When Jesus entered into the
Temple in Jerusalem and saw that there were people there disgracing the House
of his father we get a glimpse into the passion that Jesus has for his purpose
and for his father. Jesus was enraged
with the disrespect of his father’s home.
There were people there selling livestock, doves and money traders. They were in a sense making a mockery of his
Father’s home and that is when you see the protection and deeply rooted
affection and love of Jesus for his Father.
Jesus started to knock over
tables and flail about whips to get the people to move and realize the severity
of their actions. They have just sinned
against God, his Father, their creator and did it without any remorse for their
actions. In the midst of what had to be
chaos the Disciples remembered an earlier word they had read in the Bible or
for them the Holy Scripture, about the exact scene they were watching with
their own eyes. This only deepens
their devotion and belief in Jesus.
I believe that there was a very
deep pain in Jesus’ heart for the sight that he was seeing. I believe that when Jesus arrived at the
Temple he was excited to be in his Father’s house and to walk in and see such a
blatant disrespect for his Father pushed him over the edge and into fierce
anger. We have not really seen Jesus in
this state before and I think it’s good that we are getting a glimpse of it and
in this context.
Jesus is not only showing us the
value of God’s word and his house, which is at that time the Church, his home,
now is inside of each and every one of us, but he was showing us how to respect
your parents. One of the Ten
Commandments is to Honor thy Father and Mother.
Jesus took the opportunity to show us in that moment how far we should
go to keep our Father and Mother’s reputation clean.
My heart breaks for Jesus in this
moment as he was coming to worship his father and spend time in his home and he
walks into a mess of sin and greed and among this horrific sight are people who
are confessing to be lovers of God. Why
would anyone sit around and allow his Father’s house to be disrespected in such
a sinful nature?
We get to see the extreme love
and admiration Jesus has for his Father and to keep his house a house of
worship and honor. We also get to see
the way that our Faith grows in God. All
throughout John there are tiny glimpses into confirmation of God’s word and a
confirmation that Jesus the man they are following is indeed the Son of
God. We get to see their Faith grow
before our eyes as God brings to remembrance words they read earlier or things
they have been told before they met Jesus.
Our Faith grows in God when we
see his word at work in our lives. The
word could be from Jesus, from the Bible, from another Christian book we have
read or a word that God has shared with you but our Faith grows from seeing the
confirmation of the words we have been given.
It’s like a seed, and I know
there are many references to seeds in the Bible but this is what came to
mind. One tiny seed if planted
correctly can create a strong oak tree.
The seed of God’s word is to be planted in our hearts, minds and souls
and when watered with time spent in prayer, reading and in God’s presence, the
seed will be fertilized, and begin to shed its outer layer and break apart or
sprout into the ground, or our flesh. As
the seed sprouts it has to push its way through the ground, or our flesh, and
this is where the pain occurs.
You can’t push through something
without tearing the fibers apart to make room for what is being pushed
through. In this case the seed of the
word has sprouted into our flesh and for it to flourish and grow it has to push
its way through our flesh, or our thoughts, emotions, wills, feelings, ideas,
plans, reasoning, worry, anger and so on and so on.
This is how I believe Faith
works. You get a “mustard” seed of
Faith, which God supplies us with as much Faith as we need for every
situation.
You get a “mustard” seed of Faith
and when you water that “mustard” seed with God’s word, prayer and time with
him the “mustard” seed or your Faith grows.
You will begin to trust God more with your life because his Faithfulness
will no longer be in question. This is
why when we have a problem we are instructed to go to God instead of ourselves,
or our friends. When you take your
problems to God your “mustard” seed is given the chance to grow as God walks
you through your problem and gives you a solution to your problem.
Faith is a beautiful thing and
one that we really need to treasure because without it now that would be
Hell. We really need to spend more
time understanding Faith and how it works so if that time ever comes when your
Faith has been shaken you can reference, like the disciples did, what God has
already done in your life, and know that you can push on in Faith, knowing God
will deliver you from this situation as well.
Just remember that when you get
to the end of the situation, trial or whatever your believing God for, that you
Glorify his name in the end. When your
trial is over and you are standing at the end with your lesson learned and your
renewed Faith or growing Faith remember the ones who gave it to you.
Take time to Thank your Heavenly
Father for walking with you throughout this time in your life and give him
thanks. Thank the Holy Spirit for
comforting you and giving you wisdom and for taking your prayers to God. Remember to thank Jesus for his sacrifice for
you on the Cross so that you have the chance to grow your Faith.
I know this is hard and
hopefully, we will all come to this space in life, but remember to thank God
during your trial. Remember to give him
thanks for walking with you through the trial and that you know everything will
be OK. You will be delivered like Meshach,
Shad rack and Abednego were from the fiery furnace, and you won’t smell like
smoke.
We must remember that since God
is our temple our home and he now lives in us, we are his home and his
temple. We are the house of God. We carry the Holy Spirit with us everywhere
we go. This means that there is a
greater sense of urgency when it comes to respecting the house that God lives
in. I am not going to go further with
that I am sure we will touch that topic at another time.
To sum this all up, is to say,
that there are signs of God’s greatness all around us and we need to remember
to look for them. To look for the
opportunity to grow and connect with our Heavenly Father throughout the day.
We need to do our part to keep the name of God
holy in the eyes of the people watching us.
Just as the disciples were watching Jesus react in the Temple people are
watching us and how we rise or fall to any situation around us. We are a testament to our Lord and Savior
and when we feel like our Flesh is being ripped apart, remember it’s just a
seed of Faith pushing out the dirt in us and sprouting God’s Faith and Word in
our lives. We will never enter a fire
too hot for us and we will never enter it alone. There will always be a second man on the
scene. We might not see him physically
but if we search our hearts and bow our heads we will surely feel him.
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