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A Good Cleaning

A Good Cleaning
Words of Faith 9-19-16
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2016
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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John 2
[12] After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
[13] When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [14] In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. [15] So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. [16] To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"
[17] His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

Does this feel like a time warp? Are you asking how we got from Jesus calling disciples to Holy Week in a matter of a few verses? Don’t let your head spin. The truth is that while Matthew, Mark and Luke (the “Synoptic” or same-view Gospels) record a “cleansing of the Temple” on Monday of the week Jesus was crucified, John records a similar cleansing at the very beginning of His ministry.
While some have suggested that John may be mistaken or that he has relocated this event for theological reasons, it is most likely that there were two such occasions, only one of which was recorded by John and the other by the Synoptics. The language of John and that of the Synoptics differs strongly lending support to this conclusion.
It is not at all improbable that Jesus cleansed the temple twice, two Passovers apart, and that the second so enraged the religious leaders that their animosity toward Him exploded into violence. Interfering with their businesses once was impudent but twice would have been inexcusable.
We must remember that the problems in the Temple did not crop up over night. Many sources testify that during the decades before Jesus’ ministry there was growing corruption among the priestly families that controlled the Temple activities. The sale of cattle and doves and the privilege of exchanging money were permitted in the temple court as a convenience for pilgrims who would need animals for sacrifice and temple shekels for their offerings.
But under the chief priests, the concessions had become merely a means of making money. These business concession were granted to family members and had debased the temple into a commercial venture. Think of one powerful family controlling all the concessions in an airport and you’ve got the picture!
This did not go unnoticed. From the time of his bar mitzvah at age 13 or so, Jesus would have normally traveled to Jerusalem three times a year for the major feasts required for male Jews, Passover, Pentecost and Booths. Over twenty years, Jesus visited the Temple at least sixty times (probably more) and saw the growing corruption and squalor of the merchants in the courts. It makes sense that soon after the start of His public ministry He would have addressed this problem and then once again before His departure. The light shines into the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it.
The power in these accounts is always in looking inward at the state of our “Temple”. As the light of Jesus shines into our darkness we should ask Jesus what He sees that He would like to cleanse. Is there any sense in which we have “sold out” to the world? Are there practices within our heart and thought life that are offensive to Him? Is there anything to which the Lord would say, "Get these out of here!”? And as He shows us, by His grace, let us respond.

Cleanse the Temple of my heart gently, O Lord, but thoroughly. Get rid of anything that is compromised. Wash me and renew me that my thoughts and heart may focus upon You. In Jesus’ Name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2016
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.