Braiding the Whip

Braiding the Whip

               And the Jews Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when He had made a scourge (whip) of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; and said to them that sold doves, “Take these things from here; make not My Father’s house a house of merchandise” (John 2:13-16).

               There are some important things that we need to take away from this passage of scripture. First, it was Passover, just like it is today. Second, Jesus, when He found unrighteous behavior in the temple, He didn’t just charge in and drive them all out. He stopped and braided a whip, first.

               Why did He hesitate? He had all power on heaven and earth. Why would Jesus need a scourge (whip) to drive out those that were turning His Father’s house into a den of thieves?

               Saying to them, “It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but you have made it a den of thieves.” (Luke 19:46)

               Jesus was famous in Jerusalem. Anywhere He stopped, hundreds of people would gather around to hear the famous healer, teacher, and Rabbi. You can assume that as He sat down and patiently braided His whip that hundreds of people gathered around to see what He was doing. I will guarantee you that everyone in the area knew exactly what the famous Rabbi was doing. Why would He do so? The answer is multi-faceted.

               First, it is the whip that brings discipline.

               For whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges (whips) every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chastens not? (Heb. 12:6-7)

               Second, the whip brings repentance. Notice that in John 2, Jesus drives out the money-changers, but He speaks to the sellers of doves, and tells them to remove their wares from the temple. Why didn’t He drive them out as well? They had a repentant heart. Otherwise, He would have treated them like the money-changers.

               Third, the whip brings healing. I know this makes no sense to our logical mind, but it is the truth.

               Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,

should live to righteousness: by whose stripe you were healed. (1 Pet. 2:24)

               It is the striping of the whip that brings repentance, discipline and healing to the Body of Christ. So why did Jesus stop and make a whip before charging into the temple? He was giving them a chance to repent and exit the temple with their wares before He came charging in.

               And notice what He called them in Luke 19:46: a den of thieves.

               Saying to them “It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but you have made it a den of thieves.”

               And what does a thief do on the temple?

The thief comes not, but for to steal, to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10)

I can already some of you saying, “That’s great, but how does this apply to me and to my life?”

               In this day and age, we are the temple.

               Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

 (1 Cor. 3:16)

               The sad truth of it is, that most of us are defiled temples. We build altars to self, altars to Ba’al, and altars to sex and drugs, and altars to wealth, and every other unholy thing.

               If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. (1 Cor. 3:17)

               In this Passover season, Jesus is once again braiding the whip. He is giving us a chance to repent, to come before Him once more as purified, and righteous, and clean, as the Bride of Christ. Passover is a special season in the kingdom. It is a time when God looks to see who has the blood of the Lamb on the doorposts of their hearts. It is a season for repentance and coming back into perfect alignment with the Lord. It is a time when we need to destroy every altar in our lives that is not of God.

               For those that are unrepentant, refusing to come back into alignment with their Lord and Savior, they may experience the fourth use of the whip. Notice from John 2:15, that the fourth reason Jesus used the whip was to drive the thieves out of the temple.

               So what, exactly does Jesus consider to be a thief? Anything that steals our destiny in Him. Anything that kills our relationship with Him. Anything that destroys the plans He has for us. It doesn’t matter what it is, or where it comes from. Anything that is operating in our lives that is not of Him is a thief. And Jesus is once again driving the thief out of the temple to bring abundant life to His Body.

               I want to encourage all of my readers to prayerfully observe this Passover season. Search your heart and your spirit. Repent for anything that the Spirit of the Lord reveals to you. Seek forgiveness for the sins in your life. Then take communion. Right there in your home, with your family. Jesus will be looking for the blood on the doorposts. Will He find it at your house?

If you would like to read more articles by this author, please go to www.thelighthousespeaks.blogspot.com.

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