net2002

"In the temple (Jesus) found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the moneychangers at their business. And making a whip of cord, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple, and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and over-turned their tables." (John 2:14-15)

Commenting on the words "the whip of cord", Carmichael says that:

"they unmistakably imply violence and equally unmistakably represent a sort of minimal toning-down of what actually must have been a massive undertaking. If we simply imagine the size of the temple the tens of thousands of pilgrims thronging into and through it the numerous attendants, the police force, the Roman soldiers, as well as the normal reaction of the ox-drivers themselves to say nothing of the moneychangers, we see that it must have taken much more than mere surprise to have accomplished it at all. The scene behind this fragmentary recollection in the fourth Gospel must have been vastly different The chronicler has softened it by "spiritualising" it out of all reality. "


Any refutations to the above commentary?

In the nt did jesus rub shoulders with jews, and then take the piss out of them?

-DM-

Refutation(s), no, but a few comments, yes.

1) The presence of the money changers in the outer court of the Temple had been authorized by the Temple authorities and was, in fact, a necessity since the Jews would not accept Roman coinage for the purchase of sacrifices.

2) Making a whip of cords and chasing the money changers from the Temple seems to me to inconsistent with Jesus' alleged description of himself as gentle (meek) and humble (lowly). [MT 11:29]

3) Jesus' alleged behavior certainly doesn't seem to me to represent turning the other cheek or loving your enemies, as Jesus himself allegedly taught [MT 5:38-44, LK 6:27-29], nor does it seem to me to represent being subject to human institutions and the authorities, as Paul later taught [RO 13:1-4, 1PE 2:13-14].

-Don-

P.S. Moved here from Feedback.