Turn
the pages of a children’s Bible. You reach the wonderful Gospel of the Prince
of Peace and see the lovely pictures of the holy, innocent Babe in the manger.
One version even starts with a picture of the angel Gabriel handing a white
flower to Mary. Then there is the beautiful Nativity scene with the shepherds
and the animals, and a page or two later the touching image of the old man
Simeon holding the baby Messiah in his arms. Turn on a few more pages and you see this same
gracious Lord as Man, going about preaching words of love and compassion,
healing the sick and suffering, bringing hope to broken hearts. See, for example,
the picture of Him bending down in mercy to raise up the desperate leper, or
another of Him looking up at the poor lame man being lowered down through the
roof by four friends, who would do anything to reach this Deliverer who was
Love through and through. “Jesu, Thou art all compassion*,” as one of our hymns
puts it.
But then suddenly you see this picture. It seems out
of place. This same Jesus, this Prince of Peace, this Captain of Compassion, He
looks so stern, so angry, holding a whip and causing turmoil in the temple
grounds.
And then
His disciples remembered it was written: “Voor uw huis zal
Ik alles willen doen.” « L’amour que j’ai pour ta maison, ô Dieu,
est en moi un feu qui me consume. » “Zeal
for your house will consume me.” (v.17 BB, BDS, NIV).
For this is not
a Prince of Peace who meets sin with passionless indifference. This is the One
who cried, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I have longed to gather your
children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings”, and then wept
upon seeing that city: “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would
bring you peace!” (Luke 13:34 & 19:41-42) This is the One who “appeared to
destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8), the One who is indeed Love through and
through, and so cannot bear to see His holy temple, city or above all people
spoilt by anything that would draw them away from that love He came to
bring.
James Pitts
*‘Love
Divine, All Loves Excelling’, words by Charles Wesley, tune, ‘ Blaewern’
by William Penfro Rowlands.
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