Communion With the Christ:: A House for All Nations

“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” Mk: 11:17

After his glorious entrance into Jerusalem, which was in many respects an Apocalyptic moment, our Lord Jesus Christ entered the Temple of God and into the court of the gentiles. This outer court was the part of the Temple where the gentiles were confined to stay. This area had become a “marketplace”, and some people used it as a short cut to cross the Temple courts to get where they wanted to go.

It was here in the gentile court that shops and animal pens, which stank of dung, had been set up for the selling of animals which were to be used in the sacrifices which were offered at the Temple, also, money changers had set up tables to exchange real currency for “Temple coinage” which had no value outside of the Temple complex. This Temple coinage was to be used in the purchase of the animals, the exchange rate was very disproportion in favor of the money changers and the Religious leaders of the day.

The Zeal of the Lord’s House

The abuses of the religious system and exploitation of the common people all for the profit and gain of the religious leaders and their business allies ,the unsavory lot of persons which always abound where such enterprises are being conducted, and the stench and filth of the penned animals causes a holy anger to arise within Jesus.

Jesus is moved by a holy zeal. Jesus then acts and boldly confronting the money changers, he overturned their tables and scattering them and drove out the “merchandisers” scattering them from the Temple and put an end to persons using the Temple as a short cut to get where they wanted to go.

“On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. Mk: 11:15-16

The Court Stank

This part of the Temple, the court of the gentiles, was the place where non-Jews were given very limited access to participation of the Worship of God. It was in this court that the religious leaders in conjunction with money changers set their tables and booths to exchange money and to sell animals.

The presence of the animals with this area would have created an abundance of filth and a bad stench. This would have kept some persons out of the Temple all together and cosigned the non-Jewish worshipers to a rather unpleasant experiences and discouraged many to stay away all together.

This why Jesus declared in his sermon that he preached there that the worship of the true God, that the Temple at Jerusalem was to symbolize was intended to include people from all nation. None were to be kept out.

“And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? (17a)

The type of legalistic application of the Covenant quite literally stank and keeps people out and away from the worship of God. Legalism stinks and keeps people away.

The Religious leaders had exploited the Covenant which God had formed with Israel and used it to make themselves rich at the expense of the people and the virtual exclusion of non-Jews who wanted to worship God.

“But you have made it ‘a den of robbers” (17b)

Jesus, in overturning the tables, was acting out why he, as the Messiah, had come. Jesus had come to overturn the tables of the Covenant. Jesus had come to do away with religion, which limited the access to God and bring relationship.

The Religious leaders had developed an “exclusive” merchandising mind set. This “exclusivism” kept some of the people confined in the court of the gentiles did not have access to the court of the Priest or the Sanctuary and ultimately the Holy of Holies, these areas belong only to the people of Israel and the religious leaders which was reserved only to them.

Jesus proclaimed powerfully by word and action an end to that system and it’s purging. Now, through the work of Jesus all peoples from all nations could offer the sacrifice of prayer and participate in the worship of the Great God as priest of God under the New Covenant of Grace.

Not a Short Cut

Jesus also shut down the uses of the Temple as a short cut for those who wanted to get where they wanted to go and sealing their merchandise as they went it was no longer a means for their self-advancement.

“and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts”(16)

In Our Temple Courts

St. Paul tells us that we, the Church, Christians, are the Temple of God.

“we are all the Temple of God”1Cor:3:16

Do we Christians find the same “merchandising” attitude in the Temple courts of our own lives, individually and collectively? Do we have a “money changer” attitude? Are we using the Temple Court of the Church as means to get to where we want to go, socially, financially for our own gain and advancement? Do we each and all have a legalistic “religion” that stinks and keeps some out of and excludes them from the worship of God? Do we have an unequal exchange rate, that is, what we give in return is useless coinage?

Jesus has come to drive out the “merchandising” attitude in our own lives.

As we are all the Temple of God, Jesus Christ has entered all our lives and has turns over the tables of our lives all to rid us of system which cannot even bring us real transformation and salvation.

Jesus rather drives out the “merchandiser” attitude, the “getting attitude” in each one of us. We need to let go of the old ways and become priest of God to offer the sacrifice of prayer, to be a house of prayer ,so that no one need be excluded out in the court of the gentiles. All are welcome in the Lord’s house.

Jesus has entered in and turned over our tables so that we can be house of prayer for all nations.

Benediction: May each and all fully be that Temple where God is worshiped without “money changers” a house of prayer for all nations today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.