John 2;13-22 v “All right, “Jesus replied. Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
It was nearly time for the Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the temple he saw merchants selling animals, dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace. Then the disciples remembered this prophecy from the scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” The Jewish leaders demanded a miraculous sign. “All right, “Jesus replied. Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. But when Jesus said, “this temple”, he meant his own body. The disciples believed both the scriptures and what Jesus had said.
Actions and words that go together are important for everyone in our lives today. Just think of the excitement that a birthday promise evokes, the announcement of an engagement, and an upcoming vacation. Sometimes it is only looking back that we can connect them, remembering things from the past that impacts the future. Like that thoughtful gift someone gives you or you give another because you remembered that they liked a certain thing. These are only small things from our own lives, but they impact others. With Jesus what He says and does has everlasting impact. Jesus’ reaction here is not the reaction of a passive, accepting God but a revolutionary. He made a weapon that allowed Him to get the animals out and turn over the tables. The disciples were able to connect the ideals with past scriptures, and when He died and rose again His actions to these words too.
Prayer: Loving God whose words and actions impact our lives today thank you for the revolutionary ideas we see in the bible. For the passion of Jesus as he swept the temple clean. For enabling us to understand the big picture of the bible by our own smaller experiences of life. Amen.
CrossWalk 