“12 And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He *said to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.””
Sometimes we like this passage because it shows a human reaction from Jesus
We realize he did get angry too
But have you ever stopped to think about what made him angry?
Why were there money changers in the temple in the first place?
Don’t forget about those selling doves as well, why were they there?
Way back in Exodus 30:11-16 God required a half shekel from His people
The temple tax was derived from this requirement for the upkeep of the temple
People outside of Jerusalem came to worship and had different money
It needed to be changed into the correct currency
So why is that a problem for Jesus?
The money changers were extorting money as they made the exchange.
Also, the dove sellers were a problem because of how they cheated the people
They inspected peoples sacrifice and often told them it was imperfect
Then the only option the people had was to buy another sacrifice
So again why is Jesus so angry?
“13 And He *said to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.”
In the name of doing something right, the people were robbing the temple goers
Why am I sharing this message today?
The modern church is no different.
There are all sorts of false religious entities that use the name of Jesus to rob people
There are churches today that promote a feel good attitude instead of truth
This robs the people of the true messages God has for them
God’s house is supposed to be a house of prayer not an entertainment venue
Too many believers have been robbed of the real worship they need
That’s why even Christians are seeking ungodly things to fill their heart
When they attend worship, it is everything but worship
When we, as God’s children, are not willing to share the hard truth
Because it may be offensive to someone, we are robbing them of what they need
We advertise one thing, but then cheat people when we don’t share truth
Stop robbing people and start spending real worship with God.
This false religion has also made it hard for people to realize their need for salvation
The blunt question today is, are you a sinner?
Have you ever asked God to forgive your sin and gave your life to Him?
This is the only real reconciliation you can have. If you haven’t done that,
Every religious thing you do is not real, no matter what you have been told.
Are you ready to give up the fake and accept the real Truth today?
Completely giving yourself to Jesus is the only real way for Salvation
