The prophetic and revolutionary attitude of Jesus
When he was twelve years old, Jesus was so impressed with the Temple that he remained behind. Then, at the beginning of his ministry (according to the Gospel of John), he entered the Temple as a prophet, ready to challenge and to denounce the religious authorities. Entering the Temple square, Jesus became very angry with what he saw, and he acted like a crazy man or may be as a fiery revolutionary, who is ready to use violence in order to change society. Moved by a zeal that devoured his soul (Jon 2:17), Jesus acted in a strange but prophetic way as others had done before him.
By expelling the money changers and those selling animals for the sacrifices, Jesus was disrupting the worship in the Temple and making it difficult for many people to offer sacrifices and gifts in the Temple. The vendors in the Temple square were rendering a service to the people, facilitating the life of many who were coming from afar. The business was taking place in the Temple square, not inside the Temple, where prayers and sacrifices were being offered. However, the business, being controlled by the families of the High Priests, was a source of resentment on the part of the common people, who saw the abuses and the exploitation taking place there, under the cover of religion. The worship was used for the profit of a few, and Jesus, repeating Jeremiah’s words, accused them of transforming the Temple into a hideout of thieves (Mk 11:17; Jer 7:11).
Jesus brings a new era
As Jeremiah had done before (Jer 7:14), Jesus prophesied the destruction of the Temple and then presented himself as the Temple. The old Temple, together with the sacrifices and the priestly class at its service, was doomed. Jesus was bringing about a new reality. He is God’s presence among people (Emmanuel); and he will be at the same time the priest and the sacrifice. With Jesus, a new era was dawning, one in which we must worship in spirit and truth (Jon 4:23).
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