Zeal for His House/Part One
The “Red Letter” Words of Jesus
Day Seventeen
Now
the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He
found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money
changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all
out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’
money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a
house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was
written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” John 2:13-17 (NKJV)
A
couple years ago I went to an ordination service at a local church to see a
dear friend receive her minister’s license. I was somewhat surprised by what
greeted me when I walked into the church’s foyer. It had a coffee shop,
complete with cute little tables, coffee, smoothies and snacks. They also had
displays of books, music cd’s, and t-shirts for sale. Everyone enjoyed
themselves in the festive atmosphere.
Even
though I arrived a little early, I decided to find a seat in the sanctuary
before the crowds came in. The district denomination’s leaders had called a
prayer meeting during that time. Five people showed up for the prayer meeting.
I
want to be careful here…there’s nothing wrong with all the amenities the church
provided. It drew people to the church. However, it saddened me to see the
hundreds versus the five.
In today’s
scriptures, out of necessity there were stalls of animals and moneychangers.
Many people traveled a long distance to visit the temple. Instead of trying to
bring animals on the journey for the sacrifices, people found it easier to
purchase the animals once they arrived in the holy city, Jerusalem. Hence, the stalls of animals
and cages with doves for sale. Many folks had to pay a temple tax of half a
shekel and it could only be paid by using holy currency. Hence, the need for
moneychangers.
The
problem wasn’t the stalls of animals or moneychangers. The problem was where
these were located. We’ll take a closer look at that in the next devotion.
Reflecting
back on the church I mentioned, I can’t help wonder what the Lord thought of
all the commotion. Again, I’m not saying their actions were wrong but I have to
admit, as I sat in my chair in the quiet sanctuary, today’s verses came to my
mind as I contemplated what I saw.
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