Monday, March 21, 2005
Jesus in the temple Mathew 21
I want to look at the next passage in Matthew…
12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”
In this passage I think we find much about the Lord and his character. Jesus is first hand going to the temple that is all about him God is coming into his home. Yet there are two kinds of people there the Leaders and the humble ones. Jesus first goes after the ones that are using this holy place as a money making place. Jesus is not for sale. He goes and drives out the folks that are trying to make money in His home. I do not thing we as a church are much better. I am talking about making money in the church. I can see it in another way. Here at my church the kids are planning an outreach in East Asia. They want to sell pizza and make the proceeds go for the trip. Fine and dandy I think that is ok. I think Jesus is going after the people that make money and sell to make a profit. I think of a Music fest where folks gather to listen to music and the fest charges all kinds of money you make it work. I see they want to profit and sell Jesus. I think it is ok to have a concert but make the money on other things. I think Jesus is also telling people in the dark ages that is paying to get sins forgiven is a bad thing. If you’re paying any kind of money including a tithe to get saved or stay in a church STOP IT! Jesus wants to forgive you and make you free of that. Yet if you tithe and think it is linked to anything but loving obeying Jesus and the bible stop it to. God does not need your cash till he has your love for himself.
I do not think this lasted for more than a day and the Leaders came and did the same thing. Jesus did not like it and the bottom line for me is do not make money out of my walk with Jesus and obey him in love and not out of a habit.
14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
Here is the Humble and people that came to the temple that day to. I tend to see both were there. What did they seek? I see they had hearts that wanted to see Jesus and seek the Lord in his true love. What does Jesus do? He healed them and shows deep love and proof that he the Lord. In all my time in the word I think a key to knowing Jesus is seeking his face with a heart that loves him and then Jesus is found. He did not just give them a pep talk he healed and met the need. How is the church doing that today? I think of churches that are too big. Look at me to be I meeting needs in church. AM I praying like I ought to and bring the things up before Jesus and letting the needs get met? I need to keep my eyes and ears open in church and are there for people
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
We as the Lords ought to sing and praise Jesus are church to. We need to praise him because Jesus meets all our needs and God calls us his kids.
So lets make the Lords home a place where he meets us ad we offer gifts to him. Our hearts and cash are his and lets learn to honor him rightly in them.
Shadman
12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”
In this passage I think we find much about the Lord and his character. Jesus is first hand going to the temple that is all about him God is coming into his home. Yet there are two kinds of people there the Leaders and the humble ones. Jesus first goes after the ones that are using this holy place as a money making place. Jesus is not for sale. He goes and drives out the folks that are trying to make money in His home. I do not thing we as a church are much better. I am talking about making money in the church. I can see it in another way. Here at my church the kids are planning an outreach in East Asia. They want to sell pizza and make the proceeds go for the trip. Fine and dandy I think that is ok. I think Jesus is going after the people that make money and sell to make a profit. I think of a Music fest where folks gather to listen to music and the fest charges all kinds of money you make it work. I see they want to profit and sell Jesus. I think it is ok to have a concert but make the money on other things. I think Jesus is also telling people in the dark ages that is paying to get sins forgiven is a bad thing. If you’re paying any kind of money including a tithe to get saved or stay in a church STOP IT! Jesus wants to forgive you and make you free of that. Yet if you tithe and think it is linked to anything but loving obeying Jesus and the bible stop it to. God does not need your cash till he has your love for himself.
I do not think this lasted for more than a day and the Leaders came and did the same thing. Jesus did not like it and the bottom line for me is do not make money out of my walk with Jesus and obey him in love and not out of a habit.
14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
Here is the Humble and people that came to the temple that day to. I tend to see both were there. What did they seek? I see they had hearts that wanted to see Jesus and seek the Lord in his true love. What does Jesus do? He healed them and shows deep love and proof that he the Lord. In all my time in the word I think a key to knowing Jesus is seeking his face with a heart that loves him and then Jesus is found. He did not just give them a pep talk he healed and met the need. How is the church doing that today? I think of churches that are too big. Look at me to be I meeting needs in church. AM I praying like I ought to and bring the things up before Jesus and letting the needs get met? I need to keep my eyes and ears open in church and are there for people
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
We as the Lords ought to sing and praise Jesus are church to. We need to praise him because Jesus meets all our needs and God calls us his kids.
So lets make the Lords home a place where he meets us ad we offer gifts to him. Our hearts and cash are his and lets learn to honor him rightly in them.
Shadman
