The Tone of Voice

07.31.13

John 2.16 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” (ESV)

John’s gospel takes on a very different slant than does the others; John focuses on conversations. The difficulty of this is we don’t get the opportunity to see the faces of the conversants or hear the tone of their voices. Jesus was mad – more at indignant (and certainly offended) – and the Pharisees and priests were defensive. When Jesus said, “…do not make my Father's house a house of trade…” what He was really saying was: DO NOT MAKE MY FATHERS HOUSE A HOUSE OF TRADE!!! DAMMIT! DO THAT SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! Thunder would’ve been relatively quiet compared to this.

For sure, Jesus was always cool, calm, and collected (that’s the definition of meekness: power under strict control) but occasionally He let loose: GET THIS CRAP OUTTA HERE!!! The crowd was in utter turmoil as a result. Thunderstruck might be a good word here.

And the Priests and Pharisees were whiny and defensive: Jesus was raining (reigning) on their corrupt little trade: “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” (V. 18) (What gives You the right to do what You just did – prove Your authority!) Who was this Guy who just chased all their sacrifices out? The Priests and Pharisees were peeved!

This was an angry exchange but it was a necessary exchange; this behavior is never mentioned in the narrative again. God’s will was done.

What does it take in our lives to get us to stop doing stupid things (and believing them to be good things)? What kind of tone in the voice gets out attention? I want to know that the one who rebukes me, cares for me. It makes a difference. I get defensive when I know otherwise. Of course my defensiveness reveals a weakness in me and a selectiveness that I really have no right to have. When I am rebuked, whether deservedly or otherwise I am to submit out of reverence for Christ. The bottom line is if I have offended someone I need to attempt to make it right – and do so with a good attitude.

And that goes for email and texting as well (or other written communication); it’s hard to hear the tone when you can’t hear the voice or see the face. AND – I need to remember the tone of voice in Scripture. When there is a heated exchange in the Bible, I should not gloss over it in a quiet interpretation of just words on a page: DO NOT MAKE MY FATHERS HOUSE A HOUSE OF TRADE!!! deserves my attention, respect, and compliance whether I like the sound of it or not…

Father, help me to deal with rebuke by learning from it and to pay attention to the situation and not just the punctuation. May I reflect Your values in communicating and also in serving the needs of others, especially when my actions have caused them to be offended or to become upset with me. And may I remember Jesus words to the religious: DO WHAT YOU DO BECAUSE YOU KNOW GOD WOULD APPROVE; DON’T DO IT IF HE DOESN’T… amen.