40 Days in the Book of JOHN
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days in the Book of JOHN
Day 5 | JESUS CLEARS THE TEMPLE | John 2:14-16
40 Days in the Book of JOHN
Day 5 | JESUS CLEARS THE TEMPLE | John 2:14-16
JESUS CLEARS THE TEMPLE
John 2:14-16
“And within the temple grounds He found those who were selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. And He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, ‘Take these things away from here; stop making My Father’s house a place of business!’” (NAS)
I remember growing up and going to Sunday School as a little kid. I remember learning about Jesus and how kind, loving, patient, and good He was. I don’t remember the Sunday School lady telling us much about Jesus getting angry as He did here.
But Jesus got really ANGRY here with all the salesmen who were profiting off of the Jews… those who were going to the Temple (aka his “Father’s House”) to seek forgiveness from the Lord God. If the worshipers didn’t arrive with the required sacrifice (ox, sheep, or doves) they were made available to BUY for only a “slight” profit (Slight, yeah right) for the salespeople. (By the way, this was the first of two times recorded in the Gospels that Jesus cleansed the temple of the profiteers.)
Jesus was passionate about treating people with kindness and consideration. And He was also passionate about the Temple and the Jews who worshiped their Lord God there. It was a holy place and the grounds needed to be revered and treated with respect. Thus, the selling and profiting from the sale of necessary items for worship and forgiveness was heresy to Him, and rightly so. We should feel as Jesus did.
PRAYER: Lord, may my worship of you be as pure and blameless as that which Jesus was trying to affect when He was walking the earth. May I have the same mindset that He did when I “come boldly before the throne of grace” – and pray and talk with You. Amen.
John 2:14-16
“And within the temple grounds He found those who were selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. And He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, ‘Take these things away from here; stop making My Father’s house a place of business!’” (NAS)
I remember growing up and going to Sunday School as a little kid. I remember learning about Jesus and how kind, loving, patient, and good He was. I don’t remember the Sunday School lady telling us much about Jesus getting angry as He did here.
But Jesus got really ANGRY here with all the salesmen who were profiting off of the Jews… those who were going to the Temple (aka his “Father’s House”) to seek forgiveness from the Lord God. If the worshipers didn’t arrive with the required sacrifice (ox, sheep, or doves) they were made available to BUY for only a “slight” profit (Slight, yeah right) for the salespeople. (By the way, this was the first of two times recorded in the Gospels that Jesus cleansed the temple of the profiteers.)
Jesus was passionate about treating people with kindness and consideration. And He was also passionate about the Temple and the Jews who worshiped their Lord God there. It was a holy place and the grounds needed to be revered and treated with respect. Thus, the selling and profiting from the sale of necessary items for worship and forgiveness was heresy to Him, and rightly so. We should feel as Jesus did.
PRAYER: Lord, may my worship of you be as pure and blameless as that which Jesus was trying to affect when He was walking the earth. May I have the same mindset that He did when I “come boldly before the throne of grace” – and pray and talk with You. Amen.