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That Includes and Begins with Us!
From John 2:13-22: The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Our Lenten Journey is a cleansing one. We seek to give up those things that affect us negatively, and we seek to take up those things that bless us and bless God. This story is one of most powerful stories in Jesus' ministry. Having just entered Jerusalem in a mighty way, Jesus' acceptance crowd on that Palm Sunday quickly turns against Him for this act. Jesus finds the Temple not as a place for worship and prayer, but as a money-making operation for the powers that be. Yes, cattle, sheep, and doves were a part of the sacrificial aspects of worship, they had overrun the temple and instead of having come from people's homes, they were now a part of how the temple officials made their money. Some have invited us to consider the smells of what should be a sweet-smelling place of worship to a barn. Jesus drove out the money-makers, and the livestock, and overturned the tables. His words reflect his anger, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!"
What in us has made our temple, our body, a marketplace? Do we not know that our temples should be the house of God? Can God live in a house filled with anger, regret, doubt, lust, drugs, addictions, and a list too long to list here? We should drive out those things that stink up our temple and ask God's sweet-smelling presence to replace them. Our lives, guided and blessed by the presence of the living God will call to others to join us.
PRAYER: Living God, live in me. Help me to rid my temple of those things that offend You and Yours. I want to be a sweet-smelling sacrifice of Your love. Help me to be a witness of that grace. This I pray in the He who lives in me, Jesus the Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
