Zeal For The Temple

Zeal For The Temple

Tomorrow, we will look at Matthew 21 and the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Since that will be Palm Sunday, let’s focus on an another element of that chapter for today.

After His entry into the city, Jesus took it upon Himself to enter the Temple. What He saw there stirred up anger in His heart. The Temple was supposed to be about prayer but it had become a 1st century version of a flea market or a used car lot.

Jesus often talked about the holiness of the Temple. His ministry revolved around it. The first recorded event of His life took place in the Temple when His parents took Him there after His birth. That is recorded in Luke 2.

It was in the Temple where Jesus taught the adults at the age of 12. When His parent came looking for Him, He said:

Luke 2:49

“Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

Jesus loved the Temple because it was God’s House. He knew the importance of maintaining the purity and holiness of that space. When Jesus saw that it had been relegated to nothing more than a money making “mall” for the vendors, He took action. He fashioned a whip out of some cords and began overturning tables—chasing people out of the courtyard.

The fuel of His passion was the integrity of who God is. Jesus was showing us that this was a special place where special things happened. It should never have been defiled by the love of money.

So, let’s stop ourselves here and ask a serious question. Is God that special to you? Does His holiness drive your passion? Is it your desire like it was for Jesus? Look at this verse in Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

God wants us all to be more concerned about His holiness than we are about the stuff of life that surround us every day. Let’s make that effort. Let’s make His desires what drives us. That should be our passion and desire.

Romans 12:11

Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.