Luke 19:45-46
It’s spring. The days are warming up. The skies are clearing. It’s time for spring cleaning. It’s that time of the year when we go through our house and open the windows to let fresh air blow through and clear out the stale odors of winter. We sort through all the clutter that has gathered and toss out those things that are not necessary.
After arriving in Jerusalem for the Passover Jesus did a little of his own spring cleaning. Where did he go? What did he do? What did he say?
The temple in Jerusalem at the time of Christ was a central meeting place for the faithful. Travelers gathered at the temple. Worshipers came to make their sacrifices. The temple was a busy place and in that busy-ness there sprang up small shops to sell sacrificial animals to believers who needed them to worship.
This market may seem necessary for worship, but we can also imagine that this system of supply and demand, of buying and selling, of changing money had become a hubbub of activity that gradually drifted farther and farther away from true worship. We can imagine that folks simply accepted the turmoil and noise of the temple market, something that detracted from true worship.
But Jesus knew that this was not the time and place for such activity. He chased out the vendors and money-changers. The temple was to be a place of prayer, a holy place where faithful believers could connect with the life-giving Spirit of God. Jesus was working to restore that holy connection that brings a new spirit to those who worship.
Like the temple, we can drift from the holy attitudes we should have. We may participate in worship services but these services may become humdrum and meaningless. We may have worries and concerns on our mind that keep us from connecting to God. Or we may allow the workings of our life to draw us away from time with God.
As we ready for Easter we must prepare our temples – ourselves – for our redemption. We must clear the clutter of our lives and make a clean place where we can recognize and receive the new life that God gives us.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you clear away the distractions so you can more readily receive the new life God offers?
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