Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, [also] the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”
John 2:13-16
Now we’ll ask a simple question. Who here was maimed, wounded, crippled, or killed?
Not a single person is mentioned, not a living soul — not even the animals. The Gospel does not specify whether or not Christ used violence (either struck someone or threatened to do so) or whether his anger alone struck the fear of God into people’s hearts and awakened their conscience and fear of God. It also does not specify for what purposes the whip was used — to drive away people or animals by blows or cracks of the whip (oxen and sheep are controlled in this manner without intent to hurt, unless, of course, the driver aims to injure the owner’s cattle). But it highlights that Christ never treated anyone, even the most wicked of people, like cattle. Moreover, the uncertainties connected with the word ‘also’ make the idea of threats and violence against people even less credible.