Was Jesus a Rioter, Vandal and Looter?

Ephesians 4:26-27; John 2:13-17

Unless you have been under a rock for the last 9 days, you are well aware of the tragic murder of Mr. George Floyd by a group of Minneapolis police officers on 25 May 2020. A number of amateur videos depicting Officer Derek Chauvin pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes while Floyd was handcuffed face down in the street surfaced on social media. Though Mr. Floyd pleads for relief and mercy, his desperate cries were roundly ignored…finally, he expires from asphyxiation. I cannot describe what I felt at the end of this series of videos…the horror…anger…unbelief…shock…sadness…questions…questions and more questions….Why?!

Naturally, the nation responded with similar emotions and at first a cry for justice for Mr. Floyd went out. Citizens took to the streets to protest and demand justice; this was happening in major cities all across the country. What started out rather peaceful soon became violent, destructive, and rage-driven as mobs began vandalizing, burning, looting, and rioting in the streets. People trying to save their businesses are abused and beaten in the streets while others are murdered by angry mobs. Police officers have been hurt and killed in attempts to bring the situations under control. Americans from New York City to Los Angeles are angry about police brutality and racism. The criminal activity unfolding on our city streets is beyond disgraceful and barbaric.

In the midst of all this someone suggested the Lord Jesus Christ was a rioter, vandal and looter in the Temple in Jerusalem. They surmise the anger of the Lord Jesus was justified, and him turning over the tables of the money changers is much like the destruction transpiring on America’s streets. According to this thinking, Jesus making a scourge to drive the money changers out of the Temple precincts justifies using force if necessary to make your point. So, here’s another brick!

But, is this the example the Lord Jesus left us? Was he a rebel, vandal, rioter, and looter? Is the devolution transpiring on the streets of this country something Jesus would do were he here today? Would the Lord Jesus condemn this behavior or would he be among those slinging bricks and stealing property? Could it be we have totally misunderstood the Lord Jesus Christ all this time?

Well, the Scriptures really are transparently clearly about anger and the Lord Jesus is the epitome of obedience to the Word, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: [27] Neither give place to the devil” (Ephes. 4:26-27). Anger is not always sinful, but it is a strong indication that we need to proceed with caution. Anger can lead to sin. Anger and wrath are also linked closely with the work of Satan in our lives. Accordingly, we should speak and act truthfully, but free of wrath. Our anger should be restrained, short-lived, and used for righteous ends. With the examination of this short portion of the Word, there is no way these angry mobs are reminiscent of the Lord’s virtuous ire. We cannot use the righteous anger of the Lord Jesus to justify rioting, vandalism, and looting. Perhaps it is best to look at just one of the records of our Lord’s actions and words.

It is extremely vital that we distinguish between righteous indignation and sinful anger and wrath!

John 2:13-17, And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, [14] And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: [15] And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; [16] And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. [17] And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

 Some people attempt to justify their anger under the banner of righteous indignation. They often point to the behavior of Jesus when He drove the money changers from the Temple. They conclude, “I can be angry because Jesus was angry.” However, a closer look at this passage says differently.

EXAMINE CHRIST’S WORDS AND ACTIONS

Jesus did Express Anger against Sinful Behaviors.

He not only felt anger, but he acted on this emotion. There is no selfishness or sin involved in this display of righteous indignation though. Quite different from what we are witnessing on the news these days.

Christ’s Expressions of Anger Consistently Rejected Sinful Behavior in Others.

“Jesus became angry with his disciples when they forbade children to be brought to him (Mark 10:14) and with the hardhearted member of the Capernaum synagogue (Mark 3:5). Similar expressions of anger were directed at the Saducees (Mark 12:24-27), the scribes and Pharisees (Matt 23:13-36), and Peter (Matt 16:23) and on each occasion represented his rejection of unrighteousness.”— Evangelical Dictionary of Theology

Jesus was appalled by sin; he would be appalled by the actions of the officers who murdered Mr. Floyd. He would be equally appalled at the rioting, looting, and vandalism unfolding in our cities. These modern bad actors are angry, but they are destroying the property of innocent people. They are destroying the livelihood of the innocent. They are greedy opportunistic thieves gorging themselves with the merchandise of others. Their actions are born of sin. They are the actions of unrighteous anger! 

Our Lord’s Actions in the Cleansing of the Temple on Two Different Occasions Were Expressions of Anger.  Let's look at that incident more closely.

Then Jesus went into the Temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the Temple. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called the house of prayer,’ but ye have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them (Matt. 21:12–14; see also Mark 11:15–17; Luke 19:45–46). Jesus would not tolerate the misuse and dishonoring of his Father’s house, the Temple. The idea that money should supersede God in the Temple precincts is outrageous to Christ. He was angered by the excessive costs charged for sacrificial animals…they were taking advantage of people and price gouging. Jesus has zero appreciation for those who give awful money exchange rates...robbing people in the name of religion. He burned with zeal for God to be praised, worshiped and prayed to from this place supposedly devoted to Him. Jesus was not selfishly motivated, he sought His Father’s honor and moved to correct the sinful situation…this was scandalous in his holy eyes. The people he confronted directly were the actual culprits…he faced off with the criminals and not innocent people.

Mark added in his account that Jesus would not allow anyone to carry wares through the Temple (Mark 11:16). Like the police officers attempting to restore order in our battle ridden cities, Jesus sought to control the situation until it is corrected. Yes, he is firm in his resolve that God be honored in His house. He was not making speeches merely, Jesus was acting with holy authority! He was upholding the rule of the holy Law of God. Immediately upon the removal of those who were buying and selling, Jesus engaged in a healing service.

His righteous indignation was completely without sin and without any diminishing of His spiritual anointing. The problem is we imagine the Lord Jesus as soft and wimpy, but clearly he was a forceful assertive and courageous man’s man.

Jesus Used a Whip to Drive People and Animals Out of the Temple (Jn. 2:13-17).

Jesus was in the Temple with a whip whirling and eyes blazing as He cleanses the Temple. Yes, he is obviously angry. But is it justified? Read the words of John once again.

John 2:13-17,  And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, [14] And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: [15] And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; [16] And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. [17] And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Jesus did use a whip and his actions did overturn the tables of the money changers. In fact he braided it himself. He did use some measure of force to drive people out of the Temple area. The whip may have been more for the animals than for the people though. If Jesus set loose the animals it would not take much for the owners to pursue and secure the valuable livestock to themselves again. Though he turned over the tables of the money changers, he did not loot or steal a single coin. They were wrong for being there, but Jesus did not take their belongings. Can vandals and looters justify their actions based on the example of Jesus? Hardly! They destroyed innocent people’s property and stole their merchandise; they senselessly defaced national properties and monuments… How is this justified? How does this accomplish anything positive? Someone said they are behaving like the revolutionists responsible for the Boston Tea Party. Yes, this is American history, but I am talking about the authoritative Word of God! Just because it’s a part of our American history does not automatically make it an acceptable act. The example of the Lord Jesus does not support thief, vandalism, or domestic terrorism.

Throughout the incident, Jesus’ actions were calculated and measured. No riot resulted. Nobody was out of control. No one had to be arrested. Yes, Jesus was angry at sin and unrighteousness and did something right about it. The current activity is far from being right. People who are not at fault are being hurt and their businesses are being vandalized and burned. We cannot secure justice by injustice!

Jesus Did Not Engage in Any Sinful Activities While Cleansing the Temple.

Disrespect for innocent people and their property is dead wrong. If someone came to our home or business and hurled a brick through a window or proceeded to burn our residence all of us would have issues with that. Without a single exception. We would call the cops and open an investigation to ensure the culprit was prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Why? Because stealing is wrong. Vandalism is wrong. Looting is wrong. Terrorism is wrong!

Now, consider just a few things throughout this Temple scene in John chapter 2. Jesus’ behavior was:

Without Real Violence. We have no record of any person being hurt, but the Savior was forceful and assertive. There was no need for police to respond and no need for any medical professionals to rush to the scene because of an emergency.

Without Resentment. Jesus did not call upon His disciples to continue the behavior. Nor did He cite any past wrongs done to Him as a reason for what He was doing. Jesus did not make up some lame excuse about being mistreated by someone or a group of individual, therefore all of society has to pay the price for offending his delicate sensibilities. I am saying the current movement is not justified. If I have an issue with a person, then I can appeal to that individual. If they have a problem with me, I hope and pray they will feel free to talk to me about it. Offenses will happen in this broken world full of flawed souls. But projecting and hoisting the blame or responsibility onto innocent people is the kind of behavior of the psychologically unstable.

Without Bitterness. Jesus had no heldover feelings against those who were cast from the Temple. He never mentioned them again. Mark it down…some of what is transpiring is born of bitterness against racism and a fervent hatred of this country. Racism will never be corrected with hatred, resentment, violence, and looting. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good! No matter how justified we feel in our anger, we cannot and must not fall prey to bitterness. It will destroy you!

Jesus’ actions were vented not against the individuals themselves but against their actions, and against the system that allowed buying and selling in God’s house of prayer. In every way, Jesus acted in accordance with righteous indignation–a holy rejection of sin. (See Eph. 4:26)

With Unique Authority. Jesus referred to the Temple as his Father’s house. Well, being the Son of God this was also his house. As God’s prefect representative on earth he had authority to act on behalf of the Father. Jesus’s character mirrored the Father’s absolutely. Jesus acted and behaved precisely as the Father would were he here physically. Clearly our Lord Jesus had every right to take these type actions, they were dishonoring his Temple. Furthermore, it could be correctly stated that he even had every right to literally walk into the holy of holies and have a seat! I know he did not, but you get the point. He was protecting his Father’s place. Much like many business owners are protecting their property from vandals and looters.  

Jesus Was Indignant for Holy Reasons.

He did not sin in what He did or the way He did it.

Righteous Indignation Is a Healthy Response to Evil.

It is an agitation in the spirit against something that is wrong in God's eyes, without any partiality toward or against the perpetrators of the wrong. The behavior or circumstance is wrong, apart from the personality of any person. Jesus was not afraid to confront evil as this occasion demonstrates.

Righteous Indignation Is Expressed in a Measured and Calculated Way. It does not necessarily bring physical or emotional harm to another human being. It is thought through in a rational way, and it is behavior that strikes at the heart of the real issue at hand and is directed towards the culprits and criminals. There was no collateral damage because of Jesus actions.

Throughout the Scriptures, we are admonished to speak God’s truth boldly and to do so in love. I believe that is what Jesus was doing in the Temple on those occasions. His words bore great conviction because they were a statement of truth. When we speak the truth boldly, we can expect results, too.

However, one of the saddest parts about all this rioting and tagging this as systemic racism among cops is the fact that we do not KNOW the motives of the culprits involved in Mr. Floyd’s murder…. We have no statement…there is no compilation of evidence presented at this date to conclude that his actions were racially motivated. Is there a history of him acting out because he is a proven bigot? The evidence may indeed exist and there may be plenty of it to convict him of that, but as of right now…many have simply jumped to a conclusion with insufficient evidence. As a man who has been blamed for wrongs I did not do because I am Black, it disturbs me deeply when I see this. I am trying to avoid needless offense, but I need to assert this fact. Yes, Mr. Floyd was brutally murdered in the streets of Minneapolis, but that does not automatically mean the reason was racism. Thugs have destroy our great cities all across this country and they have zero evidence at this time of racism. Folks, there is more to this than we realize…I sense a puppeteer pulling strings. There are people who make millions by destroying countries and societies you know.

When You Take an Action or Speak the Truth with Righteous Indignation, you must be prepared to reap the consequences that may be associated with the act. Jesus certainly did. The chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people sought to destroy Jesus after He took this action in the Temple. (See Luke 19:47–48.) God stayed their hand until Jesus’ ministry among the people was complete, but very soon after, Jesus was arrested, tried, and crucified. Jesus was prepared to die for the good that He had done, including this act of cleansing the Temple.

If you truly act in righteous indignation against evil, then you must be prepared to put your life on the line for what you believe and do. The angry person does not do this. To the contrary, an angry person tends to act in hopes of destroying their enemy and then to live with a sense of smugness at the victory. The angry person is not at all interested in suffering or dying for the very person who has done wrong in his eyes.

BEWARE OF ANGER…IT’S A DANGER SIGNAL

Ephes. 4:26, Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Jesus Warned of this Repeatedly.

Matthew 5:22, But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Moses said, "Thou shalt not kill [murder]" (Ex 20:13), Jesus taught us to avoid anger because it is committing murder in our heart. The Pharisees read this law and, not having murdered, felt righteous. Yet they were angry enough with Jesus that they would soon plot his murder, though they would not do the dirty work themselves.

Killing Is a Terrible Sin, but Anger Is a Great Sin Too Because it Also Violates God's Command to Love. Anger in this case refers to a seething, brooding bitterness against someone. It is a dangerous emotion that always threatens to leap out of control, leading to violence, emotional hurt, increased mental stress, and spiritual damage. Remember, the murder of Mr. Floyd is the issue here. Hatred lowers the rioters to the same level as the murderous cops. In fact, the rioters collectively have done far more damage and killed far more individuals than these Minneapolis police officers.

Anger keeps us from Developing a Spirit Pleasing to God. Have you ever been glad that you didn't strike out and say what was really on your mind? Self-control is good, but Christ wants us to practice thought-control as well. Jesus said we will be held accountable even for our attitudes.

Too often we get upset for entirely selfish or self-focused reasons. Our anger has nothing to do with righteousness, holy honor, or the injustices of the helpless, weak, or oppressed. Many times we simply want to intimidate others or hide our insecurities. We have used our anger to manipulate and control people to get what we want. The alternative to trusting your ability to manipulate and control people is to trust God! Fully and deeply trust the Lord with your fears and anxieties. Trust Him with those issues that are really beyond your control. God says this is sinful behavior and we need to repent.

God Will Help us Overcome Anger.

Go to God's Word and read every verse you can find that promises God’s sure and ready help to His children.

Deut. 32:35-36, To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. [36] For the Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.

Romans 12:19-21, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. [20] Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. [21] Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Proverbs 22:8-9, He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail. [9] He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

There is no excuse we can offer or reason we can present to justify ungodly wrath. No, God's solution is confession, repentance and making it right with those we have hurt. Get in the Word and allow the Spirit of God to change the way you think and behave. God will empower you to overcome wicked anger! Trust Him for victory.

No, we cannot use the Lord Jesus’ example of righteous indignation as an excuse for our ungodly anger! Nor can we justify the wickedness, looting, vandalism, and rioting in our streets. Yes, there is a great difference between holy anger and godless wrath. Jesus was burning hot with a high regard for the honor of His Father God. He moved intentionally and forcefully without losing control. He was entirely free of malice, resentment, and hatred. He demonstrated incredible power over his emotions and actions. This is not what’s happening in America presently. Let’s stop justifying sin. Yes, I hate murder, and I hate police brutality. Like you I hate racism and injustice. But what is happening in our streets is terrorism. These are acts of violence against innocent people for political objectives. Yes, there are major players who stand to gain from an America divided along racial lines. This is pure cowardice and ignorance on fire! Any progress towards racial reconciliation has been set back to the 40s and 50s in just a few awful days. Well, we as God’s people must roll up our sleeves…we have work to do.