What's in Your Temple?

 “My house will be called a house of prayer but you are making it a den of robbers.” - Matthew 21:13

As I study the passages of scripture that prelude the death and resurrection of Jesus, I come across this verse in Matthew. These are Jesus words after dismounting from the “donkey chariot,” finding the temple once again abused of its true purpose.  Where worship and prayer should have crowded the temple, greed and selfishness clogged the holy ambience inside its walls. The money changers set up their stations for the gentile crowds filing into town, with the “temple coins” ready to exchange for all other forms of payment;  the only currency accepted to purchase sacrifices the crowds still needed.  The dove sellers moved in their benches sporting their wares in hopes for the equivalent of black Friday shopping sales that day. 

All the while the gentiles were entering town in worship, to The Son of David that had come as prophesy told.  Children followed Jesus proclaiming “Hosanna!” which (in the original language) means, –“Divine Help save now!” Or a cry exclaiming, “Praise you!”, and worshipping their awaited Messiah.  Imagine the day radiant with sunshine, not a cloud in the sky- the unseen beauty of people coming together and the sense of community surrounding the celebration like a hometown 4^th of July parade on a tepid summer afternoon.  People waving and smiling at one another, lots of commotion.  In these hours all life trials, struggles, and divisions are put aside to celebrate! Moved to a holy surrender, the people began to remove their cloaks, laying them along the entrance into town.  Envision in your mind this eclectic patchwork road as Jesus trotted in.  Hear the jubilation aligning either side of the dirt road; shouts proclaiming the wait is over, prophesy fulfilled was riding into town, over the humble cloaks of submitted worship.  Listen to the cracks of palm branches being broken as men quickly pass them around in the gathering of worshippers.  Picture the gentle sway of palm trees waving in the air. Freedom dancing, twirling, jumping and kneeling before King Jesus.  While you are captured in the scene of what we name Palm Sunday, quiet your heart to listen to the sweet innocent child voices squealing with anticipation exclaiming “Hosanna!”  I wonder if it paralleled a bit to what children sound like as toddlers when the announcement of  “Daddy’s home!” is made. With tender little wobbly bodies they, with all the momentum mustered inside rookie legs, run to the door shouting dddaaaaaaddddddyyyyy!”  The entire way.  The purity of their uninhibited worship must have flooded the soul of Perfect Love riding on the borrowed donkey. 

Everyone celebrated!  Everyone except for the chief priests and teachers of the law. They were indicant at the shouts proceeding purely from innocent lips.  They questions Jesus about the children’s exclamations.

Jesus answered with a quote of scripture, “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.” (Psalm 8:2) I love that Jesus loves children so much!  He considers them enough of importance to call the high priests out on the table with a high card from the words of the one after his own heart!

Vividly visualize these events and how the tone of enthusiasm unfolds into disapproving scowls from the priests and self absorbed greed of business men.  Up until now it all seemed normal. The usual story of Palm Sunday told year after year.  Visions watched in plays, films reenacting the joyous occasion, and sermons of depictive words creating mind pictures within. Yes, this was all a part of my mind’s eye view of Jesus humble ride into Jerusalem.   But certainly not  Jesus righteously angry and clearing the temple.  

I imagine great celebration not selfishness, pride, and greed.  I usually breathe a sigh of relief that unfolding is a small portion of the honor and glory that should have been his all along.  I don’t think about the jealousy of the priests and teachers.  The fun sucking expressions on their faces.  The confrontation Jesus had while they peered at the ridiculousness of the thrown together cheap parade with their judgmental scowls and prideful body language as Jesus dismounted from the borrowed animal and stood in truth to the manipulating acts of the money changers trying to deceive the gentiles.  I don’t instinctively picture Jesus walking towards the dove sellers panning their wares to the emotionally charged crowds.  But it did happen as scripture says.   Jesus for the second time cleared the temple of the acts that kept true worship from happening.

I wonder at that point if the dove sellers began to realize their future sales career affording them the Jerusalem dream would soon come to an end.

I wonder if the threat of a Messiah brought fear to the priests watching  the High Priest who sympathizes with our weakness; angry in their temple.

I do wonder, and that turns my thoughts to life today.  To me. To you.  Because Jesus also says that our body is the living temple of the Holy Spirit.  A home for Christ to live for all who would receive.  This is what Christianity labels abundant life, or spirit filled.  If you think about the reality of this truth it is something to celebrate!  Just like the crowds on Palm Sunday!  Let’s get a little crazy people that know the Lord! Shake it up a bit! JESUS LIVES IN YOU!!!! Cut your palm branches and wave them in the air-wave them like you just don’t care!  Get loose stuffy church!  “Hosanna!” –Divine Help who saves Now- is here in me; in you!  Let’s get a little ridiculous about our worship- loud like the gentile crowd!  Pure like the children following Jesus in the temple – Shouting Hosanna-“Praise You!” Let’s be unaware of the hostile rebuke of rigid ritualistic routine! Let’s fix our eyes only on Jesus – What do you see when you look at him?  Hope -grab it!  Love -sway in it! Truth- proclaim it! Freedom- Shake off your chains! Mercy- bow to it! Purity- be washed in it! Joy- bask in it! Peace- absorb it! Forgiveness- confess it! New Life-live it! And say with all that you are “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

But let us also examine the temple, our temple; is there enough room for true worship in your body, heart, soul, mind, life?  What is obstructing true abandonment to Jesus?  Have you bowed, waving your white flag of surrender to the King of Kings? Is there a free flow of living water continually springing up in you or are your spiritual arteries clogged? Have we made the temple he gave us a house of prayer or a den of robbers?

Have we robbed our self of true worship and prayer; taking up with the priests thinking by allowing fear and lack of trust be our comfort?  Have we scowled at the ridiculousness of abandoning all to take up our cross and follow Him?  Does our body language to outsiders show judgment or love? Have the weeds of pride become so overgrown in our souls that we are no longer willing to bow to his will?  Are we continually filling our earthly home; our temple, with reasons to life in the death of Jesus?  Or are we living a free resurrection life? Jesus is alive?  Do you believe it? Do I believe it? If so does it show? Are we robbing our bodies and abusing them with addictions to food, substances, money, sex, routine religion, and hanging our hope on the next money changer booth that comes along in our life offering a quick fix, self help, and lasting hope?  Or are we believing every life giving word from the Living Word of God? Is our prayer life flourishing?  Do we long to be alone with the Lord?  Do you listen in the secret quiet place where it is only you and the Lord? Are we praying without ceasing, casting all of our cares on him because he cares for us? Are we fasting and praying? Are we standing still in awe finding in our inmost place that he alone is God?  Or are we reading off our laundry list of prayers to him out of habitual duty?  Following the do’s and don’ts but living captive to the regimen.  Are our prayer groups, small groups, and Sunday gatherings gossip circles of concern or crying out to the Father in abandonment of help, praise and worship? Do we believe that prayer changes things? That is what Jesus told the disciples after he left the city on the following morning.  “If you believe you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22)

Do we believe that we can be totally restored, revival can come, and Jesus is pursuing the lost through His Spirit in our lives?  If you do live expectantly, confidently, boldly, thankfully, and joyfully in the truth that brings to your life.  If not allow Jesus to clear your temple and make room for worship and prayer.

As we approach this season of celebrating Jesus death and resurrection let’s all allow our savior to gently ride into our “temple” courts as we lay down our cloaks of surrendered worship and together make a gentle eclectic path to welcome him.  It is there we will find the palm branches of joy stirring our soul to sing “Hosanna!” May our worship be true personally and corporately in the body of Christ.  As Jesus is escorted into our worship may he find a cleaned out temple waiting for him to dwell. May he discover a house of prayer for him to reside.  And may we say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

HAPPY EASTER SEASON EVERYONE!!!!

JESUS IS RISEN!!!
JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!
AND HE LOVES YOU!!!!!

What's in Your Temple?

 “My house will be called a house of prayer but you are making it a den of robbers.” - Matthew 21:13

As I study the passages of scripture that prelude the death and resurrection of Jesus, I come across this verse in Matthew. These are Jesus words after dismounting from the “donkey chariot,” finding the temple once again abused of its true purpose.  Where worship and prayer should have crowded the temple, greed and selfishness clogged the holy ambience inside its walls. The money changers set up their stations for the gentile crowds filing into town, with the “temple coins” ready to exchange for all other forms of payment;  the only currency accepted to purchase sacrifices the crowds still needed.  The dove sellers moved in their benches sporting their wares in hopes for the equivalent of black Friday shopping sales that day. 

All the while the gentiles were entering town in worship, to The Son of David that had come as prophesy told.  Children followed Jesus proclaiming “Hosanna!” which (in the original language) means, –“Divine Help save now!” Or a cry exclaiming, “Praise you!”, and worshipping their awaited Messiah.  Imagine the day radiant with sunshine, not a cloud in the sky- the unseen beauty of people coming together and the sense of community surrounding the celebration like a hometown 4^th of July parade on a tepid summer afternoon.  People waving and smiling at one another, lots of commotion.  In these hours all life trials, struggles, and divisions are put aside to celebrate! Moved to a holy surrender, the people began to remove their cloaks, laying them along the entrance into town.  Envision in your mind this eclectic patchwork road as Jesus trotted in.  Hear the jubilation aligning either side of the dirt road; shouts proclaiming the wait is over, prophesy fulfilled was riding into town, over the humble cloaks of submitted worship.  Listen to the cracks of palm branches being broken as men quickly pass them around in the gathering of worshippers.  Picture the gentle sway of palm trees waving in the air. Freedom dancing, twirling, jumping and kneeling before King Jesus.  While you are captured in the scene of what we name Palm Sunday, quiet your heart to listen to the sweet innocent child voices squealing with anticipation exclaiming “Hosanna!”  I wonder if it paralleled a bit to what children sound like as toddlers when the announcement of  “Daddy’s home!” is made. With tender little wobbly bodies they, with all the momentum mustered inside rookie legs, run to the door shouting dddaaaaaaddddddyyyyy!”  The entire way.  The purity of their uninhibited worship must have flooded the soul of Perfect Love riding on the borrowed donkey. 

Everyone celebrated!  Everyone except for the chief priests and teachers of the law. They were indicant at the shouts proceeding purely from innocent lips.  They questions Jesus about the children’s exclamations.

Jesus answered with a quote of scripture, “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.” (Psalm 8:2) I love that Jesus loves children so much!  He considers them enough of importance to call the high priests out on the table with a high card from the words of the one after his own heart!

Vividly visualize these events and how the tone of enthusiasm unfolds into disapproving scowls from the priests and self absorbed greed of business men.  Up until now it all seemed normal. The usual story of Palm Sunday told year after year.  Visions watched in plays, films reenacting the joyous occasion, and sermons of depictive words creating mind pictures within. Yes, this was all a part of my mind’s eye view of Jesus humble ride into Jerusalem.   But certainly not  Jesus righteously angry and clearing the temple.  

I imagine great celebration not selfishness, pride, and greed.  I usually breathe a sigh of relief that unfolding is a small portion of the honor and glory that should have been his all along.  I don’t think about the jealousy of the priests and teachers.  The fun sucking expressions on their faces.  The confrontation Jesus had while they peered at the ridiculousness of the thrown together cheap parade with their judgmental scowls and prideful body language as Jesus dismounted from the borrowed animal and stood in truth to the manipulating acts of the money changers trying to deceive the gentiles.  I don’t instinctively picture Jesus walking towards the dove sellers panning their wares to the emotionally charged crowds.  But it did happen as scripture says.   Jesus for the second time cleared the temple of the acts that kept true worship from happening.

I wonder at that point if the dove sellers began to realize their future sales career affording them the Jerusalem dream would soon come to an end.

I wonder if the threat of a Messiah brought fear to the priests watching  the High Priest who sympathizes with our weakness; angry in their temple.

I do wonder, and that turns my thoughts to life today.  To me. To you.  Because Jesus also says that our body is the living temple of the Holy Spirit.  A home for Christ to live for all who would receive.  This is what Christianity labels abundant life, or spirit filled.  If you think about the reality of this truth it is something to celebrate!  Just like the crowds on Palm Sunday!  Let’s get a little crazy people that know the Lord! Shake it up a bit! JESUS LIVES IN YOU!!!! Cut your palm branches and wave them in the air-wave them like you just don’t care!  Get loose stuffy church!  “Hosanna!” –Divine Help who saves Now- is here in me; in you!  Let’s get a little ridiculous about our worship- loud like the gentile crowd!  Pure like the children following Jesus in the temple – Shouting Hosanna-“Praise You!” Let’s be unaware of the hostile rebuke of rigid ritualistic routine! Let’s fix our eyes only on Jesus – What do you see when you look at him?  Hope -grab it!  Love -sway in it! Truth- proclaim it! Freedom- Shake off your chains! Mercy- bow to it! Purity- be washed in it! Joy- bask in it! Peace- absorb it! Forgiveness- confess it! New Life-live it! And say with all that you are “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

But let us also examine the temple, our temple; is there enough room for true worship in your body, heart, soul, mind, life?  What is obstructing true abandonment to Jesus?  Have you bowed, waving your white flag of surrender to the King of Kings? Is there a free flow of living water continually springing up in you or are your spiritual arteries clogged? Have we made the temple he gave us a house of prayer or a den of robbers?

Have we robbed our self of true worship and prayer; taking up with the priests thinking by allowing fear and lack of trust be our comfort?  Have we scowled at the ridiculousness of abandoning all to take up our cross and follow Him?  Does our body language to outsiders show judgment or love? Have the weeds of pride become so overgrown in our souls that we are no longer willing to bow to his will?  Are we continually filling our earthly home; our temple, with reasons to life in the death of Jesus?  Or are we living a free resurrection life? Jesus is alive?  Do you believe it? Do I believe it? If so does it show? Are we robbing our bodies and abusing them with addictions to food, substances, money, sex, routine religion, and hanging our hope on the next money changer booth that comes along in our life offering a quick fix, self help, and lasting hope?  Or are we believing every life giving word from the Living Word of God? Is our prayer life flourishing?  Do we long to be alone with the Lord?  Do you listen in the secret quiet place where it is only you and the Lord? Are we praying without ceasing, casting all of our cares on him because he cares for us? Are we fasting and praying? Are we standing still in awe finding in our inmost place that he alone is God?  Or are we reading off our laundry list of prayers to him out of habitual duty?  Following the do’s and don’ts but living captive to the regimen.  Are our prayer groups, small groups, and Sunday gatherings gossip circles of concern or crying out to the Father in abandonment of help, praise and worship? Do we believe that prayer changes things? That is what Jesus told the disciples after he left the city on the following morning.  “If you believe you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22)

Do we believe that we can be totally restored, revival can come, and Jesus is pursuing the lost through His Spirit in our lives?  If you do live expectantly, confidently, boldly, thankfully, and joyfully in the truth that brings to your life.  If not allow Jesus to clear your temple and make room for worship and prayer.

As we approach this season of celebrating Jesus death and resurrection let’s all allow our savior to gently ride into our “temple” courts as we lay down our cloaks of surrendered worship and together make a gentle eclectic path to welcome him.  It is there we will find the palm branches of joy stirring our soul to sing “Hosanna!” May our worship be true personally and corporately in the body of Christ.  As Jesus is escorted into our worship may he find a cleaned out temple waiting for him to dwell. May he discover a house of prayer for him to reside.  And may we say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

HAPPY EASTER SEASON EVERYONE!!!!

JESUS IS RISEN!!!
JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!
AND HE LOVES YOU!!!!!