A TEMPLE FOR JESUS

"Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" (John 2:16)

What a holy mess! Sheep in the middle of church! It looked more like a barn or a stock yard than a holy temple. There were arguments flying, as owners tried to get the best deal for selling their animals. Booths were set up where you could exchange your money for the temple shekel. How could anyone worship the Lord in such noise and confusion?

"As Jesus came into the temple, He took in the whole scene. He saw the unfair transactions. He saw the distress of the poor, who thought that without the shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness for their sins. He saw the outer court of the temple converted into a place of unholy traffic" (Desire of Ages, pg. 157).

Something had to be done and it had to be done now! So Jesus "made a whip of cords" and "drove them out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changer's money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, 'Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!'" (John 2:15,16).

At the very beginning of Christ's ministry, immediately after His first miracle at Cana, Christ came to His Father's house and cleansed the temple. This one act announced His mission as the Messiah. It was always God's plan that the temple be more than just a place to worship Him. It was also an object lesson for Israel and for us today. "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). From the very beginning, God has wanted to make His home in us, for His living presence to fill us, just as it once filled Israel's temple.

But sin disrupted our Father's plan. Riddled with self and selfishness, our hearts can no longer reveal the glory of God. But through God's saving grace, we can become a temple of His Spirit. The problem is, how can we clean the temple? How can we get rid of the filthy merchandise filling our Father's courts?

The problem is too deep for us to handle on our own. It's like the thistle weeds in my garden. It's extensive root system pervades almost every inch of soil, sending up bristly shoots everywhere I look. No sooner do I chop them out, then they simply crop up again. It is the same with sin in my life. It's too pervasive and deep rooted for me to handle by myself. Only Jesus can cleanse my heart--of impure thoughts, stubborn pride, the desire to be my own boss and run my life. 

And so He comes to me just as He once came to the temple in Jerusalem. I may be overrun with worldly merchandise, but He won't come in with a whip of cords. He won't get rid of my sin, unless I let Him in.  He says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). 

It seems incredible that all you have to do is open the door and eat with Jesus and everything will be changed! But that's how it works. I remember when I was battling with TV. I was hooked on watching soap operas and game shows and talk shows and cooking shows. I literally spent hours in front of that box. It controlled almost my whole day! But no matter what I said or what I did, I was stuck and couldn't get free.

But when I began my new journey with Jesus, I wanted to spend more time with Him. An hour with Jesus in the morning just wasn't enough anymore. So every chance I got, I opened my Bible or books about Jesus. I sat down and ate with Him much more. And one day, I noticed I hadn't watched TV in a month. And then 1 month became 2 until I was completely free. I may turn it on occasionally if I want to watch a special program, like "This Old House." But other than that, I just don't watch it anymore. 

You may not battle with the media as I have. We all have different struggles that are separating us from God. But whatever it is, sitting down with Jesus is the only way to get the garbage out of your life so you can be a temple for God. It's all about about Him and through Him and cooperating with Him. For "in Him the whole building [that's who we are] is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit" (Ephesians 2:22,23).

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