Tables Turned
Luke 19:45-48 NKJV
[45] Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, [46] saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” [47] And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, [48] and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.
We are to gather as a community of Believers. We are to love one another, comfort and encourage. It’s where the sick soul comes for healing.
What is the primary reason?
What do you think the Lord sees when we actually do go to Church?
Do you think that the Lord is pleased?
Maybe there is a reason why so few people bearing the name of Christ don’t gather as often as they should.
Why do you go to Church? Why do you not go to Church?
The Cleansing of the Temple is a bit difficult to understand.
Jesus is supposed to be gentle, lowly and humble at heart.
The anger of Christ is hard to understand if you don’t understand why the anger.
Keep in mind He is slow to anger and wrath, but still becomes angry and wrathful.
Jesus handles the cleansing of the Temple so differently than we have seen Him before. It’s the same Lord that raised Lazarus from the dead. The same Jesus that healed the woman with the issue of Blood. The same Jesus that was honored as King in the Gates of Jerusalem knowing that in a few short days they would turn Him over to death on the Cross.
Jesus deals with conflict by showing His Mercy and Grace. He tells the Truth Of His Father in Heaven. He gives the Words of everlasting life to soften the hardened heart that wants to fight and reject in the first place.
Jesus deals with sinners by offering them Salvation, forgiveness, new birth and a new Eternal Destination.
Even with that invitation the heart will compromise.
Compromise makes accommodations for worldly things to come into our Spiritual life.
Compromise leads you into disobedience.
It weakens our faith.
It weakens our service to the Lord.
It weakens our Worship.
Compromise will eventually make you surrender to the world and destroy your faith and trust in the Lord.
Compromise is one of the quickest ways to get correction from the Lord.
The Cleansing of the Temple is one of those passages that gets misused often.
Many take this passage as an invitation to act out in “righteous” anger or to make excuses for their uncompassionate heart!
Many take it as a way to justify their hateful actions.
This is more than that.
Not many really understand why Jesus is so angered at what is taking place in His Father’s House.
The Jewish people met in the Temple.
The Temple is the place where God would meet His People.
Jesus walks into the Temple.
He is shocked by what He sees and what He finds.
Jesus entered the Temple courtyards and He saw people buying and selling goods in the very place that was designed for prayer and worship of the One True and Living God!
Could the priests and the religious leaders be just like the fig tree Jesus just cursed, appearance of life but not bearing fruit.
In an act of righteous indignation, Jesus overturned the merchants’ tables and drove out of the courtyard all who were there to make money!
The Gospel of Mark says Jesus began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices.
Jesus knocked over the tables of the money changers.
He then knocked over the chairs of those selling doves.
Why would Jesus do that?
It was actually permissible to sell.
This was the time of the Passover.
It’s said that Jerusalem had about 80 thousand people. When it was Passover between 2 and 3 million people would come in to celebrate. They would come from different parts of the world with different currencies.
Money changers would be needed to convert the money so they could pay their Temple tax. They would need an animal to Sacrifice. If they traveled with an animal to sacrifice it was likely that the animal would become blemished. They couldn’t bring an unblemished animal to the Altar of God and it be acceptable.
Unfair charges. Trying to make money for themselves. There would be distractions and chaos.
A distraction from what the people were supposed to be there for; Worshiping God, submitting and praying to God. Offering their Sacrifices to the Altar of God.
Jesus sees all of this.
Something that should be Holy and set apart and consecrated is turned into a spectacle. So Jesus turns the tables and chases out the money changers.
Maybe this has happened even today.
Many “ Churches” are no longer a place to worship a Holy God but to make a spectacle of Him. Maybe we have lost our way because of compromise and trying to appease man instead of Worshiping the Lord. Maybe there has been distractions in programs, ministries and conferences as we look to uplifting ourselves in the name of the Lord instead of uplifting the Lord because He is the Lord!
Worshiping God is more than bringing a Sacrifice.
He is a Holy God that must be held in awe!
He won’t be mocked even from the Temple Priest who were supposed to be the ones to keep order in the Temple. But instead compromised and allowed it to be a den of robbers!
Worshiping God can be faked!
People can create what looks like true Worship on the outside and hide their greed and their sins behind it.
Not everyone who went to the Temple wanted to worship.
Not everyone who goes to church wants to worship.
Not all the religious leaders in the Temple wanted to see God glorified. Not all Pastors want to see God glorified.
True Worship confronts the lies and deceptions you have believed about yourself, others, and God.
True Worship reaches and touches at the core of who people are. True Worship will bring a true change of heart.
Instead of the Temple being a place for all nations and all peoples to come and worship God together in unity it had turned it into a den of thieves.
Do you know what a den of Thieves is?
A den of thieves is the place where thieves run to when they want to hide.
The religious leaders and other leaders were using the Temple and its religious services to hide their sins, selfishness and greed.
Why do we go to Church?
We gather at Church to Worship a Holy God!
We come bearing our sinful heart to be restored to His. We come in reverence and submit our lives totally.
Worship isn’t just a song. Worship isn’t just an emotion or an act. Worship is a lifestyle.
It is our thoughts, our bodies, our actions! It’s everything that is in us that wants to praise Him!
No matter our circumstances!
No matter the hardships and pain.
No matter the amount of joy.
What is our motivation to Worship and Praise a Holy and Righteous God?
His Mercy and His Goodness should be at the top of the list of why we sing praise to the Lord.
The focus has changed from an all Powerful, Merciful God that saves us to something that sounds like a self help book.
There is a lack of reverence.
The emphasis on the Blood that cleans the dirtiest sinner has gone by the wayside.
Are we not called the Temple of God!
Let me ask you this.
Is your Temple cleansed and wanting to Worship God in the manner that is worthy to worship the Almighty God!
Or are we looking to be filled with fluff?
Empty worship was the trouble at the Temple the day Jesus visited. Empty worship brought divine judgment to that Temple. What does He see when He looks into the temple of our heart?
Maybe the Lord has more tables to turn over.
Repent, submit, believe, follow and worship!
Pastor Ed
