Traders in the temple, and the self-righteous legalist’s misinterpretation

I lost a long time follower and fan last week because he didn’t like being confronted over his stinking thinking.

I’ve always said I’d prefer the ability to make 100 people think than 10,000 dogs bark, and I meant it. There are plenty of social media influencers who’ll dog whistle the slogans and catchphrases to get you excited about the usual bogey men: Marxists, globalists, unionists, Islamists, statists, climate alarmists and on and on – and they are the enemy of humanity and Christianity, to be sure.

But what about the splinter in your eye?

I have no problems with having a small following. What I can’t live with is small obedience to the mission and mandates God has given me, and that starts with teaching Truth – what Almighty God says about debated issues is more important than approval from any baying pack of easily excited (or angered) dogs.

But the stinking thinking I confronted is not rare. It’s sadly common. Is it a misinterpretation you might be guilty of? That’s okay, as long as you’re teachable, which includes the ability to demand persuasion with good arguments. Teachable is not a term for gaslighting mere dissent.

I commented on the announcement of the Voice of the Lord Australia – National Prophetic Summit that my tickets were purchased and I’d be there. I was surprised when the long time follower I mentioned above, replied:

“More traders in the temple?”

I instinctively knew how dumb a comment that was, but have come to study and refute the common accusation a lot since then, and I hope to show you how much worse than just dumb it is. It’s profoundly ignorant, and a thin veneer of virtue signalling over a deeper issue of unqualified self-righteousness.

I rebuked his biblically unskilled cheap shot, and he chose the laugh reaction and threats to “unfollow”. It’s such a blight on our side, defenders of tradition, family and morality, that so many need to have the last word when they’re wrong or run out of valid, sincere arguments. It’s pride: a vain attempt to save face, as if being shown your errors is a wound to defend against. What stinking thinking!

Patrick Henry, the American Founding Father who said, “Give me liberty or give me death,” in the same speech in service of Truth from debate explained:

“For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole Truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.”

In my long thirst for wisdom and understanding, one of my favourite Scriptures since adolescence has been:

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
– Proverbs 27:6

I’m sorry for the long introduction before getting to the subject at hand, but it’s such a grief of mine to see people embracing flattery from anyone but resisting correction from people we normally trust. Social media breeds such echo chambers!

We have to do better, or as a culture, we risk being incapable of recognising our faults and errors or maturing beyond them. I guess it’s not an introduction, as much as an exposition of the very real self-righteous pride which resists correction and uncomfortable Truth.

This is the spirit of pride, that spirit which creates a nucleus for identity around errors, and then chooses to be personally offended by criticisms of their bad ideas. Sure, we can see that easily in the activists who celebrate Pride [in sin] Parades and fly flags for immorality – but can we see it in the people who have created a religious-but-wrong idea of what God really said, and who fight personal correction like a cat at bath time?

So here’s the exposition of the “traders in the Temple!” irrational reaction to a Christian ministry charging for anything, like in the above case, a mid week conference.

Let’s read the whole account so we don’t cherry pick verses, but correctly handle them in their proper context, including the Scriptures Jesus quoted in the moment.

“Then Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple courts, and turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are turning it into a den of robbers!””
– Matthew 21:12-13

Jesus quoted Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:9-11:

“For my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.”

 

“You steal. You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to other gods whom you have not previously known. Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins! Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own is to be a hideout for robbers?”

Christian ministries are not equivalent to what Jesus encountered in the Temple courts, flipped the tables of and chased out with extremely angry threats of violence. It’s enormously self-serving to sidestep the context and quotes of the account and selectively isolate the one word convenient to legalism, “traders”.

The Court of the Gentiles in Herod’s Temple was around 35 acres where non-Jews could pray to God, where Jewish scholars could teach them about Judaism, where all the cultures could interact and where people could buy and sell animals and exchange Roman currency for the much higher quality Tyrian coins (95% silver) the Temple priests specifically required.

Pilgrims travelling from afar had to bring perfect, unblemished animals for the required sacrifices. Larger animals like sheep and goats could survive the journey just fine, but smaller birds like doves could not. Those people who didn’t have any doves also had to buy their animals for sacrifice when they arrived at the outer courts, and it was here that greedy merchants found an opportunity to exploit people who didn’t have the right currency or the right animals to uphold the Law of Moses.

Jesus was angry because at the moment of their sacrifice and worship to obtain atonement for sins, people were being exploited by unscrupulous thieves. He wasn’t mad at people being charged for religious resources. Obviously people had to buy doves if they didn’t have them for any reason! Obviously Jesus wouldn’t accuse fair prices of exploitation or robbery.

What Jesus witnessed He described by quoting Jeremiah 7, a comparison to people stealing, killing, adultery, lying and idolatry then coming into His temple and seeking shelter there; instead of actual righteousness and fair treatment of fellow citizens.

The immediate context of Jesus’ quotes are critical. God, prayer, devotion and righteousness are meant to be the main thing; never theft, robbery and exploitation.

Which of those do you think is on offer by an ordinary Christian conference?

Someone who compares Christians offering conference tickets, books, videos or even t-shirts for sale to “traders in the temple” is trying very hard to sound clever, but is clearly way out of their depth.

The attitude they’re channeling is the petty, green eyed spirit of socialism that calls any business profit greed, despises people who take risks which pay off, and resents having to pay for anything good or true – a curse of Australian culture. We’re generally willing to pay exorbitant prices for beer, live sporting events and rock concerts, but nothing Christian.

What these people want is Christian ministers to work for free or poverty wages, while they hope to get paid well to farm or fix cars or teach other people’s kids or do tax returns.

I know first hand that it takes many tens of thousands of dollars to run a conference worth running, and that most people won’t come if it’s a low quality lineup, catering or venue.

What the “traders in the temple!” crowd are actually saying, whether they consciously intend to or not, is that there should be no Christian conferences, no Christian bookshops, no Christian music and no Christian clothing.

Forgive me for being not “nice”, but were they dropped on their heads as babies? We need every possible supplier and source of what is True, worthy of respect, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent or praiseworthy to feed our souls on. Do they expect other people to provide it for free?!

Let’s permit Jesus, the Word of God, to speak for Himself about the imperative of paying people for the work they do, including Christian ministers.

“Do not take gold, silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for the journey, or an extra tunic, or sandals or staff, for the worker deserves his provisions.”
– Matthew 10:9-10

“The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
– Luke 10:7

“The wicked person earns deceitful wages,
but the one who sows righteousness reaps a genuine reward.”
– Proverbs 11:18

“Elders who provide effective leadership must be counted worthy of double honour [respect and remuneration], especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching. For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker deserves his pay.”
– 1 Timothy 5:17-18

In summary, the claim that Christians charging for resources (above and beyond regular church services (which are where we bring our tithe and freewill offerings)) is in any way comparable to what made Jesus enormously angry when He called the traders in the Court of the Gentiles “thieves” and “robbers”, is egregiously simplistic to the point of being maliciously ignorant.

There is such a thing as false prosperity teaching, and there is such a thing as false anti-prosperity teaching. Stay away from the excess! Jesus Christ is not socialist. He doesn’t expect ministers to enrich themselves by serving the Kingdom, but He does expect Christians to pay for the ministry they value. Objecting to this is unbiblical, stinking thinking.

And there’s the key word – the ministry you value.

If you don’t think the conference is worth going to, don’t go. If you don’t think the teaching on offer in any given book or video or song is worth honouring, then don’t. If you don’t think the pastor of your local church is worthy of double honour, then you’d better find a church where you are being spiritually led and fed well and then do what Paul instructed in 1 Timothy 5 (above). These are nothing like the Biblically-prescribed sacrifices or mandatory temple taxes of First Century Ancient Israel.

But – absent people stealing, killing, lying, committing adultery and idolatry, then coming into His temple and seeking shelter there for such trade – there is absolutely nothing unbiblical or un-Christian about selling tickets to a Christian conference etc or even having a commercial cafe (with reasonable profits) in a church.

Dave Pellowe is a Christian political educator & writer who gives priority of philosophy to God’s Word. He founded Church And State ministries in 2016, which has grown to include annual teaching conferences in Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and regional Australia by invitation.

Specialising in what God says about complex ethical and social issues, Dave Pellowe is a sought after guest speaker at churches, Christian schools, TV, radio and podcast interviews and other secular and Christian forums where love of Truth and nonpartisan thinking are valued. [more]

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