One Saturday morning every August, our small town barricades and diverts the highway running down its center to have a parade. It’s a community event with bands, floats, and candy. It is also a terrible inconvenience for those traveling on the highway. That hindrance will help us understand Jesus’ anger and actions in today’s passage from the Gospel of Mark.
“They came to Jerusalem, and he went into the temple and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. He was teaching them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!” The chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching. Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.” (Mark 11:15–19, CSB) This is not the Jesus we’re used to. Where’s the love and grace in this? It is there if you have eyes to see.
The Temple was the center of Jewish worship. While the synagogue system existed for instruction and support, the Temple was the only place for sacrificial worship. By the time Jesus shows up, Temple worship had become big business with strict requirements. The money given had to be the right kind of coinage. The sacrificial animals had to be inspected and approved by the priests. If yours was rejected, you could purchase another pre-approved one at a nearby vendor. Those roadblocks and barriers made it a hassle for folks wanting to worship God and pray.
Jesus upset their tables and schemes. He tore down the roadblocks and hindrances. He reminded the leaders and the people that “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” That call remains wherever people gather for worship, instruction, and prayer. We need to constantly evaluate whether our good-intentioned programs and activities are creating distractions and hindrances to people connecting with Christ. We also need to guard against those who would divert the gathering for their own gain, such as fame, power, or money.
This applies to gatherings of all sizes and shapes. Remember, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20, CSB) Two or three together are a house of prayer, a holy time and place to connect with Christ.
As a worship leader, teacher, and writer, my goal is to make it easier for folks to connect with Jesus. To initiate the conversation and serve as a transparent conduit. My reward is in seeing God move in the lives of others. I don’t write that for praise but as an example to follow.
We can also apply this in our personal lives. What hindrances and barriers to prayer and worship do we have? If one hindrance is time, remember that God is with us always. Any place can be a meeting place with God. Other barriers could be unforgiveness, anxiety, distractions, temptations, or sinful habits. Jesus wants to remove those barriers, just as He did in the Temple.
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