The Crucifixion and the Resurrection are - and should be - central to the Christian faith, but Jesus chasing the money changers from the Temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:12-13) should be central to spreading that faith. That act addresses the contempt that many people have for religion.
Jesus was a revolutionary, but not the revolutionary that people expected Him to be. When He entered Jerusalem, people expected Him to lead a revolution against the Roman conquerors. Instead, one of the first things that He did was to rebel against His religion.
By chasing the money changers from the temple, Jesus acknowledged that religion was a racket. He signaled that a person should not have to have money to be saved. Jesus sent a message to those who most need to hear it that we should not have to pay to worship. God does not demand a price for His love.
Christianity has a bad reputation because church leaders through the centuries have used Christianity as a racket. Fortunately, we have the scriptures to tell us what Jesus really preached, if only we read them for ourselves. The Gospels provide many other examples of Jesus challenging the assumptions of the pious.
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