By Andrew Williams – April 9, 2021
“So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.” Mark 11:15-18 NKJV
INTRODUCTION
This passage teaches us that God’s intended purpose for temple worship was not being adhered to. As time progressed and the leaders drifted away from God, we see things being tolerated in the temple that God didn’t allow. As we look at redirecting our focus today we will ask the pertinent questions to gauge our level of obedience to God’s voice.
TRADITION
I’m not sure which church denomination you attend, but I’m sure that there are traditions/doctrines/teachings that define your denomination. There may be events like harvest ingathering, concerts or rallies that are seen as the norm within the church. Some churches may only ordain men, many only allow the clergy to preach, or may allow any member to preach/teach.
Whatever the tradition may be, it is usually justified by some passage of scripture. In this passage the Jewish leaders allowed the sale of animals and other commerce in the temple, however, these practices were specifically prohibited by God when He gave the temple regulations to Moses.
God SPOKE to Moses and gave him detailed instructions, and Moses wrote these down for the people to follow. As the years went by the Jews adjusted these instructions and allowed things that wasn’t in God’s original plan.
We don’t live under the old covenant now. We are now the church, the body of Jesus Christ. I wonder if we are guilty of instituting traditions which have caused us to drift away from God’s design for His church. Are we obeying God’s commands and are we really living the way the body of Christ should?
WHIPPED
“Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.” In doing this Jesus was showing the people that they were desecrating the temple.
Jesus’ actions showed His love for God and His zeal for the house of God . It also highlighted that the priests were not following God’s regulations for the use of the temple. God’s house of prayer was to be a place for worshipping God and fellowshipping with God, but now it was being used as a marketplace. What insolence! This was totally disrespectful to God!
I wonder, are we disrespecting God like the Jews did? Have we repurposed the church to be something that God didn’t envision it to be? Is God pleased with us?
If Jesus Christ returned today, would He find us serving God the way He directed us to? Are we in need of a whipping to get us back into worshiping God the way we should? Are we willing to examine ourselves and make the necessary changes to be in right standing with God?
RETURN
Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ Jesus is reminding His listeners of the true purpose of the temple while contrasting it with what it has become.
We note that the leaders were not pleased with Jesus’ teaching and they sought ways to kill him. When we are doing wrong we don’t like to hear the truth. What Jesus did should have spurred the leaders to want to change but instead the looked for ways to get rid of Him.
The response of the temple leaders showed that they did not truly honor God, and that they were more interested in traditions and making money from what was taking place in the temple. As a church, are we guilty of sinning against God in similar ways?
As we examine ourselves and our denominations, may we confess our sins and repent if we are missing God’s mark. Let us return to being who God ordained us to be His disciples who are to worship Him and fellowship with Him. The only way we can do this is to be fully surrendered and submitted to Him. Let us obey His every word and live our lives serving Him.
CONCLUSION
Jesus sought to redirect the focus of the Jews from their religious traditions and misguided worship back to prayerful worship and fellowship with God. It’s easy to get caught up in religious activities and other church related events and lose sight of what God truly desires of us. As we ponder the questions that were asked, may we be honest in our evaluation and return to worship God the way He deserves.
PRAYER : Father God, please convict us of our sins and show us how to truly worship You. We repent and surrender fully to You. Teach us by Your Holy Spirit how to live submitted to You and we will serve You wholeheartedly. We commit to obey Your every word and we now shun every tradition and practice that is against Your will. Strengthen us for the journey ahead, I pray, amen.