Through the years I’ve seen many screen depictions of Jesus. A few are Franco Zeffirelli’s "Jesus of Nazareth," Scorsese’s "The Last Temptation of Christ," Jim Caviezel’s portrayal in "The Passion of the Christ," and most recently, in "The Chosen." All have a different take on Jesus. There are a lot of gaps in our knowledge of Jesus that the Gospels leave unfilled.
One perspective of Jesus was that he was an “angry young man,” a firebrand prophet who was executed for challenging the status quo and those in power. I guess in a very narrow sense, that holds a grain of truth. But Jesus was not an angry, out-of-control street preacher.
When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, Matthew tells us that he went into the Temple, and began flipping tables and driving out the money changers and profiteers. Did Jesus just “lose it”? Was this an instance of “donkey rage,” assuming Jesus still had it close (sorry I couldn’t resist…)? What the Gospels tell us is that Jesus was motivated by his desire to honor his Father and how his Temple was to be a house of prayer.
We learn, however, that Matthew has abbreviated his account of this event. The Gospel of Mark tells us, on that Sunday following the triumphal entry, “Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve” (11:11). The next day, Jesus entered the temple courts and caused all the ruckus. Jesus was deliberate in his actions that day. He didn’t fly off the handle, but intentionally chose the kind of demonstration that would call attention to what was happening. I’m sure that evening Jesus had spent time in prayer and reflection on the Scriptures about what was going on, and led by the Spirit, took what was his next right step.
What would it look like for us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as we wrestle with injustices in our own day? Do you get angry? In your passion for what may be right, do you end up doing more harm than good? What might be a better way?
