They came to Jerusalem, and he went into the temple and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. He was teaching them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!” The chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching. Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city. Mark 11:15-19 CSB
A Holy Discontent
On Monday, after spending the night in Bethany, Jesus and the disciples were on their way back to Jerusalem, to the Temple. God had sanctified the Temple by dwelling in it, therefore everything in it must be kept holy. The site of the Temple was where God met His people. But things had changed, and people were using the temple for more than worshipping God. When he got there, he found animals and tables were everywhere. The temple leaders had allowed moneychangers and merchants to do their business in the house of the Lord. When Jesus came into the courtyard of the temple that day he was filled with holy discontent, or an uneasiness about how his Father’s house was being desecrated. Acting on that holy discontent Jesus threw out those who were buying and selling and overturned the tables of the money changers.
The temple was God’s house, and he deserved the respect of having his house treated as the holy sanctified place it was supposed to be. Their actions did not change what God had done. They didn’t erase the holiness of God dwelling there but what they did do was absolute disobedience and irreverence to him.
Jesus went into the temple that day and cleaned out everything that was not supposed to be there. He cleared out all the things that did not bring honor, glory, and proper worship to a holy God that resided there. We walk around in that temple every day. We take that temple with us everywhere we go – holy or unholy.
We need the holy discontent of Jesus to come in and clean everything out of our temple so that proper worship to God can be restored. On a daily basis at least we need a holy cleansing so that we can carry the temple well. Just as weeds take over a garden, the seeds of bitterness and anger will take over our hearts if they are not tended to. As Pastor Jim said yesterday, anger is not bad but when we allow anger and bitterness to lead us into sin, that is wrong. If you are angry, realize that you are a normal human being with the emotions that God gave you. But figure it out. Talk to God. Talk to someone else. Hit a punching bag in the garage and yell into your pillow. Work it out. and don’t let it destroy your heart and don’t let it lead you into sin. Every time we take our emotions out on a living breathing being, it is a sin.
Remember your body is a temple where God resides. Everywhere you go, everything you see, everything you hear, and everything you do goes into that temple. And that temple is on display to a lost and hurting world. They need the God that resides within you. What they see you do, and what they hear you say is a testimony of his love and what life in him looks like to them. What they need to see is a follower of Jesus who lives and loves like him - a life lived in worship to him. Worship is not a moment on Sunday, but a way of life and we need our temple to always be cleaned out so we can give proper worship to him with our lives. Surrender and ask him to clean out everything that does not honor him every day - and more than once a day if needed.
What are you letting into the temple?
What are you spewing out of the temple.
What are you letting take root in your heart – the heart of the temple?
