So now we see Jesus’ official ministry start.  And He definitely starts with a bang...walking into the temple and confronting the traditions of the times.  You probably know this, but in this time sacrifice was a big part of the culture, and a big part of the religious practice.  People would sin, and then they would sacrifice according to the Old Testament Law and largely because of the Jewish customs that were stacked on top of the Law in order to be made clean.  The problem is, not everyone had these animals to sacrifice.  Further, animals weren’t really convenient to carry around with you, so some people saw an opportunity to set up shop at the temple and sell sacrificial animals right there on the spot...it is actually a clever idea.  The problem is that this precludes the poor from being able to sacrifice, and it was a further way for these Jewish leaders to profit because they obviously were the ones that needed to run this because they obviously knew what was pure and what wasn’t.  After all, it wasn’t a genuine sacrifice unless it was approved by the leaders.  Of course, I am being a little facetious here, but I don’t really think that is far off from what was going on.  And it ticked Jesus off because it was taking advantage of the situation.  This is a little like a church taking the Sunday offering and using it to send the Pastor and his family on a vacation to Hawaii.  It isn’t that it is bad for the church to do something for the pastor, but it is not right to do it in that way.

With this episode, Jesus challenges the norm.  It makes me think a little, where am I settled into a norm that Jesus might walk in and challenge?  It makes me think, who’s life do I have an opportunity to speak into and be the norm challenger?  And, who has the ability in my own life?  These are important relationships for us all to have in our lives. This really leverages the power of community.

But that is the thought for today...where in your life, if Jesus showed up and became human today, would be turn the proverbial tables over and challenge you?  That will be my meditation and prayer today...that God would show me what that looks like in my own life.