Worship and Business

It’s Lent. I am reminded of an event from 2,000 years ago. You know the story. It was the season of Passover. It seems that merchants and bankers had set up shop in the courtyards adjacent to the Temple in Jerusalem. There, foreign travelers could exchange their coins for local currency and they could buy animals – cattle, sheep and doves – to offer as sacrifices in the temple. These sacrifices were needed so that the worshipers might properly express their obedience and thanks to their God. Read Leviticus, especially the first 8 chapters for more descriptions about what is to be done, and how. The Temple was the only place where sacrifices could be offered.

Jesus arrived at the Temple, and seeing the selling going on, chased the merchants out, together with their animals. And he overturned the tables of the money changers. Apparently he also overturned the accepted order of things.

I take the point of this story to be that we need to separate the place of worship from the place of commercial activities. But this can also mean separating the acts and times of worship for the acts and times of doing business. This separation would be in keeping with the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. And almost certainly Jesus was acting on Isaiah's message in chapter 56:7, “...for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” That’s the reference in the passage. (Mark 11:15-19; Matthew 21:12-17; Luke 19:45-48; and John 2:13-16)

According to Willis Barnstone, “Market merchants would have been outside the restricted Temple, in the adjacent courtyards where the sacrificial animals were taken to be sold in specific areas reserved for commerce and where non-Jews were permitted to buy and sell. Since commerce was restricted to courtyards, it casts doubt on the location of Jesus' house cleaning as within the Temple itself.” (See Barnstone, Willis, translator, THE RESTORED NEW TESTAMENT. New York, W.W. Norton & Co. 2009. P. 185) I assume the priests condoned the selling.

The story is told in all four of the Gospels so it must be important in Christian history and theology. Various interpretations can be taken. In John's Gospel, the point seems to be to underscore Jesus' divinity. (When questioned by the Jewish leaders about his authority for doing what he did, he says he will rebuild the destroyed temple in three days, foreshadowing his resurrection.) In the three synoptic gospels, Jesus is challenged to tell by what authority he performs his miracles. Still, I think the Gospel writers shared the notion that business should not be done in the sacred space.

Many of us would frown on conducting business in any sanctuary. E.g., several online sources comment on Prophet Muhammad's position on selling things in the Mosque. According to tradition and Islamic law, the Prophet said that, when selling in a Mosque is confronted, one should say, “May Allah not make your business profitable.” So, conducting business there is disliked but a sale conducted there is still valid. (http://en.islamtoday.net/node/1659)

There could be here introduced a whole discussion of selling of indulgences by the Roman Catholic church, and related “money for salvation” activities in the Eastern Orthodox church. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indulgence) Recall that when Martin Luther wrote his 95 theses against the church, “....condemning what he saw as purchase and sale of salvation,” he set down the basis for the Protestant Revolution. However the topic is well beyond this column, and selling indulgences ceased in 1567, in the Roman church . (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/nyregion/10indulgence.html) Still, I would be suspicious of those who profit by selling things that are allegedly required to properly worship God.

What're your thoughts? Should churches sell things? What things? When is it OK? Where? When is it not?