John is John. It is purposefully different.
We need to remember that Jesus was a Jew. He was deeply Jewish. He loved and practiced his faith. He was shaped by the Torah, the Pentateuch and was intensely committed to its teaching in the Synagogues. He loved the Temple. It was the heart of all things Jewish in his day and time.
For the record: Jesus WAS NOT the first Jew to cry out against abuses in the Temple system.
The prophet Micah asked the question – centuries earlier – “Will God be pleased with thousands of rams, with 10,000 rivers of oil?”
And then he famously wrote: “ God has told you, O mortal, what is good: and what does the Lord require of you – but to DO justice, and to LOVE kindness and to walk HUMBLY with your God?”
Amos, another one of the minor prophets asked a similar question: Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I WILL NOT accept them, says God, but let JUSTICE roll down like waters, and RIGHTEOUSNESS-like an ever-flowing-stream.”
Years later, God told the young-wet-behind-the-ears-teenage-major-prophet-Jeremiah to stand at the very gate of the Temple. “Hear the words of the Lord” – he was told to cry out. DO NOT TRUST THESE DECEPTIVE WORDS: “This is the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord.” But act JUSTLY. DO NOT oppress the alien, the orphan and the widow.” DO NOT go after other gods. Then, I will DWELL with you in this place.”
So, Jesus stood in the midst of some pretty good company – all of whom – questioned the Temple sacrificial system…and it’s other practices, as well.
The system itself set up sharp social boundaries between individuals.
According to the Temple system, some were pure, some were righteous, some were whole, some were rich, some were male and Jewish.
But it continued to acknowledge others, some were impure, some were notorious sinners, some were not whole, some were female, some were poor and some were Gentile. You should have nothing to do with the latter. And should strive to be the former…
Jesus saw a major problem with this exclusive world view. Jesus himself was far more inclusive.
Then there was the whole sacrificial system. Animals were required for sacrifice. There were economic implications here. Poorer people could not afford to buy or purchase the best animals.
Moneychangers were an integral part of this whole system. Idolatrous coinage was not allowed in the Temple. Roman coins, with the Emperor’s image on them were not permissible in the Temple. They were considered unclean.
So the moneychanger’s were not simply making change for a ten or a twenty-spot, they were giving “PURE” tokens in exchange for IMPURE money.
And besides this, shameless traders were making up to 50% more as the exchange rate…for providing just such a service. Again, the poor were affected.
These moneychangers operated by a kind of franchise agreement with the Temple. The owners or bankers were the wealthy families of Jerusalem, (though the money-changing tables themselves) were probably manned by family flunkies or low-level employees.
Besides this EVERY JEW was expected to pay “a tax” to the Temple each year. The amount was set at half a shekel of silver a year. A laborer could earn that amount in two days. But it was MANDITORY for everyone, no matter what their state in life was!
So, here was Jesus at the High Holy Days in Jerusalem and at the Temple.
No one knows – why Jesus did what he did. It is all speculation. It was said, after the fact, it was because of his zeal for the House of God. That could be true.
Did he object to any and all commercial activity in the Temple?
Was he opposed to the fraud, the exploitation and all the avarice of the religious authorities?
Did it have anything to do with the treatment of the poor?
Perhaps it was a stark warning against any and every “false sense of security” or “misplaced allegiances,” or “religious presumption,” or “pathetic excuses,” or “smug self-satisfaction,” or “spiritual complacency,” “nationalistic zeal” or “political idolatry” or “just plain economic greed.” But we do know this…Jesus was mad…and you do not want to get Jesus mad.