Matthew 21:12-13….Ready

Matthew 21:12-13….Ready

21:12 Jesus entered the temple area (Court of the Gentiles. The largest of four courtyards within the Temple complex. Others being the court of the priests, women’s court, and court of the Jews. On the Passover Jews would gather to offer sacrifices, including the Passover lamb, and participate in a week-long celebration commemorating the Exodus from Egypt-(Ex. 12:1-20, 12:31-33) (Watch Video https://youtu.be/EfjLSaGbrNs?si=cMCotS0xfWIJcsUn and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables (Metph.-idols, sins, corruptions, social norms, worldly distractions,) of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’  but you are making it a ‘den of robbers’. (Watch video-https://youtu.be/kyvTMggabJc?si=k0s8WVuIDebQ_4w5 (For Complete Expository See Book)

Extended Sermons

“Displays Jesus’ work in driving the sin & idols from our hearts we don’t even know are there.” ⇒ Maybe the Lord has to chase out some greed, some selfishness, some pride, some arrogance from our hearts. A lot of sins are self evident that we know has to go. But other times there’s a lot of things we added on to our faith. Sometimes it’s things we added onto our religion practices that may be coming between us and God. Unrecognized sins and idols can manifest in subtle ways, often stemming from misplaced priorities or attachments, including things like prioritizing comfort or status over God, or harboring resentment or unforgiveness.  Or our pursuit of status and approval. religious rules, legalism.

“Calls for asking are there any corruption and defiling things that need to overturned and removed from our own lives.”⇒ Is there something in your life that needs to go that is hindering your relationship with God. Maybe it’s a feeling, a thought, a habit, a pattern. Maybe it’s a persistent sin,  or even a legalistic heart. Maybe it’s a philosophy or a view that doesn’t align with scripture that needs to be driven out. Or maybe it’s greed, pride or a ego in thinking to much bout yourself that needs to be overturned by Christ. Are there areas where distractions have corrupted your faith. Are there areas where your motives have become self-serving rather than God-honoring. Are you giving out of obligation rather than a love for God and His Kingdom.

“Calls for the same passion and zeal for the things of God. Are you zealous for God’s word, truth and honor.” ⇒ Are we zealous for God’s word and His honor? Jesus’ zeal for the temple challenges us to uphold the sanctity of our spiritual practices and ensures that our worship is true and heartfelt. Do we have the same zeal to speak out when we see corruption and evil in the world? Are we willing to say “This is not of God!” Will you stand boldly for God and His word, no matter what culture says or how unpopular it is! Having zeal for God doesn’t mean we should forcefully deal with corruption wherever and whenever we see it. We must trust God to avenge evil and injustice.-(Rom. 12:19, Heb. 10:30)

“Warns against thinking we can sin six days a week, make a few sacrifices, donate to the offering and we’re good with God” → As Christians we often live six days of the week like the rest of the world. We’re selfish and angry with our spouse and our kids. We hoard money while people right in front of us go without. We ignore or neighbors, we cheat on out taxes, we make underhanded dealings in business. We jump into gossip conversations, we stiff the weight staff who wait on us.  And then we come to Church and say were good with God, we’re covered by Jesus. Many often use religious duties and observances as a way of masking the sin in our hearts. If we sacrifice a little bit of our time, donate to some charity, God won’t notice.

“Warns when we act in ways that are at odds with our faith we make it harder for people to encounter God .” ⇒ Religious people make it hard for outsiders to draw near to God. When our actions clash with our professed faith, we create barriers for others seeking to encounter God, rather than easier. Our actions within sacred spaces should facilitate, not hinder, the spiritual journeys of those around us. In fact poor fruit often cause people to think “Maybe I’ll just go somewhere else to try to satisfy my hunger God.” As believers it challenges us to reflect on our own lives how we might be obstructing others from encountering God. Are our actions and attitudes creating barriers, or are they paving the way for divine connection?

“Teaches how people will take what they know is wrong and justify it by claiming they’re doing the work of the Lord” → Throughout history, many have cloaked their actions in righteousness, proclaiming they are fulfilling a divine mandate. It is a reminder that morality is often a matter of perspective, and that the justification of one’s actions can sometimes blur the lines between right and wrong. Let this inspire you to seek clarity, to question motives, and to strive for true integrity and ethical fortitude in your own pursuits.

“Even today, do you use your faith or the name of Jesus for anything other than what it’s intended. Are there aspects of our lives where we might be using our faith for purposes other than sincere worship and genuine connection with God? Do you use religion, the church, the name of Jesus, for business opportunities, political votes, potential spouse, etc. or to draw close to God. ⇒ We find the same thing in Pastors urging their congregation to give not for the sake of the Gospel, but so that they may live in a mansion, have nice cars, jet planes, and a lavish lifestyle. May we always remember that our faith is not a tool for personal gain but a sacred journey towards genuine worship and connection with the Divine.

“Some try using Jesus’ anger as running contrary to His sinless character. Many  argue Jesus was only responding from a place of holy and righteous indignation, not of anger or frustration.” ⇒ Scholars point out the fact that since it took time to make a whip, braiding a lot of ropes together (not sure if it was actually strands of ropes or straw grasses that animals lay upon). Jesus didn’t just lose His cool and fly-off the handle, grabbing the first thing He saw and started driving the people out. But by making a whip of cords Jesus had time to contemplate and think about what He was about to do. Not only that, but this wasn’t Jesus’ first rodeo, He’s been to the Temple on Passover many times before throughout His life. Therefore Jesus was not taken by surprise or caught off guard, but was already familiar with what was going on there. According to Marks account there was a day’s break between the two events where Jesus entered the Temple, looked around and returned the following day. Which suggests there was enough of a pause so that Jesus wasn’t rushing into the place in a mad rage.  Also notice the account says nothing about Jesus hitting people with the whip. Instead He only used the whip to drive the out the animals. Jesus “drove them all out”—but did no physical harm to anybody. Jesus was not physically violent and taught His disciples to reject violence. (Matt. 26:51-52; Luke 9:55-56)

Additional Notes & Applications

Teaches how Jesus loves us too much to leave us in our sin without confronting and turning us from our sin.

Calls for examining our own lives. Have we allowed sin or anything else to creep in that dishonors God or hinders our relationship with Him. Whether it’s greed, pride, persistent sin, religious practices, etc.

 Challenges believers in going beyond religious activities to growing in a closer and intimate relationship with God.

Calls for going beyond just make an appearance of faith, to being fully devoted followers.

Warns against neglecting the holy nature and character of God to our own spiritual convenience.

Teaches how our bodies are a temple to the Lord and not a place for sin and immorality

Warns rather than give into what is comfortable and convenient stay true to God and His standards.

Warns how oftentimes good intentions start off well but then get terribly off course.

Warns against using the church as a means for personal gain.

Warns of those who will  exploit and take advantage of our desires for God, that there some things we have to do before we can get to God.

Warns against presumption in thinking religious acts will outweigh our sin.

Displays how corruption in worship and false religion needs to be dealt with by way of a complete overhaul.

Teaches how our actions in everything we say and do should come from the bible. Quote the bible when confronting sin, quote the bible when confronting wrongs. Quote the bible when confronting temptation.

Jesus by clearing out not just the sellers but the buyers as well. displays how in God’s eyes those who facilitate sin are just as guilty as those who commit sin. It’s like saying your against all the violence and profanity in Hollywood, and then buy tickets to the movies.

Jesus is not forbidding Church fundraising, bingo-nights, swap-meets, or pot-lucks. But rather religion that is commercialized and mechanical, to one that is spirit-filled and flows from the heart. When you worship do you do it with sincerity of heart, or are just going through the motions? Donations and fundraising for churches are important to keep them running and they need to run in order to equip believers to live rightly. However, these efforts shouldn’t be put above helping people.

Calls for getting rid of all the distractions and commotions around us so we can better hear the Lord. If your not finding some alone time with God it can greatly hinder your relationship with Him. Do you allow space in your heart for Jesus or do you allow the things of life to crowd Him out……..(To be Continued)

Warns against a ritually preformed worship that lacks reverence for the holy and sacred. Do you know that a lot of Church’s in the west no longer call their Sanctuaries, sanctuaries to calling them auditoriums. Not only that but they have taken the Cross out of the Sanctuary and replaced it with a world globe. Or they’ve changed the sermons from preaching on sin and holiness to more of a up-lifting, feel-good and self-help sermons.

Teaches how prayer is always to be an interictal part of worship in every church. There are a lot of things we think of when we think about going to church, but often times prayer is not the first thing that pops into our minds. We often think of church as a place for raising funds for church buildings, outreach projects, or poor Saints. Or think of church as a place to volunteer for some charity work or a place to gather for Bible studies. While all of those things are necessary for the church, they were not Christ’s passionate request.

By quoting Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 Jesus models for us the importance of seeing that whatever actions we take should always be justified by the bible.  Always do what you do based on the written Word of God and not your own authority. Everything we do and everything we say (or refrain to do and say) should come from the bible and not the world’s view.

To understand Jesus’ cleansing the Temple. We need to go back to the Old testament. The Jewish Passover festival commemorates the story of God freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. God instructed Moses and Aaron and the Israelite people in Egypt to mark the door post of their houses with the blood of a lamb so that the angel of Lord would “pass over” their house and spare their firstborn sons. God commanded the Israelites to remember the Passover each year on the 14th day of the Jewish month Abib, which was later called Nisan.-(Ex. 12, 13, Deut. 16) At this time of season Jerusalem became very crowded with both Jews and Gentiles, coming from all over Israel and all over the world to celebrate the Passover. There would be by some estimates, hundreds of thousands of visitors entering Jerusalem to keep the Passover feast. The Temple mount itself would be over crowded with people bringing their sacrifices, particularly the court of the Gentiles. According to Jewish Law sacrificial offerings had to be inspected by the Priest first before it could be offered. It had to be perfect without blemish or defects.-(Ex, 12:5, Liv. 22:21-22) If you were going up to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival and you had to travel a long distance over several days it would be hard and expensive to keep a animal healthy and uninjured for the whole journey. Even if you brought your own lamb, there was an inspection fee. And since the Temple Priest were inspecting it, they’d usually find some small blemish, forcing you to buy one any way. Therefore it was convenient to just buy a animal from the priests in the Temple once you arrived. Not only that, but because it was coming from the Temple market it was already blemished-free and pre-approved by the priests as sacrificed ready. Even though the price was highly inflated at ten times the cost. In order to buy sacrificial animals and pay your Temple tax you had to exchange your money for Jewish currency. Because Rome was a occupying force, Roman currency wasn’t valid because the coins had Caesars’ portrait on it which was considered idolatrous and forbidden on temple grounds. Even the coins had a slightly inflated exchange rate in which the priests took a decent cut. If people did not bring their own sheep or the right currency they had no real option but to give into this very corrupt system. Over time the Passover had become very big business in the Temple. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, 256,000 lambs sacrificed in one week during a Passover.  Because the Priests allowed a market inside the Temple grounds. The Gentiles who had come to worship and pray would find themselves in a noisy and filthy place, with a lot of animal dung and animal smells, The mooing of the oxen, the bleeping of sheep, and the chirping of birds. You had merchants shouting to get more customers. And the money changers shouting out different exchange rates. No doubt distracting the people who were trying to worship and pray. It would be like trying to hold Worship in the middle of a Flea-market/Swap-meet.

The reasons Jesus cleansed the Temple may have been due to the corruption and exploitation  He found there, where people were being overcharged and taken advantage of. Or maybe Jesus was unhappy about the temple courts being used as place of business and commerce, rather than prayer. These suppositions might be accurate, but by quoting the “den of robbers” line from the prophet Jeremiah. Jesus was confronting something much more significant. If we go back and read the Jeremiah’s verse in context we realize that Jesus was experiencing the same thing in His own time. The Jews were sinning grossly in using the Temple of God as a place to exploit others and thinking they were safe. The Temple was a “den of thieves” in that it was being used as a safe place where the people could take refuge from God’s wrath, even if they were dishonoring Him with their actions. We, of course, do not have the Temple as our “den of thieves.” But sometimes we can turn God’s grace and forgiveness into a “den of thieves.” We do this when we receive God’s grace cheaply, using it as an excuse to live a life contrary to God’s will. We think, “Well, this might be wrong, but God will always forgive me.” Thus, we presume upon God’s grace, using it as an excuse to keep on sinning rather than a motivation for holy living.

Jesus is not against commerce or trade. Jesus isn’t against marketing or a good business plan or making a prophet. Jesus isn’t addressing the offerings due to the priests. The Bible establishes that the priests deserve to be supported by the Israelites (Deut. 18:1) just like Christian teachers deserve to make a living from their work for the kingdom (1 Corn. 9:8–12). Nor was Jesus against  necessary and important church services. But rather the problem Jesus had was twofold. One was the location. They’re doing all this in the temple! That’s not what the temple is for. And the other problem is they are taking advantage of the people. There is extortion and price gouging going on. This habit unfortunately has never stopped. In the early church age, relic hunters would sell you a fingerbone, supposedly from Saint. The modern era has con-men peddling special anointing oil or prayer cloths. Christ is also addressing God-worshipers who value convenience and appearances over genuine piety or concern toward others.

This story of Jesus cleansing the temple must have been pretty significant for each Gospel writer to include this event in their respective Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke have placed this event at the tail end of Jesus’ ministry right before His arrest and crucifixion. Where as John places this story of Jesus cleansing the Temple at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry after attending the wedding at Cana, where He changed water into wine.-(John 2:1-12) Many struggle with this, not sure whether there was one cleansing of the Temple, just out of chronological order. Or were there actually two cleansings of the Temple? We have to believe that there was Two cleansing due to the fact that John added other details and language not found in the synoptics Gospels. As an example John’s Gospel has Jesus making a whip of cords and driving out the sheep and cattle. Which is absent in the other Gospels. John also records a confrontation between Jesus and temple officials who asked, What sign will you do to show us you have authority to do these things? To which the Lord responded Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up-(John 2:19, 2:22). There is no mention of this confrontation or Christ’s prophecy in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. So that leaves the question, why did Jesus cleanse the Temple twice? Some argue that the Temple market was originally located on the Mount of Olives, but the High Priest in about 28 or 29 A.D. moved it into the Temple court so as to get better control and a slice of the revenue. (There’s no historical data to support this) Others assume Jesus had stopped them the first time, and they returned when He left. Later Jesus returns for a second time to take care of it all over again. The same thing happens in our own lives. What Jesus has cleansed in our life from the beginning can find its way back in and we need another cleansing. (John 13:1-10)

The  quoted passages of Isaiah is in reference to Israel’s call in bringing the Gentiles into the covenant relationship with God, that they might know & worship the One true living God.-(Is. 56:1-8)

The quoted passage of Jeremiah is in reference to an indictment against Israel for thinking that the Temple would protect them from God’ wrath in spite of their sinful behavior & idolatrous practices. In the day of Jeremiah, the Temple had become like a den of robbers in that the people felt they could hide, safely protected from divine judgment, because they had access to the Temple, the place where God himself was said to dwell. They thought they could “steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods” because, after committing all of these gross sins, they could escape to the sanctuary of the Temple.  But, through Jeremiah, God delivered the bad news that the Temple was not just a hideout, a safe haven for the Jewish people. They would soon be judged for their sin and the Temple would be destroyed.(See Jer. 7:1-11)