Jesus in the Market

“And he taught, and said unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? but ye have made it a den of robbers.”
‭‭S. Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭17‬ ‭RV1895‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/1922/mrk.11.17.RV1895

Happy Holy Monday! Today we remember Christ’s first show of authority as King. Unlike profits who would phrase “The LORD says…”. Jesus is very clear, “My house…”, showing ownership.

But there is so much more. This is the one display of Christ using force to accomplish His mission. But why? When i was young, this always bothered me. Other places in the Bible, peace and turning the other cheek is stressed.

Art leads to some misconception of the situation. If you have a picture Bible or see if in a movie, everything is orderly in the market. However, after living in Asia for decades, i can tell you markets are chaos, especially during festivals. There is little if any organization of any as people compete for customers and prices. It’s noisy and you can barely move.

So reasoning wouldn’t be very effect. This would also get everyone’s attention and point out the corruption of the time. The court yard where the market was originally designated for nonjews to worship God, not to make a profit.

Anyway, have a happy Holy Monday.