In Psalm 69:9, the psalmist proclaimed “… zeal for your house consumes me.” Is this true of us? Do we have an enthusiastic, passionate devotion to God’s church and tireless diligence in seeing it accomplish its mission?
Upon entering Jerusalem just prior to the Passover, Jesus entered the city to find an outdoor market within the temple courts. What began as a convenience for the people to fulfill their sacrificial rituals became abuse by salesman who were profiting on the animals sold to the people for sacrifice. The religious leaders would have had to condone the marketing for this to have taken place. The salesmen were focused on the business they could generate. The people were taking advantage of the convenience to pick up their sacrifices on the way into the temple.
The concept of sacrifice and remorse for sin was lost somewhere in the ritual and now marketeering. The people of the temple had lost sight of the mission. They had lost sight that this was God’s house, His Spirit’s place of residence. As with the psalmist, Jesus’ zeal for his Father’s house consumed him. He made a whip and drove all from the temple area. The commerce wouldn’t have been occurring but for the allowance and participation by not only the salesmen, but the religious leaders and the consumers.
"Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"The church was not made to be an outpost for us. The church is not here for our convenience or our entertainment. We are not to be consumers of the church. The mission of Christ’s church is to extend the kingdom of God and to bring glory to him. We gather to be equipped so that we can fulfill the mission. It is to be about reaching others, not becoming a place of consumption for us. Do you have a zeal for God’s house and it’s purpose?
No comments:
Post a Comment