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On yesterday, Christians and non-Christians alike were responding to the protest that stopped a service in Minnesota.  Some on both sides of the political and religious spectrum have condemned the actions as a violation of civil rights.  Others have appealed to scripture or Jesus to justify the action.  Some will debate the legality or constitutionality of the protestors actions but my concern is with the religious justifciation of it.  Does Jesus actions give warrant to such patterns moving forward?

I have read various comments that are appealing to the Bible as a defense for the protestors - these should be rejected and ignored outright if those people are not religious at all much less Christian, whole heartedly reject the person and work of Jesus, do not accept the Bible as authoritative or divinely written or rejects the teaching of the gospel in general.   They are not debating in good faith but rather citing the scriptures when it serves them either completely out of context or in a dishonest fashion as kind of a "gotcha" quote - "see your own text, that I reject in its entirety, supports what I am doing".  It is desigenuous and dishonest - Christians should not waste their time responding to such attacks.  Lutheran Satire has a brilliant video that can inform us how to repond to such argumentst (link is attached):  "If you don't believe that Jesus is alive then I don't care..."

But what about those that claim to be Christians - does Jesus flipping over the tables ( Matthew 21:12-13,Mark 11:15-18) serve as an example to inform the protests of people today?  Not at all for several reasons.

1)  Jesus is God, we are not.  When Jesus flips over the tables he does so as the all knowing God, who knows the hearts of those sitting at those very tables - he knows their rejection of him, their rejection of the covenant, their love of money, etc.  I have heard several commentators including Don Lemon calls this church and the baptist faith they share, white supremacy.  Now it is certainly possible one or some in that church are sinful white supremacists but how does Lemon know?  He doesn't.  But he has no problem accusing someone of that without any evidence other than they attend this church.  I don't know this church but I would imagine based on its location, and church planting support probably has several people in that church that are genuinely sympathetic to what the protestors are upset about. Jesus can flip tables because he knows hearts.  

2)  Jesus is perfectly rightoeus, we are not.  When Jesus flips over those tables everything he is doing and thinking is perfect - there is perfect love and perfect righteous anger.  There is perfect compassion and perfect rebuke.  We do not have that perfection.  Listening to some of the protestors in the church, some of what they said was horrific, wicked, evil, detestable.  They were angry.  Righteous they were not.  

3)  Jesus did not flip tables in the temple.  Jesus entered the court of the Gentiles, a place that had become a court of business rather than prayer - it was a place people bought sacrifices to offer in worship - it was not the place the sacrifices were offered.  Jesus flipped over the tables of those selling the sacrifices, not those seeking to buy the sacrifices.  In other words, the very people Jesus was chasing out of the temple complext were not the worshippers but those who were disrupting the worship (i.e. the protestors).  Jesus could have entered the holy of holies - Jesus could have gone behind the curtain - he is God afterall.  He did not however.  Jesus did not disrupt the worship inside the temple complex but the wickedness in the surrounding area.  Jesus flipped over tables in respone to the exploitation by money changers, to those who came to offer sacrifices to God - they turned it into a "den of robbers", taking away the sanctity of the place that was supposed to be for prayer for the purpose of their own financial and even potlical gain.  Which ironically, is what the protestors were doing - they were exploiting a place of worship and prayer for their own financial and political gain - if Jesus would remove anyone from a church today with anger and whips I think it would have been the protestors, interfering with repentnat sinners coming to worship the God who saves. 

Let's pray for this church in Minnesota in particular, but for all faithful, gospel centered churches in our country.  If this action is ignored by legal authorities it will likely lead to more such protests at churches in other places.  As Chrsitians we should follow the exampel of this church that was gracious, tempered, kind & true in their response - they did not lash out in anger and they did not take the bait of the protestors - this church showed the patience, kindness and love of Christ to a group of people that came with ill intentions.   When people want to have a good faith discussion with you about the gospel, the church, the Bible or some other hot button issue, seek to do so in a kind and gracious manner relying on the truth of God's word - don't let them lie or misrepresent the Bible or Jesus - and don't let someone who rejects Jesus, scripture, or the gospel worry you at all - you don't need their approval - if they don't believe that Jesus was crucified and resurrected - their opinion about the Bible is irrelevant.