We almost miss Jesus’ first visit to the
Jerusalem temple. It comes at the end of
the story of his triumphal entry into the city.
“And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything,
as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” (Mark 11:11) How many people thought he was a sight-seer,
or that the way he studied everything meant that he had never been there
before. Some wonder if Jesus’ actions are not like those
of the angel, who toward the end of the book of Ezekiel is seen to be sizing up
the temple for destruction and judgment.
While Jesus’ first visit to the temple
seems more like an episode of “Undercover Boss”, his second visit is far more
eventful, coming on the heels of a curious episode involving a fig tree (which
we will examine in the next post). Jesus’
actions in the temple surely invoke in the witnesses a reminder of Malachi:
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he
will prepare the way before me. And the
Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the
covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of
hosts. But who can endure the day of his
coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of
silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and
silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will
be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.” – Malachi 3:1-4
If Jesus has come to cleanse and refine
the temple, and by extension the church, what is the crux of his message? Does he come to lay out a more exacting moral
standard, to remind them of what form of worship is acceptable, or to unveil a
new “church growth” plan? Interestingly
enough, Jesus’ focus seems to be on none of the things we often wage internecine
war over in our churches. His focus is
on reminding those around him of the temple’s true purpose.
The authorities had set up vending booths
inside the precincts of the temple as if the main reason for the temple’s
existence was to make money. These vendors
weren’t there for convenience, as archeology has shown that there were several
markets for exchange located on the Mount of Olives, making the temple market
redundant. More than likely the temple
market was set up for the express purpose of competing with these local
markets, since they fell under the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin rather than
the chief priests. The prophetic witness
of those same chief priests warns against the temple becoming a commerical battleground. The prophet Jeremiah asks the question, “has
this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your
eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it,
declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 7:11) The last part of the book of Zechariah states
“and there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on
that day.” (Zechariah 14:21) It’s hard to imagine how the chief priests,
those entrusted with the spiritual care of Israel, could be so blind to the
warnings in their own scripture. And
yet, isn’t that what money does? It
diverts our eyes from what is truly important, from our purpose in this world.
If the purpose of the temple wasn’t to
make money, what was it? The answer is
probably fairly obvious, but its purpose was to be a house of prayer, a place
where people commune with God. We can go
back to the founding of the temple to see its original intent:
“When
Solomon is dedicating the temple, this is what he says: “Yet have regard to the
prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and
to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, that your eyes may
be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My
name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant
offers toward this place. And listen to
the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this
place. And listen in heaven your dwelling
place, and when you hear, forgive.” – I
Kings 8:28-30
And this house of prayer was not just
for Israel, but for all nations. Jesus
angst was probably partially due to the fact that by making the court of the
Gentiles a market, the authorities had taken away the one place where “the
nations” could worship. This flew in the
face of God’s intention, and again, of Israel’s scriptures, as we see from this
passage in Isaiah:
“And
the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the
name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and
does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant- these I will bring to my holy
mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and
their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a
house of prayer for all peoples.” – Isaiah 56:6-7
Israel had forgotten that its vocation
was not to be the only people of God,
but rather the first among many of God’s children.
Before we are too hard on Israel, maybe we should
turn an introspective eye to the churches where we gather for worship each and
every Sunday. I wonder what Christ thinks when he enters our
midst as a church. Does he see us
welcoming others who wish to worship God and glorify the name of the Lord, or
does he see us throwing up barriers? If
we are honest with ourselves, it’s probably a little bit of both. May the Lord continue to “come to church”,
till we are refined, purified, and empowered to be the house of prayer for all
nations that God has always desired.
“Lord, help us to be a community that seeks to
welcome in those whom you have drawn to yourself. Let our presence in this community always be
an encouragement to others, and never a barrier to their coming to you. Amen.”
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