Jesus — Clearing the Temple - Tuesday
TODAY’S VERSE
John 2:16
And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” (ESV)
I have never paid much attention to pigeons here in suburban Central Kentucky, but after a quick Google search, I see that opinions on pigeons can vary greatly. You can adopt a pigeon, race a pigeon, or call a pest removal service to, ahem… “remove” a pigeon!
In John 2, the pigeons were being sold to the poor as an animal for sacrifice. As we look at Jesus’ response to the sellers in the temple, we quickly realize this story isn’t actually about the pigeons, it’s about people.
The pigeons were being sold in the outer court of the temple where the Gentiles (non Jews) were. The Gentiles were outsiders, but those showing up to the temple were there to worship and desired to be counted among God’s people. It wasn’t typical for the marketplace to be set up in the temple and Jesus saw that these sellers were taking advantage of the poor and the outsiders. These were the same people that we see Jesus seeking out and moving towards again and again in the pages of the New Testament.
Jesus saw barriers coming up between God the Father and those who desired to worship Him, and that produced a righteous anger in Him. There are still barriers in churches today, although there aren’t usually pigeons involved! Today it may look more like legalism, self-righteousness, or unkindness from those already on the inside to those on the outside.
As people on the inside, believers who are already a part of God’s family, we should do everything we can to welcome those who feel like they are on the outside. That usually means going outside of the safety and familiarity of Sunday services or church programs and finding the outsiders where they are.
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells his disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples.” He didn’t tell them to wait for the outsiders to come to them by creating services or programs they might enjoy.
And in Matthew 9:38 Jesus says, “therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” God expects us as insiders to go find the outsiders to help them become a part of God’s family!
APPLICATION
Where can you go? Who do you know that is on the outside who needs to experience the love of Jesus? Step outside the church this week looking for opportunities to bring one more inside.
PRAYER
Father, help me to see the lost as You see them. Open my eyes to the opportunities around me to welcome outsiders and remove barriers to them coming to worship You.