Devotion:
Read Matthew 21:12-17.
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day, he was greeted, not as a rabbi or prophet, but as the new King. His riding into the city on a donkey perfectly fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy of how Israel’s new king would come to the people. This was a very deliberate, thoughtful, and reasoned entrance by Jesus. No more would he ask people to keep quiet about a miracle or to not reveal his being the Christ. His time had come, and the crowd followed him right to the temple.
The idea of having money changers and people selling animals at the temple started out for a good and practical reason – to serve the pilgrims traveling there to worship, but now they were cheating people and were focused on making profit at the hands of those who came to worship. Imagine the clamor of animals and the voices of the sellers and currency changers, hawking their booths. Part of the profits were going to the religious leaders at the temple. Jesus' actions of clearing the temple hurt them economically, and that stirred their hatred even more than their political and spiritual opposition to him. The resulting tension would rise to a fever pitch during the week and lead to his crucifixion.
Personal Worship Option:
Reflect on our motives for going to worship and being part of the church. Is there any intent to network or make contacts or advance our careers or to enhance our earning power? If so, let Christ cleanse that and then refocus on being in church to worship, learn, and serve.
No comments:
Post a Comment