• The Temple Altar (not the sacrifice on it)
• The Lord of Hosts (not the Temple which housed His name)
• The Lord of Heaven (not the heavenly throne He occupies)

You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?  Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.  And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.  And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

Sacred Reminders about the Risk of Sacrilegious Words

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• Chief Priests
• Teachers of the Law
• Leaders Among the People

Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.

Jesus’s Actions Were Deeds Done in Daylight, but His Adversaries Preferred to Try Deeds of Darkness

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• Chief Priests
• Temple Guard Officers
• Jewish Elders

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs?

Jesus’ Words of Truth were More Powerful than the Crude Weapons Wielded by a Rough Crowd — Clubs Were NOT Trumps!

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• Cattle
• Sheep
• Doves

 Jesus Made Change

• Made a Whip
• Drove All Out
• Scattered Money Changers’ Coins
• Overturned Their Tables

In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.  So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. NIV

He Scattered Coins to Gather Hearts

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• Saw (Him)
• Stirred Up (the Whole Crowd)
• Seized (Him) with Shouting

Paul’s Enemies Claimed …

• Teaches All/Everywhere
  • Against Jewish People
  • Against Jewish Law
  • Against Jewish Temple
• Brings Gentiles into (a restricted part of the Temple
• Defiles God’s Holy Place (Temple)

When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, “Men of Israel, help us!  This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place. NIV

Paul, in a Way, Paid for His Own Mob-Riot, Arrest, Beating, and Long-Term Imprisonment when He Paid for This Group-Rate Ritual of Worship– All for One Low Price. Such a Deal He Got!

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