I wonder what Jesus was thinking on this
day when he entered into the temple area
and he overthrow the seats and the tables
of the money changers and those that sell
doves.
You know this morning you wake up in
Bethany, he made his way to Bethphage, he
crossed over the mountain of Olives with the
Kidron Valley into the city of Jerusalem.
What was going through his heart and his
mind in that given moment that caused him
to do something like this?
I believe it was the wrong actions and
the wrong deeds that he saw was taking
place around the temple area all because of
the wrong motives from the hearts of those
people.
In the Old Testament there is a law
that required the people to travel all the
way to Israel three times a year during
the times of the festival and if you
would travel from Galilee to Jerusalem you would
walk between six and ten days depending on
the group of people that is with you
and how fast or how quickly you can
walk and if you would carry a little
lamb with you for an offering or even
a turtle dove you sometimes you would just
leave them at home because to travel with
those amount of days by the time you
get to the temple there might be a
spot on that little offering that you wanted
to give to God and so the priest
was very strong about this for you just
to leave this at home you can buy
something like this at the temple and then
they would add extra money to that as
a commission and also if you want to
give a special offering into the temple you
have to pay also the exchange rate into
a special temple coin so to go to
the temple three times here becomes a money
making thing it's very expensive just like today
when you go on vacation you pay more
for the gas you pay more for the
food you pay for the accommodation it's almost
like double the price sometimes it's a time
to make money when it's the high season
to go away for the weekend or for
the your annual vacation year when you go
on your annual vacation time it's the same
here so when Jesus entered into the temple
area that make him so angry and I
believe there's a number of reasons for that
and the first one is about the purity
aspect in the temple that's why he cleansed
the temple Jesus was concerned about the purity
of the temple and the people he speaks
about the unholiness that was there in that
moment it was all about the compromise that
took place in the temple the impurities there
was a lot of things happening around the
temple and also in the hearts of the
people of those who work inside the temple
area there was a great concern for Jesus
the purity of the temple the second was
about the prayer that was supposed to take
place in the temple instead of interceding and
having a place where we can meet and
spend some time with our father just like
in the tabernacle in the wilderness in the
old testament times and and built by Moses
and later on also by by King Solomon
this place was supposed to be a place
of prayer a place of interceding a place
of just meeting and encountering our father in
prayer but instead of that they find the
selling of doves the changing of money and
things like that it took place but then
it brings a great concern to his heart
it's supposed to be a place of power
a place where people that has a need
that can come just like the bible speaks
about he said that that those that came
the blind and the lame came to him
in the temple and he healed them it's
supposed to be a place of healing a
place of salvation just like the church today
supposed supposed to be a time where people
come to worship together on sunday morning is
to be touched and encountered by God to
be set free from those problems and to
give them peace and healing for what they
need and Jesus was concerned about that because
instead of finding power you find self-interest
in the lives of so many people and
then he speaks about it's supposed to be
a place of praise of worship it's a
place to come and just worship the father
and worship the Lord Jesus instead of they
find this cold theology been managed by the
Pharisees and the Sadducees religion in other words
and sometimes when you think about a local
church today this is supposed to be a
place of purity that there can be prayers
and and worship and there can be a
place of of power and and the healing
and the touching of people and just a
place where people can come together to worship
but sometimes it becomes just like a religious
activity it's so formal it's so cold it's
all about going for the motions of a
program and events that we put together instead
of having a time where we can just
sit and connect with the one that has
invited us and called us to be here
and because Jesus was doing something like this
the moment you start to read from verse
15 onwards in Matthew chapter 21 you find
that it leads to a time of persecution
in his heart but now the question is
for you and I what about you and
what about me Paul write in one Corinthians
chapter 3 verse 16 and also in chapter
6 verse 19 that did we not know
that your body is a temple of the
Holy Spirit and that we don't belong to
ourselves anymore but we belong to him in
other words when Jesus has come to live
within your heart in my heart he has
changed your heart in your life and mine
but what would he find in your heart
in your life in your home in your
ministry in your church if you would show
up today just like in the times of
Jerusalem in Matthew chapter 21 would he find
that we are busy with the wrong things
wrong actions or deeds because of our motives
that is wrong it's much more about self
-interest he would find greed inside or would
he find a love for him in this
day so on Palm Sunday when Jesus entered
into Jerusalem he was concerned about what people
were doing in that moment because their motives
somehow has drifted and become wrong and caught
up with self-interest and even making money
as well now the question for you and
for I is if Jesus would show up
in your heart today what would he find
would he find the impurities the unholiness the
compromises the self-interest would he find the
motives that is wrong that has led us
to do things wrong because we have compromised
or would he find the heart that is
closely knitted and connected to him and his
purpose and his his will for your life
and for mine and so Jesus is still
concerned today about the purity of the local
church he's concerned about the place of prayer
as a place of meeting with him and
with his father he's concerned about the power
of the gospel not impacting the lives of
people worldwide as it is supposed to be
he is concerned about the worship of people
because their heart is not connected with him
it has become much more cold and formal
being managed by people instead of just a
place where we can sit and just enjoy
him and be with him forever and forever
so the question for you today on this
day if Jesus would enter your heart if
he would enter your home if you would
enter your place of worship what would you
think about and what would he see and
what would he do about this will he
do the same as in Jerusalem or will
he be happy and pleased when they look
at your life and mine may God bless
you