Zeal for His House

Hey everyone.

Shortly after returning from Teen Camp in which John 2:17 was the the theme scripture, I got to it in my own study of John.  I suppose that it would have made more sense to study it before camp, not after, but that's how it goes sometimes. 

Any way, it is the story of Jesus clearing the temple courts.  The story, recorded in John 2:13-25, tells how Jesus went up to the temple in Jerusalem and found merchants selling animals for sacrifice and exchanging money.  Jesus, in anger, makes a whip out of cords and drives the animals out and overturns the tables of the moneychangers.  It must have been quite a sight, with money and tables flying and animals running around.  Jesus was angry because, in his words, they had turned his Father's house into a market.  These men were dishonoring God's holy place by using it to turn a profit.  Jesus was not one to stand aside and allow people to make a mockery of the holiness of his Father's temple.  So he made a whip and drove them out.

Here is what I want us to think about today.  We understand that in the Old Testament times, as well as in Jesus times, the temple was viewed as God's dwelling place.  In the new covenant, however, God dwells in a different temple.  In I Corinthians 3:10-16 it tells us that we ourselves are God's temple and his Spirit dwells in us.  It tells us that we should be careful how we build our temple knowing that God dwells within us rather than in a building.  We are that building.  So consider this, if Jesus were to walk into the temple that you are building, would he be grabbing cords to make a whip?  Are there things that he would be driving out?  Are there tables he would be overturning?  Rather, may we all be building a temple that honors our Father.  Just something to think about.