Jesus in the temple — oh, didn’t he show those money-changers who were desecrating the temple grounds with their money-grubbing business? Not to mention the mess that all the livestock were making! Out! Out! Out! He cleared them all out, those traders in things that didn’t belong in God’s house. And he had every right to do it, we tend to think. Serves them right, despoiling sacred space with their commerce — profiting off of the desire of the faithful to do something pleasing to God. Exploitation. Good riddance!

That’s how I usually think of Jesus’ actions, but this time it strikes me that there’s something that’s actually a little puzzling about all of this. I mean, just what was so bad about what was going on in the temple — the buying and selling of the animals that at that time anywa…