Cleansing the Temple
Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers. Matthew 21:12-13
Wow! What a day that must have been! To see Jesus riled up enough to tip over tables and actively destroy money-making plans must have been quite a sight. I’m not sure that I would want to see Him angry and frustrated. How about you?
In the world today, I wonder if He gets frustrated, annoyed, or irate. We do, but then again, we are mere mortals who are just passing through.
His rampage had a significant purpose. He was displeased with what the temple had become and needed to make everyone aware. Jesus could have stopped after shoving everything off the tables but He didn’t stop there. With a mighty push, each table was turned over. I’d also like to think He opened each dove cage and gently freed them (kind of like He freed us).
From Hs course of action, there are some things for us to ponder. He didn’t just scatter the visible, but turned over the foundation that was holding the money and items to be sacrificed. Then with a stern voice He spoke to all of them.
Perhaps over time, they had forgotten the concept of temple time. Little by little, they did not stand their ground and lost their spiritual footing. Is that what is happening to us today? Have we turned temple time into something else? Has our church become an activity-driven place?
This is a message for all of us: My house will be called a house of prayer! Within our church walls, most of us spend lots of time in prayer for our world today but what about us as individuals?
We are His temple! It would be unwise to give up and let worldly ideas take over now. More than ever before, prayer is necessary. With wars, threats of war, politics, school shootings, drugs, diseases and so much more, we must have that desire to pray.
When we pray, we become stronger in Him so that we can stand taller, feel more secure, and remain fearless.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your word that reminds us to dig in and keep praying. Let us never waiver or lose our spiritual footing. AMEN.