Flippin Tables Series

ESSENTIAL KING JESUS: FLIPPIN TABLES

MARK 11:15-19

#kingjesus

USE AUDIO BIBLE: Mark Chapter 11:1-33 [4:05]

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Mark.11

INTRODUCTION… from ‘33’ by Troy Borst [amazon.com/33-Troy-M-Borst/dp/B08VBH5P29]

They came to Jerusalem and entered the east side of the city through the Sheep Gate. It seemed that Jesus knew exactly where He was going. As He went, His hand touched sheep that were penned along the walkway. Bleating. Cattle sounds. Bird calls.

The group of thirteen entered the portico.

“Exchange your coins here for a sacrifice!” was what they all heard.

“This is my least favorite part of the temple,” Thomas said to Andrew. “It always makes me feel cheated. You know those money changers are cheating travelers.”

“Exchange your foreign coin for local coin… fair rates!”

Andrew nodded, “It happens to everyone. All the time.”

The sights and sounds were busy. Men had booths set up along the walls of the portico and were selling pigeons, doves, sparrows, and small sheep. There were other men, as Thomas had rightly seen, who were moneychangers who took the foreign currency of travelers and gave them local coinage.

“Buy two doves and get a pigeon free!”

Peter and James were looking at a few of the sheep along one wall when a commotion drew their attention.

It was Jesus.

Jesus had just flipped over one of the tables of the money-changers. Coins of all types spilled out onto the floor and then men were on their hands and knees trying to collect them. They yelled angrily at the Rabbi. The mood of the portico was shifting from casual excitement to upset and chaotic.

Jesus flipped another table further down the wall.

John said to Nathanael, “Remember when He did this several years ago? He warned them not to buy and sell and cheat others in the Temple.”

One of the money changers, on the ground scrabbling for his coin asked loudly, “Why do You do this?” Spittle flew from his mouth in anger. His face was beet red with frustration. His fingers tried to grip coins before others picked them up. He picked up a few coins and then dropped others.

“Trust me friend,” Matthew sort of answered him as he bent down to hand him a coin that was rolling away, “You want to follow what the Teacher says. It has gone well for me.”

Jesus rang out, His voice carried over all the other sounds in the chaos of this part of the temple: “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

A few people further in the temple mount clapped when they heard His words and saw His actions. Jesus walked along the wall and kicked over the chairs of those who sold lame birds and half-dead sheep. He knocked over some of the cages.

The younger James and Jude made a cringing face as cage parts went everywhere. Philip picked up one of the lame pigeons and pet it on the head and made little kissy faces at the bird. Simon the Zealot smiled as he saw Jesus clearing the Temple of corruption.

Feathers flew. Several birds were strutting all over the ground. Money changers were crawling on their hands and knees even as others were quickly clearing off their tables since they were in the path of the righteously angry Rabbi.

Jesus flipped another table.

Bleating. Cattle sounds. Bird calls. Yelling. Chaos.

Peter motioned for all the disciples to follow Jesus since He was clearly done in this part of the Temple. Not one table remained of the money changers.

“Now see here… You… come back and help us clean this!”

Jesus left that part of the Temple and went south to the Gentile’s court. He asked that the disciples gather around. He motioned for them to sit and recline and listen to Him. They did so. Others, drawn by His actions, joined the growing crowd to listen to the Rabbi.

TRANSITION

That was a fictional account of the passage we are reading today. The passage we are focusing on in Mark 11 shares with us a side of Jesus that we know exists, but we don’t always understand. It is the side that curses a fig tree and it withers (Mark 11). When we think of Jesus, the image of tossing tables and booting out cheating moneychangers is not the first image that comes to our mind… and yet He did it.

ESSENTIAL KING JESUS

We are making our way through the Gospel of Mark that I’ve themed ‘Essential King Jesus.’ Each week we are taking a look at one passage in a chapter. Each week I want to share with one essential truth that is important for us to believe and then also communicate to others about Jesus. We are focusing on the Essential King Jesus. The Essential King Jesus in Mark 11 is: Jesus overturns sin to holiness.