Ep. 13: Moneychangers

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JOHN 2:13-25

Straight away he led his family and disciples to Capernaum (Kephar Nachum), to become his base of operations. The synagogue stood by the shores of Lake Galilee, built of white limestone on a dark basalt foundation. North of it, up the gentle slopes, stretched the town. East and south is the lake, in an almost continuous succession of lovely small bays, of which more than seventeen may be counted within six miles and in one of which nestled Capernaum. After a few days, they left for Jerusalem, as it was Passover time.

It was time to confront the moneychangers (Shulchanim)! What was their function? They had an official purpose which came out of the necessity for all Jews and proselytes (women, slaves, and minors excepted) to pay the annual Temple tribute of half a shekel, equal to a common Galilean shekel (two denars).

The priests claimed exemption through a ‘loophole’ based on Leviticus 6:23, concerning the burning of any offering of a priest. This Temple tribute had to be paid in exact half shekels of the Sanctuary, or ordinary Galilean shekels, which meant that foreign coinage had to be converted to this currency. Hence the need for the moneychangers, who were paid commission on each transaction.

It all amounted to a tidy profit for these traders, particularly as the temple coinage was needed for other transactions, such as the purchasing of the sacrificial animals. Some brought their sacrifices with them (in fact there were four shops on the Mount of Olives where pigeons were sold to pilgrims). It’s not difficult to see how these activities can lead to corruption and how utterly the Temple would be profaned by this. From Jewish writings, we hear about some improper transactions, even the taking advantage of the poor people who came to offer their sacrifices, with greedy price hikes.

All of this, whether the money-changing, selling of doves and the market for sheep and oxen, was a terrible desecration. It was also liable to gross abuses. But was there about the time of Jesus anything to make it especially obnoxious and unpopular? The official priesthood had always derived considerable profit from it. What became of the profits of the moneychangers? The Jerusalem Talmud gives no less than five different answers, showing that there was no fixed rule as to the distribution of these profits. Although four of these answers point to their use for the public service, the reality is that they took huge chunks of it for themselves, though they had to pay a considerable rental to the leading Temple officials. The profits from the sale of meat and drink offerings went to the Temple treasury.

Corruption went as high as the High Priest Annas, whose greedy family owned much of the Temple market and were growing rich on the proceeds. The Talmud records a curse delivered by a prominent Rabbi on this family and they were to receive their comeuppance many years later (three years before the destruction of Jerusalem) when they were finally done away with.

Now we can better understand Jesus’ actions and his later open denunciation of the Temple market as ‘a den of robbers.’ For such a holy place, at such a holy time, this was quite unseemly and also, with the weighing of the coins, deductions for loss of weight, arguing, disputing and bargaining, no wonder Jesus reacted in the way that he did. He was simply about his Father’s business and would return to this theme later on in his ministry when he revisits the Temple courts.

So who there in the Temple courts will have heard of Jesus? The zeal of his early disciples must have spread to others and the many Galilean pilgrims who were present will certainly tell others as they return to their homes. Some would follow him and watch what he did. As he dealt with those who were defiling the Temple there was not a hand lifted, not a word spoken to arrest him as he drove both the sheep and the oxen out of the Temple; not a word said, nor a hand raised, as he scattered the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables. His presence awed them, his words awakened even their consciences; they knew, only too well how true his denunciations were. It was a scene worth witnessing, a protest and an act which, even among less emotional people, would have gained him respect and admiration.

When the Temple officials gathered the courage to come forward and engage with Jesus, they acted cunningly, appealing to those around them. They asked for ‘a sign’ to prove his authority to do what he did. The game had started. This was the first round in the sparring match between Jesus and those in authority. This first action of Jesus determined their mutual positions and their first step against him will lead eventually to the last, in his condemnation to the cross. He knew this already, his answer hinted as much. He had then, as afterwards, only one ‘sign’ to give; ‘Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ They misunderstood, viewing the ‘Temple’ merely as a building, of which they fully knew the architecture, manner, and time of construction, but of whose spiritual character they had no knowledge nor thought.

This is an extract from the book, Jesus : Life and Times, available for £10 here (Finalist for Academic Book of the year at 2023 CRT awards)