To some, it was a place of worship. To others, it was a place of business to make a living by any means necessary. But to the Son, it was His Father’s House–sacred ground and a place of prayer for the salvation, healing and deliverance of the nations. So, out came the whip against the money changers, the thieves and abusers, making the Pharisee's fume with rage and risking His very life. But with the honour of His Father at stake and the deliverance of nations hanging in the balance, He laughed at death because it was all worth it. To the cross He would go if He must. Oh, what a passion!

In human experience, God’s fire translates into passion—the type of passion we saw in Jesus. Perhaps He wasn’t only passionate in His words. When Jesus was going to Jerusalem for the last time, we read that He was walking ahead of His disciples. They saw how He urged Himself onward (Mark 10:32). Why? Somehow, the fire in His soul was evident in the way He walked.

When they arrived, Jesus saw the desecration of the temple. The disciples then had further evidence of His passionate feelings. His reaction turned Him into an awesome figure. The disciples were reminded of the words of Psalm 69:9: “For zeal for Your house has consumed me...” But it was an anger born out of love, not a cold fury. Jesus was not a frenzied fanatic. He loved His Father’s house, that’s all. It was His desire to see people in the temple, worshipping with freedom and happiness. But commercialism in the temple had spoiled all that. His heart overflowed like a volcano. The fire of the Holy Spirit in His soul made Him cleanse the temple.

The children, the blind and the lame stayed though, and He healed them (Matthew 21:14-16). That was what He had wanted to do anyway, and that was the reason His anger achieved furnace- like heat. His indignation aimed for joy. He succeeded—the children ended up singing, “Hosanna!”

Bible References: 2:13-17, Mark 10:32