This is really funny and I love some proper Jesus humor.
On a more studious note, the man also wielded raw creative potential in his hands so he likely could summon a whip at will. This doesn't mean He acted without consideration, but it's important to remember that Jesus was likely not bound by the same human limitations we set on ourselves (you read that right).
This is still important in context because (I'm no expert, please chime in!) I don't recall Jesus wielding, much less creating, another weapon/tool of any kind. At least not one that was used in this way, which speaks VOLUMES for how perversely He thought the mercantile system was and flew in the face of our human nature/intention. In this case, mercantilism was allowed to creep into the temple itself, which is as strong a metaphor as I can think of for condemning the transactional nature of organized religion, and possibly a condemnation of the very nature of transactional living/value itself.
IMO, charity in creation is our natural way, but when we can't summon intrinsic value from within for whatever reason (blindness to the true Self/Soul), I believe we are compelled to create it from without; hence money (and who doesn't know the old idiom, "Money is the root of all evil." Jesus saw this as an infestation and perversion within the Temple walls, and set to work.
Why did He not eradicate monetary trading as a whole? I think He did within His circle; freely giving and encouraging His followers to do the same. Alas, the roots of mercantilism and currency had grown too deep and wide at that time to be uprooted even by the Son of God, though this was also not His mission.
That is only a small part of our human puzzle anyway, IMO; Jesus' message regarding eternal life for the individual and sovereign soul was far more important and far more potent, withstanding the test of time that few other ideas have.
This is really funny and I love some proper Jesus humor.
On a more studious note, the man also wielded raw creative potential in his hands so he likely could summon a whip at will. This doesn't mean He acted without consideration, but it's important to remember that Jesus was likely not bound by the same human limitations we set on ourselves (you read that right).
This is still important in context because (I'm no expert, please chime in!) I don't recall Jesus wielding, much less creating, another weapon/tool of any kind. At least not one that was used in this way, which speaks VOLUMES for how perversely He thought the mercantile system was and flew in the face of our human nature/intention. In this case, mercantilism was allowed to creep into the temple itself, which is as strong a metaphor as I can think of for condemning the transactional nature of organized religion, and possibly a condemnation of the very nature of transactional living/value itself.
IMO, charity in creation is our natural way, but when we can't summon intrinsic value from within for whatever reason (blindness to the true Self/Soul), I believe we are compelled to create it from without; hence money (and who doesn't know the old idiom, "Money is the root of all evil." Jesus saw this as an infestation and perversion within the Temple walls, and set to work.
Why did He not eradicate monetary trading as a whole? I think He did within His circle; freely giving and encouraging His followers to do the same. Alas, the roots of mercantilism and currency had grown too deep and wide at that time to be uprooted even by the Son of God, though this was also not His mission.
That is only a small part of our human puzzle anyway, IMO; Jesus' message regarding eternal life for the individual and sovereign soul was far more important and far more potent, withstanding the test of time that few other ideas have.
In Light & Love