45 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there. 46 He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’ ”

47 Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him. 48 Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Paul Bogg

At church, we have just finished a sermon series on Leviticus.  In God’s love and overwhelming grace and mercy in bringing his people out of slavery and leading them to the promised land, he laid out a set of rules and principles on how to live as a people group that belong to Him.  These rules and principles help establish what sanctification looks like – being set apart and wholly devoted to God himself.  The temple played a significant role in all of this – it was the place where sacrifices were given so that people seeking to be right with God could be made clean.

In today’s passage, Jesus enters the temple grounds where he finds, instead of a place devoted to making a people group right with God, big business is happening.  The process of sanctification has been commoditised.  Money exchange tables have overtaken altar tables. Rather than being a place where prayers of dependence on God are made, it has become a place that fosters a dependence on money.  And because of all this, Jesus is not happy and drives people conducting business out.

Jesus died once and for all, to be the final sacrifice needed for us to be right with God.  But we can still be tempted today to commoditise our relationship with God.  For example: If I give more money to church, maybe God will give me more favour.  Or: If I give more money to a ministry, maybe God will overlook some more of my sins.

Both Leviticus and Jesus tell us that a relationship with God cannot be commoditised. In fact, the only exchange that gains us anything from God was a substitutionary sacrifice that he himself provided – Jesus’ death for us. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we’re free to use whatever money or business that we have in our lives for God’s kingdom and glory, knowing that in Christ we already have inherited an eternity of relationship and fellowship with other believers, a type of richness that money could never buy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ian is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.