Time to clean out the closets. Scrub the walls. Mop the kitchen floor. Wipe out all the cabinets and drawers. Scour every utensil.
Passover is coming.
Why all the cleaning? Because the Law said no yeast shall be found in the house. Not even a tiny particle. All leaven was expelled from the house and kept out of the house for seven days. To the Hebrew/Jewish mind, fermentation meant uncleanness and corruption and was to be purged out, as it was synonymous with sin. It was to be spotless!
However, one house did not remain spotless; it was the House of God.
On this particular Passover visit with the disciples, Jesus enters the temple’s outer courtyard, where the Gentiles are allowed to pray.
What a sight! People hustling about the temple, bumping into one another and tripping over a horde of wide-eyed, nervous animals.
Elbowing their way through the preoccupied crowd, Jesus and the disciples watch where they step, trying not to follow behind the animals. Sandaled feet, you know.
A frown digs furrows across Jesus’ brow.
Everywhere He looks, booths line the courtyard. Some booths offer sacrificial, blemish-free animals to those who could not bring one with them. Offered at a price, of course. A premium price.
Visibly disturbed, Jesus’ facial muscles tense. His skin flushes.
The sound of clinking coins reverberates from the booths of moneychangers exchanging foreign currency for the temple shekel. The lining of their moneybags with illicit coins is their only interest. No one holds them accountable.
Jesus is appalled. His temples throb. His fists clench. He can feel the anger simmering.
The bellowing of the animals, the hawking of the merchants, and the coin-clinking of the moneychangers echo louder in Jesus’ ears.
His jaw constricts. The veins on His neck protrude. His heart pumps harder. Anger bubbles up and erupts…
“This is My Father’s house of prayer!” He yells.
Incensed that the merchants are robbing His Father’s house of its meaning, Jesus knots together a scourge of rushes. Whirling the whip, He snaps away at the swindlers. They scatter as leaves before the whirlwind of a mad man.
He overturns the money tables. Coins scatter in every direction, rolling across the marble floor. Yelping animals bolt.
“Loose these doves!” He orders. “How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:16 NIV)
After running every human and animal out of the temple, He “refused to let anyone carry merchandise through the Temple courts.” (Mark 11:16 CJB) Then, He said, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” (Mark 11:17 NLT)
He cleaned House, purged it of all the corruption profaning it.
How do we treat God’s House within us?
Thoughts to ponder:
*Do we clean out the closets, mop the floor, and scrub the walls of every little particle of sin from our heart’s temple-home of prayer?
*Do we ask God to overturn the tables of dirty dealings, scatter the coins of greed, drive out the hawkers, and release the dove of the Spirit into our lives?
*Do we have enough holy passion burning within us to crack a whip at those unholy merchants hawking their tempting wares and tramping their grimy sandals through the courtyards of our hearts, thereby robbing God’s House of its purity and purpose of prayer?
Paul said, “Don’t you know how a little yeast can permeate the whole lump? Clear out every bit of the old yeast that you may be new unleavened bread!” (1 Cor. 5:6b-7a Phillips)
Does your heart’s temple need Passover cleaning?
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REGISTER NOW for the
2014 M.O.M. Conference ~ BETTER TOGETHER
July 31st – August 2nd
Jacksonville, Florida at Trinity Baptist Church
Registration Information, Location, List of Breakout Sessions, Descriptions of Workshops, Conference Speaking Team, Better Together Conference Flyer, Better Together Bulletin Insert (Full Color), Better Together Bulletin Insert (Black & White), Better Together Conference Cards (Postcard Size)
Lynn writes devotionals and inspirational stories. She has one book waiting to be published in 2015 and is working on a second one. Her greatest passion is to fulfill God’s call on her life to encourage others and glorify the Lord with her writing. She currently writes for several sites and writes bi-weekly on her site, Heading Home. http://lynnmosher.com
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