These are difficult times to live in. I know, everyone who has ever lived has been able to say that–with the possible exception of Adam and Eve until their sweet-tooth kicked in. But they are. Between Covid, pressures to get vaxed or not vaxed, masks or no masks, racial unrest, political turmoil…well the list of things that can trip you up in your walk, it just seems to be exceptionally burdensome these days. And if you’re like me, some of that tends to leak into all the other parts of my life, including the most import part–my relationships. There’s this one guy that I’ve had a particularly hard time dealing with lately.

He’s the nicest guy in the world, there’s no denying that, but he has a certain way of doing things that, according to him, is the only way to do things. And while most people who know him wouldn’t call him pushy, if you’re not doing your best to toe the line, he’s going to let you know about it. When it comes right down to it, nice as he is, he’s still a my way or the highway type of person. And I’m not the only one who struggles with him either. A while back he went to visit someone and he apparently didn’t like what he saw them doing because he began to yell at them, started tearing up all their stuff and then he threw most of them out of the house. Like I said, he’s a very particular guy. Oh yeah, and his name is Jesus.

Many of you are probably thinking, “Oh, how awful!” Not about what Jesus did, but about what Mike just wrote about it–about Him! I can accept that, it wasn’t the most comfortable thing I’ve ever written, but I stand by it. Jesus cleaning out the temple is recounted four times in the Bible (Matt 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46, John 2:13-17). God obviously wanted to make sure we didn’t overlook the event and the teachings that come with it. But before we go there, let’s quickly go back to my description of our Lord and Savior. I’m just sharing my heart here, but I honestly believe that one of the greatest hurdles to Christianity today is how one dimensional we’ve painted the Creator of the Universe. God is Love. But He is also the only righteous Judge; the One who stood with Abraham and told him He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah the next day–which He did. Then some 2000 years later He declared that Capernaum’s fate would be worse than Sodom’s come Judgement Day . Why? Because they weren’t doing what He wanted them to do–what He’d told them to do. They were’n’t obeying His commands. Jesus Christ loves us more than we can ever imagine, but make no mistake about it, He expects us to listen to Him and do what He says. His way! And lest we forget, His ways are not our ways (Isa 55:8-9). And I think it’s worth noting that when it comes to ‘My way or the highway’, Jesus’ way is the only true high way.
Those people in the Temple, they weren’t doing things His way–the High Way.

You don’t hear a lot of sermons on Jesus cleansing the Temple, but they are out there. The ones I’ve heard have done a wonderful job of reminding everyone that “church” isn’t an activity, or a business. And what a critical and timeless message that is. The people Jesus drove out of the temple–with a whip, likely thought they were doing a good thing, even providing a ministry so that others could tithe and perform needed sacrifices. Probably many of their patrons thought so too. But the Lord knew better, He knew where their focus was, and more importantly, where it wasn’t. And that is certainly a huge message for all of us, urging us to take a fresh look at what we’re really doing with church–starting with the fact that “church” isn’t something you do, or a place you go–we are the church, the body and bride of Christ. I think that remembering that each Sunday–and every other day, is good place to start. But I believe their is another message contained in the accounts of Jesus cleansing the Temple that I hadn’t considered until the Holy Spirit started goading me about it.
The Temple
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
Take a moment to consider the implications of the scripture above. While it might be nice to look at the Apostle Paul’s assertion that our bodies are a temple as a metaphor, but that is clearly not the case. The Temple Jesus became so incensed about, so upset that He trashed the place–actually He “untrashed” it, majestic as it was, it was still a building made by human hands…
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, Acts 17:24 ESV
Nope, He didn’t. Never ever, not even for an instant did He reside within the most fabulous “Church” we ever built for Him. But He does live in a temple, one(s) He built with His own hands…
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:13-14 ESV
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV

Now ask yourself, “Which temple does He care about more? And that’s the thought that made me break out the old spiritual mirror to take a long hard look at what was going on inside of the temple called Mike.
There is good news. First and foremost, there is a table dedicated to the Lord–you just have to wade through a lot of clutter to get a good look at it. And most of the tables don’t need turned over or thrown out into the street; they just need some rearranging–some of them drastically. Praise God, I no longer see any tables that have no business at all being there. That has not always been the case. In years past there were tables holding things that were, well, the term unmentionable comes to mind–so we won’t mention what was on them. The Lord and His whip took care of those…
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:6 NASB

In case you didn’t know, a scourge is a multi-corded whip with pieces of metal bone or glass woven into the tips designed to tear out chunks of flesh. If you’re wincing again, don’t. Those unmentionable tables, they were all about the flesh, and boy did they need rending! One thing about the Lord and His scourge, when He stops by with it, it’s never really a surprise visit.
So, a table reserved for God and nothing else that would raise too many eyebrows. That’s a pretty good report card, right? Sure…by worldly standards.
The problem? Like I said before…the place is a mess. Tables out of position, others covered in dust from neglect, some way bigger than they should be, dwarfing itty bitty tables that need to be “King” sized. The most important tables are sorely neglected while the least of them are fighting for center stage. Poke your head into the room and you’re more likely to think you’ve stumbled into a video game parlor or technology store than a temple for the Lord. This is an ongoing problem that has drug on for decades, though the themes have changed over the decades; golf pro shop, hunting lodge, chess academy, and on and on and on the list goes. None of these thing are bad in their place–if they would just keep their place. As the 1 Corinthian’s scripture reminds us, we are not our own. We like every thing else in the universe were created by and for the Lord. The temple that is each one of us has zero business having anything at its center except the Lord. All those other tables need to be carefully positioned in the background so that they reflect the light of the Lord’s table instead of casting shadows upon it or blocking it out altogether. That applies to even the second most important table–family and friends. And we just hit the “that sounds good on paper” zone. How on earth can you keep your family, work, ministry, home cleaning and repair–well its an exhaustive list for an exhaustive life; how do you keep any one of those good and important things from taking center stage, much less trying to juggle all of them?” I think the only answer to that is the same one about fitting a camel through the eye of a needle. “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” And when you get right down to it, the rich young man in the Bible account was facing the exact same dilemma that we are today. Jesus’ telling him to leave everything behind and follow Him didn’t make anymore sense to him then than it does to us today. But Jesus did say it, and He also said this…
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Matthew 10:37-38 ESV
He’s not saying we shouldn’t love the people and things and things to do that He’s given us. They just need to be kept in their proper place; behind Him, clearly reflecting His light. That’s not just the right way, it’s the High Way.
May the Lord’s light shine within you and through you,
Mike
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