Jesus Flipped Tables. He Didn’t Walk Away from the Church.

Confronting hypocrisy doesn’t mean abandoning theology.

A few years ago, I sat across the table from two church leaders who wore their “empathy” like a badge of moral superiority (Rumi and Richard Rohr quotes donned their email signatures, which were telling by themselves). The conversation started civilly enough. I had raised a concern about how biblical authority was being increasingly sidelined in favor of emotional resonance and cultural accommodation. I asked, sincerely, “But what does the Scripture say?” One of them leaned in and replied, “Seeing people is more important than quoting Scripture.” I paused, trying to stay calm. “Seeing people is essential,” I said. “But seeing them is only the beginning. If we stop there, we leave them in their pain. Truth is what leads them out.”

The exchange went back and forth. It was clear that for them that emotional validation had replaced biblical fidelity. And then came the moment. One of them, with that passive-aggressive, smile-through-the-rebuke tone only progressive Christianity has perfected, said, “Honestly, you’re sounding like a modern-day Pharisee.”

Thankfully, I didn’t take the bait, and I didn’t try to prove my point. I thanked them for their honesty, and then I left. But I couldn’t shake the accusation, so I went home and did what I’ve tried to do my entire life when challenged: I opened the Scriptures.

I wasn’t trying to win an argument. I wasn’t trying to nurse a wound. In fact, I wanted to know if they were right. Had I lost the heart of the gospel in my pursuit of doctrinal fidelity? Maybe I had. Was I more like the Pharisees than I realized? I asked the Holy Spirit to search me and called a mentor. And I dove headfirst into the Gospels to find out who Jesus really rebuked…and why.

Here’s what I found:

There’s a cultural narrative that’s been baptized in cynicism and fed by spiritual exhaustion. It gets repeated with smug bravado, especially by those who’ve deconstructed their way into theological ambiguity.

“Jesus rebuked the religious crowd more than anyone.” You’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve said it.

But here’s the problem, and I say this respectfully but clearly: the people quoting this line rarely know what they’re talking about theologically and contextually.

More often than not, the aphorism is used as a license for spiritual isolation, as if Jesus’ confrontation of the Pharisees permits us to reject biblical authority, ghost the Church, and redefine Christianity on our own terms.

But that’s not what happened. Yes, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees. Yes, He turned over tables. But no, He didn’t denounce the Law. No, He didn’t dismantle theology. And no, He didn’t give you a free pass to “just follow Jesus” while ghosting His Body. The people quoting Jesus to justify their exit from the Church are not aligning with Christ; they’re betraying Him.

Matthew 23 in Context

Let’s talk about the go-to chapter. Matthew 23 is often weaponized by those who want to justify walking away. They quote the “woes” of Jesus like He’s some first-century anarchist sent to nuke institutional religion.

But they ignore the very first thing He says: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do.”

That’s a direct quote, and it’s not a minor point.

Jesus affirms the office, affirms the Law, and affirms the weight of what is taught from that seat. He doesn’t say, “Reject it all.” He says, “Do what they say, not what they do.” That’s not a rebuke of doctrine. That’s a rebuke of duplicity.

He’s not throwing out the Law of Moses, He’s exposing the people who pretended to uphold it while living in rebellion against it. Jesus doesn’t dismantle authority. He exposes the rot within it. And that distinction matters deeply, because if you miss it, you’ll confuse confrontation with rejection. Jesus didn’t reject the system. He rebuked the sin hiding inside it.

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Jesus Didn’t Dismantle the Temple. He Cleansed It.

Jesus didn’t come to deconstruct the people of God. He came to redeem them. He didn’t come to torch the temple system, either. He came to fulfill it. That’s what He said in Matthew 5: “I have not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.”

He didn’t rage against the idea of spiritual community. He established the Church and called it His Bride. And He didn’t attack orthodoxy, either. He attacked hypocrisy.

That’s a massive distinction in this cultural moment, because we are living in a day when people confuse spiritual trauma with spiritual truth. The fact that Jesus flipped tables isn’t justification for ghosting the Church. It’s a call to reclaim what belongs to Him. Flipping tables isn’t about abandonment, it’s about ownership. He doesn’t walk away. He walks in, purifies, restores, and reclaims what’s His.

Walking Away from the Church Isn’t Discernment, It’s Disobedience

Let’s stop pretending that spiritual autonomy is some kind of discernment, because it’s not. It’s rebellion. If Jesus hasn’t walked away from the Church, we don’t get to either. The Church is His Body. His Bride. His design. His mission. His people. We don’t get Jesus without His Church. We don’t get the Head without the Body. And so, to detach yourself from covenant community because of frustration or disillusionment is not maturity; it’s flat-out disobedience. In fact, it’s not spiritual wisdom, it’s confusion.

There is no category in the New Testament for a follower of Jesus who isn’t tethered to the Church. None. Every command to love, serve, submit, forgive, exhort, and confess assumes one thing: that you are in proximity to other believers. You can’t practice New Testament Christianity in isolation. And no, podcasts, YouTube sermons, and Instagram reels are not a substitute for covenant.

Let’s stop pretending that spiritual autonomy is some kind of discernment. It’s not. It’s rebellion.

When Abuse Is Real, But So Is the Call to Stay Anchored

Let’s be honest. Church hurt is real. Abuse is real. Corruption is real. Lousy leaders are real. And we have to be the first ones to say it, not deny it, downplay it, or excuse it. If you’ve suffered under spiritual abuse, or if you’ve been manipulated, controlled, or gaslit in the name of Jesus, that pain is not imaginary. It’s wrong. And it matters.

But your pain, however real, does not rewrite the design of God for your life. Jesus still bled for the Church. He still calls her His Bride. He’s still building her. And He still commands you to be part of her. Running from the Church because of her failures is not reformation, it’s rejection. Jesus never said, “When things get hard, leave.” He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” There’s no healing in detachment, and there’s no maturity in avoidance. If you’re hurting, find a faithful church. Get in covenant. Get planted. Stay planted. Bring your wounds. Let the Lord heal you. But don’t use trauma as an excuse to bail on His Body.

Sound Doctrine is Critical

There’s a rising suspicion of theology in our day, as if clarity equals arrogance and conviction equals control. And in some circles, it’s become fashionable to reject doctrine altogether. But that’s not what Jesus taught. “Do what they say,” He told His followers, “just don’t do what they do.”

That’s an affirmation of right teaching. Jesus didn’t denounce the Law. He corrected its misuse. And that matters, because we don’t need less theology, we need deeper formation. Our problem isn’t that we’re over-taught. It’s that we’re under-formed. We have information without transformation and orthodoxy without obedience. But the answer to Pharisaical hypocrisy isn’t theological minimalism, it’s Spirit-empowered maturity. Don’t throw out sound doctrine because someone preached it poorly. That’s not healing. That’s immaturity.

You Don’t Get to Critique the Church From the Outside

One of the most dangerous trends in this generation is the rise of self-appointed prophets who believe they can critique the Church without belonging to her. They don’t serve anywhere. They’re not submitted to leadership. They’re not in covenant with a body. But they have plenty to say. They write hot takes. They shame the Bride. They and their cynical posse troll Facebook. They post fiery, razor-sharp comments. But they carry no burden.

Listen, that’s not prophetic. That’s pride.

In Scripture, prophets were part of the people they rebuked. They loved the ones they warned. They wept over the ones they corrected. They didn’t throw stones from the sidelines, they stood inside the fire with the people they were sent to.

Rebuke without covenant is just criticism. And heaven isn’t moved by your opinions. God isn’t looking for spectators. He’s looking for mature disciples. He’s looking for covenant keepers. If you’re not carrying the weight of love for the Church, you don’t get to speak with authority about her.

Don’t Blame the Way for the Pharisees

If you’ve seen abuse, I’m sorry. And…that’s not the fault of the gospel. If you’ve experienced manipulation, that’s not the fault of the Spirit. If you’ve sat under dead teaching, that’s not the fault of the Word. Don’t confuse the misuse of something sacred with the thing itself.

The failures of church leaders don’t invalidate the Church. The sin of a pastor doesn’t negate the design of God. You don’t abandon the Body because someone modeled it poorly. You press in. You dig deeper. You fight for what’s real. And you become what Jesus is calling His Church to be. He hasn’t abandoned His Bride. He’s refining her. Purifying her. Confronting her. And calling her back to covenant with Himself.

We Need a Gutsy, Covenant-Keeping Generation

We don’t need more critics. We need more builders like Nehemiah. We don’t need more people calling out the Church from the outside. We need more people carrying a burden for her on the inside. Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Church. He came to build her. And if you claim to follow Him, that’s your job too.

The way forward isn’t isolation. It’s intercession. It’s covenant. It’s perseverance.

Jesus is returning for a pure, mature Bride, not a scattered group of spiritual freelancers. So if you’re hurt, come home and get healed. If you’re bitter, forgive. If you’re disillusioned, ask for vision. But don’t stay outside the gates with your arms crossed and your heart cold.

Get in. Love the Church. Bleed for her if you have to. Why? Because Jesus did. And He still does.

If this work is helping you heal what’s holding you back and walk in wholeness, you can invest in the mission here.

For more, I invite you to check out my book,Healing What You Can’t Erase, and listen to my weekly podcast,Win Today: Your Roadmap to Wholeness.