When I first entered the ministry I regarded the so-called “cleansing of the temple” by Jesus as a stirring demonstration of his response to evil. In the years since I have been surprised and disturbed by two factors.

The first of these has been the growth of scholarly comment that, in effect, indicates what the moneychangers and other merchants in the temple were doing was actually a beneficial service to those who came up to Jerusalem for the Passover and other feasts, thereby raising the question as to whether he was justified in driving them out.

The second disturbing factor was the apparent contradiction of the “gentle, meek and mild” image I had entertained.

Passover, an early spring festival in the Jewish calendar, drew large crowds of pilgrims to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover in the temple. According to Jewish law, cattle, sheep and doves were the animals specified for sacrifice. Pilgrims could not bring animals with them, so the merchants selling them in the temple precincts could be said to be providing a vital service.

Furthermore, celebrants would need to pay a temple tax that could be paid not in any foreign currency, but only in temple currency. So the moneychangers could also be seen as providing an important service for pilgrims.

Today there is much commercialization in our churches that is held by many to be the provision of vital services. This is especially true of large, well-heeled churches where a wide variety of goods are sold “for a good cause.”

I recently attended a religious gathering at a large arena in Dallas. I felt there was a constant undue announcement about books, magazines, CDs and videos. To be sure, these items were related to the rally and the program, but I couldn’t help wondering what people would think if Jesus with his whip of cords appeared in the midst of this rally.

I graduated from Penn’s Wharton School with a bachelor of science degree in economics and in my pastorates, was particularly dedicated to the idea that a church ought to be run like a business. I am glad that in these pastorates we did learn to operate in a more orderly and responsible manner.

But in time, I came to realize although good business practices are often helpful to a congregation, running a church as a business was not the same as running it as a Christian congregation. Essentially, businesses do not run on faith, and profit is the guiding light.

Churches, however, must often look to the improbable tasks and ministries to which Christ calls us. All too often we in the churches have adopted the underlying assumptions and goals of business enterprises. For example, the business model may indicate our church is paying as much for mission work as we can afford. But there are times when Christ calls us to do what may seem beyond our means.

As I write these words, our nation is still suffering from a greatly wounded economy. So I am frequently amazed to find congregations involved in expensive campaigns to put up edifices that signal “success” to the community.

The second disturbance to my original view of this incident is the picture of an angry Jesus causing mayhem in the temple – an image that seemed quite out of character for the Son of God. The problem, I have concluded over time, was the original image of a non-violent Jesus who might speak sternly at times, but was essentially “meek and mild.”

My problem – one I shared with many Christians – was a misconception of who and what Jesus was. That misconception, therefore, was not of Christ himself, but the God he came to reveal. Yes, God is love, but He is also judge. Though Jesus was the embodiment of God’s eternal love, he was not indulgent to simply get us off from what we have done to ourselves.

Although he claimed to be “meek and lowly in heart” (Mt. 11:29), Mark 5:9 tells us “… he looked around at them with anger.” And when he spoke of Herod, he was hardly meek or mild when he said, “Go and tell that fox …” (Lk. 18:32).

And, on occasion, he even spoke sharply to his disciples, “Get behind me Satan” (Mt. 16:32.), and the Pharisees were not pleased when he called them “whitewashed tombs” (Mt.;23:27). But Jesus was no less Christ-like in the temple than when he suffered on Calvary.

Hugh Masckintosh says, “Lack of indignation at wickedness is a sign, not of a poor nature only, but of positive unlikeness to Christ.” Christ’s unyielding opposition to corruption wherever he found it was not a denial of God’s love, but an affirmation of it.

May we go and do likewise.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Rev. Althouse may write to him in care of this publication.