Holy Week - Monday - Jesus has authority over what tries to keep us from God

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

God’s House is appointed by God, through the hearts of his people, to be place where we can come  to meet with the Lord and to hear his Word.

The problem on this particular day was that those who bought and sold sacrificial merchandise had absolutely lost there reverence for the temple and what it stood for and turned something sacred and beautiful into a money-making scheme that took advantage those who came into the temple area empty-handed.

Jesus walked into his own house and found the price-gouging merchants taking all they could from would be worshipers who could not afford it. The “Love of Money”, the root of all evil, had found its place inside the very House of God.  Jesus came to Jerusalem to freely give all that Heaven had to offer to purchase the souls of men at no cost to them. At the same time, those who were supposed to be providing a way for God's people to worship were actually taking advantage of the worshipers who came to the Temple empty handed.

 IT’S NO WONDER JESUS BECAME SO ANGRY!

We use the whole idea of "Jesus got angry" to justify our own anger but, looking at this in light of all the other things that Jesus did this week... I'm not sure this is so much about Him being angry as it is WHY He was angry and what He did with that anger.

Remember... He is going to die in a few days. He knows His earthly ministry is coming to a close. So why pitch a fit in the Temple this week? Surely it wasn't so that we could justify getting angry and turning "sinners" away from the church in 2019.

So what gives?

When He cleansed the Temple, He removed the thing (money loving sacrifice merchandise sellers) keeping His people from Him. This was what He did the entire time He was here... he consistently removed the things that came between people and God.

WOW

Maybe the Cleansing of the temple wasn't really about Jesus pitching a fit at all!!  Perhaps cleansing the Temple was totally about Jesus showing us that HE HAS AUTHORITY over whatever tries to keep us from God.

I'm sure there are more reverent and theologically impressive things to take away from Jesus cleansing the Temple, but ...

Today I am left with this simple thought:



Jesus has complete authority over whatever Satan puts in place to keep us from God. Not only does he HAVE authority over sin... he is not afraid to use it!

Much love and big big hugs!

K