My Father’s House

Tables were overthrown. Coins were scattered. Money changers and cattle were driven out. Jesus’ righteous anger was on full display.

When Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover, He witnessed blatant corruption. The outer court of the temple, also known as the Court of the Gentiles, was the only area of the temple that granted access to Gentiles who came there to pray and meditate. But the Jewish leaders converted the place of worship into a marketplace. Pilgrims who came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover had to buy animals for sacrifices at unfair prices. Money changers charged exorbitant fees to exchange money into half-shekels. The greedy religious authorities took advantage of the poor and the foreigner who came to worship. They used God’s house for their selfish purposes.

Jesus’ holy anger drove Him to take action. His words demonstrated His divine authority to cleanse the temple: “Stop turning my Father’s house into a market.”

Churches today, too, can get noisy and crowded. We get caught up in various activities without having a real connection with God. We may be thinking we are serving the church when in fact, we could be using the church for our selfish reasons—to feel good about ourselves, to become popular, to gain power, to find a social circle, and so on.

And sometimes, unless Jesus intervenes, we never even realize that worship has taken a backseat in our lives. He opens our eyes to the corruption in our hearts. Only He has the power and authority to cleanse us and restore to us a heart of worship and prayer.

Respond

• What is your motivation to serve in your church?
• How are you responding to Jesus as He reveals to you the sins that you ignore?