The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” [John 2:13-17 ESV]
When considering the money-changers in the house of the Lord, I think that it is so tempting to speak of church foyers where money is changed as books, music and coffee are sold. It would be so easy to take pot shots at these things and miss the real issues of this passage.
Jesus was not purely speaking to the legalities of this practice of selling sacrificial sheep, oxen and pigeons but to the heart of it. Man had made something profitable out of something that was meant to be prophetic. Man had taken something sacred and made it something crass.
When I think about things that are sacred I remember this question that the Apostle Paul asks:
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you?"Christians are indwelt by the very Spirit of God. Our bodies house new hearts that have been fashioned for the sacred. When I think about my heart I remember that, like that ancient Jewish temple, Jesus is zealous for it - he will drive out things that hinder me from entering that holy place of prayer.
Lord, help me to remember that my new heart is prophetic and made for prayer.
... this devotion is part of the Red Letters series. Click here to read more.
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