Monday
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money – changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you make it a den of robbers.” Matthew 21: 12-13
Mark 11: 15-18, Luke 19: 45-48
The temple had become a modern-day vendor or farmers market. However, the people set up shop in the temple. To Jesus this was an ungodly activity to do in the temple. He went in and cleansed it. This kind of activity in the temple shows hypocrisy, greed, self-interest, immorality, and disrespect in God’s house.
Jesus is the authority and leader, he is Christ the Lord. He demands that His church keeps its temple a house of prayer. Jesus biggest concern is for holiness. This is the moral purity, spiritual wholeness, separation from evil, and dedication to God. He was also focused on the sincerity within His church. In Ephesians 5:25-27 says, husbands love your wives, as christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Jesus died that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her … that he might present the church…. holy and without blemish.
The temple was/is a place to worship God. We must have deep devotion to God. It must be authentic. It is here that God’s people encounter Him. Through true worship we grow in sincere love for God and have a desire to follow His desire and will.
There will be a day that we will be judged on how we respect the house of prayer. We must not make it a place that is about personal gain, personal glory, and self promotion. We must take a stand within the church to not promote disrespect and irreverence to God.
Lets’ keep our house of prayer – our church/temple as place to encounter God, to Honor Him. Let’s keep it for What He desires his House of prayer to be.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending your son to save us. Jesus is an example of who we should be. I pray that we will keep your house as a house of prayer. That we will encounter you.
In Jesus Name
Amen
