I hear tell that there are some churches that have installed ATM machines in their lobby. I have not seen it with my own eyes, but I can imagine that it might happen. Of course, the church can easily justify the addition as being a convenience for members and guests. So few people carry cash these days; it is much easier to use a debit or credit card. An even smaller number of people carry checkbooks. We don't want visitors to feel bad that they don't have anything to put into the offering plate, so we make it as easy as possible.
Things don't change. They may not have had ATM machines in Jerusalem during Passover week, but they did make it convenient for visitors. In preparation for the Passover, the people went to the Temple to atone for their sins, offering the appropriate animals for sacrifice. The journey was hard, especially for those who had come a long way, and it was too difficult to carry along the animals. A perfect sheep could be harmed or lost along the way. So, there was a marketplace set up in the Temple area to sell animals for sacrifice.
The other problem was currency. Many of the people had come from far away; they had currency from foreign nations. The foreign currency was not acceptable in the Temple offerings, so there were money changers available in the Temple courts for the convenience of the pilgrims.
Jesus had been in the Temple before, but on this particular trip into the city He found great offense at what was happening in the courts and marketplace. He overturned the money changers' tables and set free the animals. His problem was not that there were animals for sale or that the money changers were there. This was a necessary part of Temple life. The problem was that they had set up this marketplace in the area of the Temple that was supposed to be available for Gentiles to worship God and pray. The smell of the animals and the noise of the crowds had made that impossible. They had no respect for others, concerned only about fulfilling the letter of the Law and not about the needs of others. It was a matter of mercy and grace.
The attitude of the people began to turn with this trip to the Temple. Jesus was not willing to leave the status quo. The message He preached was not something new, but it was something that had been forgotten in the midst of their religiosity. They were more concerned about outward appearances than about the heart. They were more concerned about doing their duty than rejoicing in the greatness of God. They had been blessed to be a blessing to the world, but they were caught up only in assuring their own blessedness that they missed the opportunity to bless the foreigners that had come to be in their midst.
Are the ATMs a bad thing? Would Jesus be pulling them out of the wall if He visited those churches today? I'm not so sure. He would, however, do so if they made it impossible for people to worship and pray in His house. If the ATMs became more important than the message, if the offerings drowned out God's grace, then Jesus would be throwing them out the door.
