Reading: Mark 11:12-19
Key Verse: "My house will be a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a 'den of robbers." - Mark 11:17
Most people think of Jesus as "little Jesus meek and mild." In fact, people today who want to emphasize Jesus' love (read, loving and non-threatening) are a bit troubled by this story, And people who want to justify their angry, confrontative tendencies use this story as their mantra.
Jesus was clearly disturbed at the marketing and profiteering that had been introduced into the Temple. It had become a place where people were being taken advantage of. Where the worshiper had come out of an honest desire to honor God, they were forced to engage in the purchase of "just the right sacrifice" rather than simply letting God see what was in their hearts. Haggling had taken the place of psalm singing. And the people doing the selling seemed to have little regard for the worshipers and for the worship.
Jesus' response is not an angry burst of a violent spirit, it is a passionate heart for God confronting those who really belittled the things of God. Instead of casually accepting things the way they were, Jesus challenged the assumptions and actions of those who hijacked the proess of worship.
Do you have enough passion for God that you would go out on a limb, risk ridicule or repercussion rather than simply let "business as usual" occur when the business ceases truly being God's business?
(C) 2010 by Stephen L. Dunn
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