Mark 11:15-19
It's human nature to always be thinking about how to earn a little extra cash. The people in Jerusalem were no different. Because Jesus had not yet died to become our eternal sacrifice, it was still common practice to sacrifice animals for atonement of sin. The people of Jerusalem decided to make that process a little easier on everyone and sell the animals right there at the temple. It's actually a little funny to picture it. "What sin are you atoning for? Oh, well you need to be at the bull table right over there." "Two for one sale on doves today. Get em while they're cheap." Maybe they even had a bargain bulk section for large (and sinful) families. Okay, joking aside, this was not God's intended purpose for the temple. The temple was meant to be a place of worship and prayer. "I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations." (Isaiah 56:7b NLT) Sacrifices were also supposed to be made at the Temple, but by finding a way to profit from it, the people had taken God's Holy place and turned it into a sinful marketplace. "You have turned it into a den of thieves." (vs. 17b NLT) Here's some food for thought: If our bodies are temples (1 Corinthians 6:19), what are we using them for? personal gain? or worship with Jesus?
Principle: God's house is for communion with Him, not for sinful profit.Application:
1. What in my life does Jesus need to cleanse so that I can be in unhindered fellowship with Him?
2. How can my home (and my life) become a house of prayer for all nations?
3. How do I respond when God reveals sin in my life?
In my opinion, a lot of Christians miss the point of this text. These verses are routinely used to argue that churches shouldn't have bake sales, garage sales, etc. This totally misses the point. The key thoughts are "house of prayer for all the nations" and "thieves/robbers." The place where the buying and selling happened was "the court of the gentiles" a place which was supposed to be set aside for God-fearing gentiles to pray. But the real key is the word "robbers." Because Roman coins had the image of Caesar on it, they required people to convert it into "temple money" before sacrifices could be purchased. The exchange rate was ridiculously high. This is what Jesus objected to. Lord may I be zealous for what you are zealous for, and may I resist the tempation to become legalistic in the application of your word.
ReplyDeleteTo those who don't know him, Jesus is often portrayed as super gentle, almost effeminate in nature. In these last few lessons we get a picture of "scary Jesus" -- cursing trees and knocking over tables. Jesus is the lamb... and the lion. And a warning I get from this (sorry Sarah, totally unconnected to your principle)is that we are not meant to always be meek, passive, step-on-me Christians. We can - and should - stand up, be vocal, and act out loud for righteousness.
ReplyDeleteI had trouble posting and when I retyped my thoughts I left out something important, namely the idea that because the buying and selling took place in the court of the Gentiles, it was impossible for them to pray there with the commotion with the live animals, etc. This is the first part that bothered Jesus.
ReplyDeleteHow many times have I just read the words in today’s scriptures and never went beyond that. Maybe I was just reading out of obedience and now I’ m getting some meat and really enjoying it. Thanks all for your help:)
ReplyDelete