by Jim » Mon Mar 26, 2018 8:26 am
There can be little doubt that Jesus “cleansed” the temple at least twice, the documented occurrences about three years apart. The first occasion (John account) came on the heels of the performing of his first miracle at Cana, after which he and followers went to Capernaum for a few days, according to the scripture/time-line (27 A.D.), and then to Jerusalem, where John made certain to record the fact that Jesus fashioned the lash himself and used it extensively, a violent act. He and followers then left the city and carried out his ministry throughout the countryside. The second recorded occurrence came during the last week of his earthly life (30 A.D., Matthew, Mark), though the whip was not mentioned, just that Jesus threw the scoundrels out into the street. He didn't need the whip then because at least some of the gang surely knew about the first time and probably gave no resistance. The Bible is very clear on this. Jesus was no wimp and was obviously capable of both physical and verbal violence, once even referring to Peter as Satan and the church oligarchs as stinking tombs full of dead men's bones. This reflects the justifiable wrath of God as referenced over and over in the OT. While the scripture records at least once that Jesus wept, it does not mention that he ever laughed, though he probably did heartily at times, such as when Peter started sinking on his trek over water. He also told the disciples at the Last Supper to arm themselves and explained later that the weapons were for defense, not aggression. The mod/lib approach is that Jesus was a warm-fuzzy, hugs-all-around type, who would never harm a flea, not even for cause, like sanitation. He was a man's man hunted throughout his ministry and probably only one step ahead of assassination for most if not all of it.