Week One

Week One

5:27

“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,’

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant,” Matthew‬ ‭21‬:‭12‬-‭15, ‭NIV‬‬.

The religious rulers allowed the selling of wares on the temple grounds. Maybe they justified this to make it easier for visitors. But it was offensive to God. Maybe they justified God’s way, thinking it would help out the locals, in order to curry favor? Or maybe they wanted to keep the money closer to the temple for control? Regardless, they did not regard God’s way as a priority.

Is there anything we are justifying, so others benefit, causing God to grow frustrated?

Jesus didn’t justify anything. He turned over tables in the temple area, causing a scene, yet this apparently was not the thing that irritated the religious leaders the most. It was when they saw the wonderful thing Jesus had done, and the way the children were praising Him that made the chief priests indignant. Why? Because Jesus was not playing their game.

I find it interesting that there were actually two groups that were frustrated, irritated and indignant—the religious leaders versus Jesus and His Father. The leaders were upset about the attention Jesus was getting, and Jesus was upset about the mistreatment of the gift His Father had given them.

God had designed the temple enabling His people to communicate with Him,

giving them the amazing gift of prayer. To meet God where He dwells. And the 1st century God followers neglected it.

We are given the gift of communication with our Creator, too. And He desires us to use it. Jesus did, every day, all the time. How else could He claim that He only spoke what His Father told Him, John 12:49? Jesus kept His line of communication open at all times with His Father.

If we are the temple of God, where His very Spirit dwells, what does God need to drive out from us? Are there tables inside our hearts that need to be flipped over, in order for us to pray more often and more effectively?

Have I been frivolous with my prayer time? Do I believe it will always be there whenever I decide to make time for it? Do I justify my daily calendar, and push prayer off to later in the day?

Do I desire to pray? Do I believe, there just doesn’t seem enough time in the day to do everything? Do I find myself asking others to pray for me, because I just don’t have it within myself to accomplish?

Yet, Jesus always found time to pray. It was His lifeline.

Is it ours?

Father,

Forgive us for the times we have been a frustration to You rather than a joy.

Forgive us for viewing prayer as a chore rather than a delight.

What sin have we justified, like the religious leaders? Is there anything we have allowed that has replaced what You want us to do?

Thank You for the example of Jesus’ passion. He did what was right, not what was popular. He prioritized Your way over His own. Help us to do the same.

Please overturn the tables that do not belong and deepen the sweetness of our time together.

Amen.