Was Jesus violent?
One of the claims made about Jesus by some atheists is that they believe he was a violent person. To back up the claim they refer to the gospel story of Jesus driving the money changers out of the temple area. The gospels record how Jesus made a whip (more on that in a minute) and then forced the traders in the temple to leave.
This story comes from the beginning of Holy Week (probably on the Monday but maybe on Sunday).
I disagree with the violent interpretation of the event (I’m sure you are not surprised to read that). I do believe it was a very forceful experience but we see other forceful events in the gospels (like when Jesus challenges the religious authorities, etc.).
The whip (we can understand from the language used) is really a small kind of whip used to guide animals and not the cat of nine tails that is portrayed by some. Given that a great deal of the trade in the temple concerned animals it is perhaps not surprising that Jesus felt the need to use some kind of guiding whip to get the animals to move. There is no account of him actually whipping anyone.
I am not trying to portray Jesus as a meek and mild person who would be afraid to raise his voice in case it offended someone but to claim Jesus was a war monger is, in my opinion, simply nonsense.
The clearing of the temple, however, is very important to the start of Holy Week. It reminds us of the passion of Jesus for removing barriers to God. It reminds us that we should take care not to let work stop us from having a spiritual life. It reminds us that this week is Holy and should be treated as a time to think about who Jesus really is.