to God. And these sacrifices, the innocent blood of animals shed, were a picture of the consequence of sin on humanity. And ultimately they were pointing towards a greater sacrifice that Jesus would make just a week after this. This temple is where the people's sins would be brought before God and to implore of God to forgive them, bless them and embolden them. It was a place of worship and repentance. And this was not just a practice for the people of Israel. You know that, right? People from all nations would flock to the temple. Not just Jews, but Gentiles too. In fact, there was an entire outer section of the Temple dedicated for Gentiles to come and commune with God. This is so crazy, because that was God's desire all along. Remember the promise he made to Abraham? He wanted all the nations to be blessed. In Genesis 22, he made a promise that through the seed of Abraham, every single nation would be blessed. So that's why there was a special section of the Temple dedicated to Gentiles. But it was also dedicated to the outcasts, the poor. Those who really desperately needed God can come and commune with Him. And guess what section the priests and the temple leaders used to start making money. That's right. The place where the Gentiles and the outcasts were supposed to be able to come and commune with God was the same place people were using to make a profit. So not only were all the Gentiles now not able to come and worship God, but the poor were unable to worship God too. Because the temple currency had a super crazy exchange rate. These people were inhibiting the outcasts and the poor from worshiping God. And that's what stirred Jesus to anger. The temple was where God decided to make himself present. But greed was keeping the poor and needy from accessing Him. The priests and the Pharisees were making the poor and dispossessed buy their atonement. But only the blood of Christ can do that. So Jesus got mad. He flipped the tables over. Because the heart of God is to be with his children. And he'll do anything it takes to be with them. When we get angry, it's always because we are supposed to protect something. So when it comes to God displaying anger, he is protecting something too. His glory, his purpose for humanity. That is what made Jesus angry. It was undermining his plan for the Gospel. Listen to these words from Isaiah 56 and let me know if they sound familiar. Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, the Lord has utterly separated me from his people. Nor let the eunuch say, here I am a dry tree. For thus says the Lord to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths and choose what pleases me, and hold fast my covenant even to them. I will give my house and within my walls a place and a name better than that of the sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love the name of the Lord to be his servants. Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath and holds fast my covenant. And even them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar. For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations. The words of Isaiah revealed the heart of God. He wanted his house to be a house of prayer. A house where the foreigner, the Gentile and the poor could come and connect with God. It has always been God's desire to bring all the nations to himself. And it has always been his desire to create avenues for people to speak with him, to worship him and to be with him and to walk with him. Before the veil was torn, this is where people would go. Before the crucifixion of Jesus and the resurrection, this was the place for worship. What we see Jesus doing here in this episode is violently driving out that which is separating people from experiencing intimacy and with God. It's a picture of what Jesus would eventually do on the cross. You see, the cross was the most violent upheaval of sin and separation this world has ever seen. And just as Jesus violently flipped the tables that were separating people from experiencing unity with God, he violently crucified the very sins keeping you from him. These Gentiles were hopeless to come before God and to ask forgiveness in the temple. So Jesus made a way. He flipped the tables. He does this with us. In Ephesians, chapter two, Paul tells us that those who are far from God, the Gentiles in the flesh, have now been brought in. We strangers to God, have now been called his children. The entire narrative of Scripture is that we have so many barriers keeping us from a life of peace with God, and that God will stop at nothing until all of those barriers are flipped over and done away with. Romans 8:38 says this. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of Christ Jesus. Our Lord Jesus removed all the barriers between us and God on the cross. He flipped our tables, if you want to use that metaphor. The temple was a place for reconciling, atoning and the healing work of God. After Jesus flipped the tables, people flocked to him and he ministered to them. It says in Hebrews 4:16. Let us then with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. I think having confidence that God wants to hear from us and speak to us changes our perspective on prayer, doesn't it? He bends his ear to hear us. He makes avenues for us to pray to him. The grand table flipping work Christ did on the cross and rising again from the grave allows for prayer to have a full and unhindered effect in our lives. We have access to God. Jesus said, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. Jeremiah says, you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart through Jesus, prayer is possible. There is no actual impact we are going to make as believers without stepping into unity with God in prayer. And Jesus made that all available. May we be people known for prayer because God has given us access to him through prayer. It is the source of our power and our intimacy with Him. Join us for our next episode as we continue along this journey to the cross and out from the grave. For more inspiration to last a lifetime, download the pray.com app. See you next time.

Podcast Announcer (24:36)

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.