God's House

“Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables.” John 2:15 (NLT) 
He sat down and made the whip himself. This was no flash of rage or impulse. But what was he so angry about?
          Jesus, the man of peace, performs a violent act. Everyone seems bewildered. In this age of inclusivity where all are encouraged to “just get along”, this act seems almost barbaric.
          The priests of the day thought they stood for God. But they had confused respect for themselves and their religious system for true reverence for God. The temple was meant to be a place for people to have access to God; instead, it had become a place of ritual and profit. It became a place where it was hard to find God behind all the rules and expense.
          We must be careful not to worship our institutions or programs or buildings. It is a frightening thing for our reverence to only be a reflection of our own glory; where our worship and our life together are all about us and not about God.
          Do we reflect today the outlook of the priests of Jesus day rather than that of Jesus himself? I was once standing near the front of a church building following the morning service, and some children were playing around what was called an ‘altar’. A lady came rushing up from somewhere and shouted at the kids “stop playing in here” she yelled, “This is God’s house!”
          If we say this, we are perpetrating a lie. God doesn’t live in buildings. He lives in us. We are His dwelling place!
 -Pastor Dino Griffin