This week we continue our series on Holy Week as we look at Chapter 2 of Amy-Jill Levine’s book Entering Christ’s Passion: Holy Week for Beginners, “Risking Righteous Anger”. The Scripture passage this week is from Mark 11:15-19, the story of the cleansing of the Temple.
This story is having a bit of a revival right now among Christians of my generation (and others!). Those of us who grew up in or around Christian traditions where the main goal of that type of Christianity was politeness or “being nice” might now look around the world and find multitudes of things to be angry about, and wonder what the Bible and the Church have to say about the place of righteous anger in our faith lives. We might respond, when we see an injustice, “Let’s go flip some tables.”
Levine’s take on this story was fascinating to me. (By the way, I am really enjoying this book. I highly suggest picking up a copy if you haven’t already!) She says that the interpretation I’ve always heard, that Jesus routed out vendors who were cheating the poor, isn’t necessarily correct… Levine’s interpretation hit me right in the gut. I’m looking forward to talking more about it on Sunday!
Mark 11:15-19
15 They came into Jerusalem. After entering the temple, he threw out those who were selling and buying there. He pushed over the tables used for currency exchange and the chairs of those who sold doves. 16 He didn’t allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 He taught them, “Hasn’t it been written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you’ve turned it into a hideout for crooks.” 18 The chief priests and legal experts heard this and tried to find a way to destroy him. They regarded him as dangerous because the whole crowd was enthralled at his teaching. 19 When it was evening, Jesus and his disciples went outside the city.
Consider these questions:
- What is the nature of Jesus’s anger at the traders in the Temple?
- What is the nature of the “hideout for crooks” (translated elsewhere as “den of robbers” or “den of thieves”)?
- What did Jesus risk by showing his anger?
- What do we risk when we show anger, particularly at those in our own communities?