(part 1)
“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.”
John 2:13-14
The Passover celebration was one of the most holy feasts celebrated by the people of Israel. It dated back to the days of Moses, when God delivered the children of Israel out of the hands of Pharaoh. During the feast, the blood of a lamb was shed and its blood applied to the doorposts of their homes. That evening when the death angel passed by, he would see the blood and “Passover” that home.
Passover was one of three feasts God commanded the Israelites they were to celebrate at the “place of His choosing.” In Jesus’ day, that place was at the temple in Jerusalem. So Jesus traveled from Capernaum to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast.
Upon reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and found men selling cattle, sheep and doves. Others were exchanging money. John tells us that a holy indignation rose up inside of Him! What once stood as a place of prayer, the place where the presence of God resided, a place of reverence and sacrifice, a place holy unto God; was now nothing more than a marketplace!
What is a marketplace? It is where things are bought and sold, where ideas are exchanged, compromises made and bartering done. There was once a time when the bleating cries of the lambs coming from the temple meant something. It weighed in the hearts of the people as they came to worship the God of Israel who had delivered them out of the bondages of Egypt, but the people had lost sight of God in their lives.
They began to exchange the truth of God for a lie, compromise their faith, buy into the world system and sell their souls for wealth, power and influence. The sounds coming from the temple courts now sounded more like a circus than a sanctuary.
Pastor Scott Burr
http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com
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