Make Room
Matthew 21:12-15 Jesus
entered the temple area 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. 13 “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.’” 14 The blind and the
lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief
priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the
children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were
indignant.
THIS scene at the temple is backward, isn’t it? A space in
the temple court called the Gentile Court that was designed for prayer was
being used instead by priests and merchants seeking profit. The priests forced
people to buy “approved” animals for sacrifice. And even more, they required
those animals be purchased with high-grade silver coins. Of course, pilgrims
coming from the countryside and far off countries were forced to fulfill these
greedy demands if they wanted to complete the sacrificial rites in the temple. In
addition, many blind and handicapped people were at the temple hoping to
receive offerings from people who came to worship. The offerings were few.
In short, one can
say that money was worshiped more than God. The place of prayer was covered
with greed, and selfish people refused to care for those whose lives depended
on offerings.
Thus, Jesus
cleansed the temple to remove the sin and reveal God’s mercy as the true riches
to be gathered there.
But sadly we see
the hard hold money has on man’s hearts. The priests and teachers lost income,
and they were very angry.
LIFE Link: What fills your heart?
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