Out with the Old 

“…Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength. Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” (John 2:13-17)

Reflection: There is this awkward moment in Scripture and we are not quite sure what to make of it. Jesus the – man of peace, love, patience and grace… the very embodiment of God Himself – goes crazy! This is the only incident of Christ using physical force in any of the gospel accounts. He beats these money changers right out of the temple courtyard. Why the Drama? Why the intensity?

The text gives us a clue: “The loan sharks were also there in full strength.” Wasn’t the temple supposed to be a place of prayer? A place where the nations could come to worship God? So how had men’s hearts twisted so much that they could take advantage of those seeking God? How had this beacon of light for the nations become a place that oppressed the weary pilgrims, the poor and the marginalized, making it difficult for many to be reconciled to God?

Jesus began his ministry by driving out these profiteers and oppressors, reminding them that access is open to everyone who longs for God. A few years later, Jesus returned to this city to finish the work. This time, the whip was not in his hand, but upon his back. This time he was driven from the temple courts and eventually led to a hilltop to be hanged by those whose religious system he’d challenged. But this time, he finally accomplished the work:

“But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath. At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle…”(Mark 15:37-38).

In that instant, this curtain – a symbol of the old ways and the twisted religion of men – was destroyed as a sign to those who had abused their power. This system had come to a decisive end. But this was also a symbol for something beautiful and comforting for each of us today. It reminds us that we no longer need a high priest to go into the Holiest Place behind the veil to atone for us (Ex. 26:31–33; Heb. 9:1–10), because we now have Jesus as our new, eternal High Priest. One who is perfect. One who died in our place. One who understands our every temptation and pain. Today we have direct access to God and true reconciliation because of the work Christ accomplished that day when He shouted those beautiful words “It is finished!”

Prayer: Thank you Father for your mission toward us… for your constant pursuit of rebels like me and your unending desire to win my heart! Even though my sin separated me from you, you made a way to reconcile me to your presence, and tore through every barrier that stood in the way. Thank you that I now have direct access to you through Jesus Christ, my new High Priest… One who has felt the sting of my pain and death… One who knows the sorrow I feel. Thank you Jesus that you courageously entered into my brokenness, invading my life with your healing love and undeserved favor! Let me live my life in light of that truth today.

Action Step: If part of Christ’s work on the earth and ultimately upon the cross was breaking down the walls that stood between us and God, and ushering us directly into God’s presence… How can we connect those around us to God? Who are some people in your life (family, job, school… etc.) who have still not experienced the reconciliation to God that Christ accomplished for them? Make a list with some of their names on it (at least 3), and pray that God would give you the courage, wisdom and direction to help connect them with God… Also, write down a few potential next steps to help you establish a stronger connection with them.