What is a moneychanger and why did Jesus not want them?

Answer 1

ARRRRGH! I get so exasperated sometimes because daily I see people giving completely wrong answers about Jewish related questions.

People who traveled long distances to worship at the Temple and where there was a sacrificial system in place, had the money of the lands they lived in.

Yes, the people in Jerusalem only accepted the coinage that was "legal tender" in that country and place. It is no different than a merchant in the United States NOT wanting to accept a peso or money from any other country for goods and services. Not everyone knows how to accurately exchange currency rates.

The money-changers were currency exchangers so that NOT ONLY could they purchase the incense, oils, doves and sheep, but so that they could purchase ANYTHING there in Jerusalem.

There were Jews who saw that this commerce shouldn't take place AT the Temple and found it offensive. One person was correct in that it was similar to having an ATM at a place of worship.

The pilgrims from foreign lands ( which ALSO INCLUDED GENTILES , which many non-Jews now seem to forget, also made pilgrimage, worshipped and sacrificed there ) saw this service as necessary because they did not wish to carry oils and spices that could spoil, or have to bring animals with them on such long journeys.
As a matter of fact, these transactions occurred in the Court of the Gentiles, a location in the massive Temple complex setup specifically for the purpose exchanging foreign coinage for local currency and purchase of sacrifical goods. The merchants and money-changers were as likely to have been Gentile as Jewish.

Now as to the New Testament story..I won't assume as to Jesus' reasons other than to perhaps tie them to what was known about other Jewish sect's reactions to the Temple sacrificial system. My reason for this is that the New Testament misconstrues a number of things about Judaism. One of the most common I read here in Y/A is that "only blood can atone for sin" which is NOT in the Torah at all. Leviticus explains that their belief was that the life force was in the blood and it was not to be consumed. Sacrifice, whethere animal or incense etc. ..was only a part of the system of "teshuva" or repentance and return and never the superior method..http://www.whatjewsbelieve.org/ has a whole page that will help you better understand this.
Intentional sins were also never pardoned under sacrifice.

Logic tells me that he was upset because they were using Temple grounds for exchanging currencies and concerned that the money changers were not giving the pilgrims a FAIR EXCHANGE.

The Temple priesthood were not merchants or money changers.

ross reads like a stereotype of an anti-semitic conspiracy theorist
Hoosier Daddy is so way off base he's outta the ball park.

The temple priests did NOT coin money.
The impropriety seen by Jews who did not see the importance of the sacrificial system ( and there were several sects who did not ..BECAUSE the Torah never said sacrifice was mandatory for atonement of sin!) saw that CURRENCY EXCHANGE on the TEMPLE grounds was NOT appropriate..period.

I hope this helps to clear up misconceptions.

Shalom

Answer 2

The rules of Temple Judaism of that day specified that all Jews had to pay an annual "temple tax" of one silver shekel. The Temple leaders ONLY accepted a specific coin as that "shekel". They would not accept any sort of other coinage other than the "Tyrian Shekel". The moneychangers were profiteers who essentially sold these specific coins to the Jews who came to the temple and did so at a very high markup.

Thus, "you have made it a den of thieves" was not an attack upon commerce in the Temple but upon people using the rules and practices of the religion as a way to make a boatload of money.

Answer 3

The money changers were not tax collectors, they were businessmen profiteering from people who had traveled great distances to worship. They were ripping off those godfearing people and turning the house of god into a place of merchandise.
Heaven forfend anything like this should happen today. LoL
Christmas card anyone?

Answer 4

Because Jesus said"god is a spirit and must be conciously contacted in truth and in spirit"
The money changer appitimised the opposite realization!

Answer 5

sadly like todays fake-religions on tv-etc...people have always tried to make a buck'where people gather,..like then in a temple-now in a church-etc...a place of worship is a place to worship GOD* not do some stupid business-transaction...

Answer 6

Because you didn't ordinarilly bring doves or pigeons with you on the trip, so, depending upon how much you could spend, you paid cash for either of the two at the temple so that you could make your sacrafice.Jesus was pissed because it was done on temple (church) grounds (property).

Oh, yeah. Up yurs, too, down arrow retards.

Answer 7

Basically it was like having an ATM machine at church.
The church is not there to make money, it is there to worship the almighty.

Answer 8

People were doing non church business in a church and making profit which has nothing to do with a church.

Answer 9

Taxcollector, and Jesus said nothing about not wanting them, He said, Come unto me ALL......

Answer 10

Religion has long had an anti-capitalist bent.