Holy Week or Passion Week is the week from Palm Sunday leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Monday following Palm Sunday, Jesus returns to Jerusalem from Bethany and enters the temple. Jesus finds four messes in the temple.
Matthew 21:12-16 Jesus at the Temple
12 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables 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.’”
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise’?”
Mess #1 - the animals. For the convenience of those traveling to the Passover celebration, they could pack light and purchase their sacrificial cattle, sheep or dove at the temple. Cattle, sheep and doves are messy - until Jesus came.
Mess #2 - the money-changers. This mess is bigger and smellier. Each region often minted their own coins and to streamline the temple financial transactions, a temple currency was established. Out-of-towners exchanged their coins for the temple’s coins. The problem was the unfair exchange rate and rip-off prices on the animals. The greasy greed made a terrible mess in the temple – until Jesus came.
Mess #3 – the sick. This was an embarrassing mess. There were blind and lame people at the temple. They had been lying around with oozing bed sores, diseased feet, and runny, pussy eyes hoping to get healed. The temple was where God’s presence and God’s people were. It should have been a place of healing and hope, but day after day they came for a touch from God and day after day their condition was unchanged or worsened – until Jesus came.
Mess #4 – the children. The children were running and shouting in the temple! The children were excited about Jesus and shouting out their praises of “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The children were worshiping Jesus in the temple with passionate energy and the religious leaders were angry. Anger is a smoldering mess. Nobody encouraged the children’s praise – until Jesus came.
What messes would Jesus like to clean out at your church?
If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, you a temple.
1 Corinthians 6:18-19 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
What messes would Jesus like to clean out of your temple?
Comment below on either of these questions.
Matthew 21:12-16 Jesus at the Temple
12 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables 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.’”
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise’?”
Mess #1 - the animals. For the convenience of those traveling to the Passover celebration, they could pack light and purchase their sacrificial cattle, sheep or dove at the temple. Cattle, sheep and doves are messy - until Jesus came.
Mess #2 - the money-changers. This mess is bigger and smellier. Each region often minted their own coins and to streamline the temple financial transactions, a temple currency was established. Out-of-towners exchanged their coins for the temple’s coins. The problem was the unfair exchange rate and rip-off prices on the animals. The greasy greed made a terrible mess in the temple – until Jesus came.
Mess #3 – the sick. This was an embarrassing mess. There were blind and lame people at the temple. They had been lying around with oozing bed sores, diseased feet, and runny, pussy eyes hoping to get healed. The temple was where God’s presence and God’s people were. It should have been a place of healing and hope, but day after day they came for a touch from God and day after day their condition was unchanged or worsened – until Jesus came.
Mess #4 – the children. The children were running and shouting in the temple! The children were excited about Jesus and shouting out their praises of “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The children were worshiping Jesus in the temple with passionate energy and the religious leaders were angry. Anger is a smoldering mess. Nobody encouraged the children’s praise – until Jesus came.
What messes would Jesus like to clean out at your church?
If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, you a temple.
1 Corinthians 6:18-19 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
What messes would Jesus like to clean out of your temple?
Comment below on either of these questions.
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