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 2:15-17
I can almost hear the slamming of tables and the jingling of rolling coins blending with the anxious bleating of animals and people shouting. I can picture Jesus in my mind’s eye, calmly, determinedly upturning tables and driving out those desecrating this place that belonged to the creator of the universe – that belonged to his father. This was personal. He was consumed with zeal.
According to dictionary.com, zeal means “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective.” What was his cause? Jesus said to them, “do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” He was cleaning out what should not belong in the temple because it was the place that held the precious, holy presence of God.
Paul teaches us in another place: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, my emphasis).
Today we do not have a temple in Jerusalem. Instead, God lives within us. And yet, we find it still necessary to “clean out” our own temples. What have we let clutter the corners of our hearts? What tables would Jesus need to overturn in our own lives? We don’t often approach this task of cleansing our own selves with such zeal! Yet, once our hearts have been submitted to Christ and cleared of the chaff, we will once again be able to hold the presence of a Holy God.
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. ~ 1 Corinthians 3:17
Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay
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