When Jesus came to Jerusalem one Passover, He found that the temple caretakers had lost their vision. What was to be a place for worshipers to pray on holy ground, became an opportunity for the caretakers to prey on the pilgrims.
What should have been a quiet place for reflection and prayer was full of noise and distracting commotion from the buying and selling of animals in the courtyard.
It probably began innocently enough. Passover was one of the yearly feasts that required Jewish participation. Thousands came from the surrounding cities and countries. If they came from afar, they were permitted to bring money instead of an animal from the herd and purchase an animal near the temple for an offering.
But avaricious leaders of the temple saw dollar signs and focused on wealth over worship. The merchandising space inched closer and closer to the temple, until spreading onto the temple grounds itself, crowding out the faithful and disturbing their quiet times with the Lord.
Some churches have lost their vision. What should be time of hearing the word preached in the Father’s house is taken up with other things. Instead of Christ is politics, and musical entertainment replaces thoughtful praise to the Lord. Instead of unity, discord. Instead of edifying one another, worldly talk. The Spirit should rule, but dead orthodoxy has taken the lead.
What has taken the place of true worship of Christ in your life? What business is distracting you from full surrender to Christ as Lord of all?
The leaders challenged Jesus (John 2:18-22). Jesus pointed to His death, which the Scriptures foretold was an important part of their Messiah’s work. Their understanding of the Christ was so faulty that they out of envy sought to rid themselves of Him.
After His resurrection, ascension to the Father, and the giving of the Spirit, the gospel was proclaimed to devout Jews. Thousands believed the good news and came to the Lord. They gathered to study the word, pray, fellowship, and break bread together (Acts 2:42). Vision lost was regained in Christ and His resurrection. Their dry rituals were satisfied by a relationship with the Resurrection and the Life.
Do your church members continue in these four spiritual disciplines? Have they moved from the preaching of the word to just talking about it? Do people gather for prayer meetings? Do they grow in godly Christian fellowship where Christ is honored? May you break bread in communion, remembering a holy and righteous Creator who came to His creation, becoming one of us, to lay down His life on our behalf, in love.
