This week we’re exploring whether and how Jesus was a prophet, and its connection to a famous story about Jesus flipping tables in the temple.
A prophet, loosely defined, is someone who speaks for God. In the Old Testament, they would reguarlly say “thus says the lord” and give God’s word on a situation, past present or future.
Many used prophetic action as well, like the Prophet Jeremiah breaking a pottery vase, or Hosea marrying a prostitute. They’d act out what they were trying to say for God.
Some people today still speak and act in prophetic ways. I don’t mean forturetellers. Prophecy is not just about the future, it’s speaking for God about past, present and/or future.
People are prophetic today in speaking up about injustice, the poor, the homeless, the refugees. Those who have no voice, but whom God still cares about. Prophetic people speak for them, and help them speak for themselves.
In this week’s story, Jesus overturns tables, showing how his plan is to flip the temple itself. No longer will it be the only place to meet God. People will meet God through him. He will even reside in their hearts, He will be that close. His kingdom vision is often described as an upside down kingdom, that flips all the corrupt systems of our world upside down, where even the last shall be first.
Jesus said all this in word and action. His action was ironic, because a previous prophecy said someone would cleanse the temple of the Gentiles and their sins against Jews, but now Jesus was cleansing the temple of Jewish sin against Gentiles. The Jews were meant to bless the entire world, but the corrupt system Jesus decried had meant they were only blessing themselves. Jesus says his house was meant to be a House of prayer for the nations. That was plural, nations, but some opportunists had made it a house of commerce for one nation only.
Question: In what other ways was Jesus prophetic?
Meeting with a Group? Your discussion questions are in this week’s Group Study Guide
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