Table Flipping Jesus –  Today is Ash Wednesday, and Rev. Stacey Harwell-Dye’s homily is based on Mark’s version of Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers in the Temple.  She begins by saying how her views of this story have changed over the years.  She cites writings of A. J. Levine and says that money changing and selling animals for sacrifice in the Temple were necessary, since many of those coming to the Temple came from long distances where their coins were different, and they could not bring sacrificial animals on those long trips.  Because those Temple businesses were necessary, Jesus’ anger instead must have been that the Temple was not welcoming to all people.  It presses us as individuals and as a church to examine whether our welcoming of others is shallow, and we need to be more embracing and helpful.  Are we among the hypocrites whom Jesus is criticizing?  Lent and ashes give us the opportunity to recognize when there is a need to flip tables.  May we lean toward life, not death.