The temple had become a marketplace where money was exchanged and pilgrims could purchase animals for sacrifice. What is Jesus’ response to what he sees? What about the current marketplace of commerce and employment has made you angry. Are there ways that you (or together with other people of faith) can interrupt business as usual? Do you think our Fast Food Fast has had any impact on the way the marketplace operates? What more could we do?
Day 35 Devotional & Discussion – March 30, 2015
Tongue on Fire 
In Mark’s version of this story, Jesus seems to limit his table flipping to two particular venders–the moneychangers and the pigeon sellers–and accuses them of making the temple a “den of robbers”, a quote from Jeremiah 7 where God condemns the wealthy class for exploiting the poor and denying the widow, the orphan and the immigrant of justice. I believe Jesus was condemning the bankers and the retailers for abusing the poor. Pigeons were the sacrifice of the poor. We see abuse of the poor all the time by today’s moneychangers and retailers–payday loans, predatory lending, foreclosures, student loan debt, price gouging in poor communities, low-wages. Yesterday, we literally interrupted business as usual at our local McDonalds restaurant when eight pastors and over 80 of our members walked (and sang) in to deliver a letter demanding living wages for hourly employees. As we prayed for the low-wage workers, some of them were in tears. The manager called the police, cutting our action short. But what officer is going to arrest eight pastors while news cameras are rolling? (Doesn’t that sound like the response of the temple officials to Jesus’ action?) One action does not impact the marketplace long-term. One faithful action every day joined by others taking one faithful action every day can move mountains–even a mountain as big as McDonalds.
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