15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves; 16 and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 He was teaching and saying, ‘Is it not written,
“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”?
But you have made it a den of robbers.’
18 And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. 19 And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples] went out of the city. Mark 11:15-19
With the arrival of warm weather, I have started the dreaded process of Spring Cleaning. I was able to leave up the garage door in the warm weather, but I noticed all the stuff that needed to go. Where did all these leaves come from? I swear I swept and blew them all out in November. How many spiders can make that many cobwebs in the windows? How many mice made a nest on my storage racks and dropped feces everywhere? Where did all the mold on my garage windows come from? I have a lot of work to do to make my garage presentable but also to make it a space for my car and not for leaves, spiders, mice, and mold.
Not only did I find the wrong thing in my garage, but Jesus also found the wrong things in His House. On Palm Sunday, after his arrival in Jerusalem, Jesus enters the Temple to pray and to give offerings and he found the wrong things there. He found people selling animals for the sacrifices prescribed in the Law and he found people forced to buy them at high prices. He found money changers, to change the Roman coins into the local Jewish coins, which the vendors alone accepted, much like a Visa or Mastercard only, with of course a 20% fee for exchange. He even found people selling doves, which were the poor person’s sacrifice, do we really think they were sold at cost or at profit? Jesus expected a space of prayer and connection with God and found profiteers who were nurturing not faith but greed and gluttony.
After finding everything in my garage that was not supposed to be there, I Spring cleaned. Jesus does likewise, He drove out the animals (and maybe a few people) with a handmade whip, He overturned the tables of the moneychangers (did people grab the money and flee?), and He restored the Court of the Gentiles to its proper function, a light to the Gentiles. He even went so far as to begin teaching the real and true purpose of the Temple, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”? But you have made it a den of robbers.’ Jesus Spring cleaned the Temple to restore it to its Divinely established purpose, a place to connect with God and Community.
What would Jesus find in our sanctuaries? Prayer, worship, service, study? Hearts connecting with God and Community? Or would Jesus find shows seeking entertained audiences, politically driven rhetoric seeking votes for President, idols and golden calves from ages past, or economic profiteering for personal fortunes? If we were to look at our spaces supposedly dedicated to Jesus and His mission, would He find them faithfully used or needing some Spring cleaning?
Perhaps this is why Jesus was hated by the religious leaders, the priests, and scribes enough to be killed. He threatened their purpose for the temple, not realizing of course that they were a threat to God’s purpose for the temple. Perhaps the greatest problem today is not the outside world living and promoting sin, what did you really expect from them, but the religious leaders who take the things of God and find ways to profit off them. Instead of nurturing faith and obedience to the Loving, Covenant God, they nurture fortune and glory for themselves. We end up with leaves, spiders, mice, and mold in the garage; we end up with greed, pride, tyranny, and gluttony in the House of God. Instead of connecting to God, people are led to connect with Sin and God chooses to Spring Clean.
Perhaps this is why even despite the people hating him for bringing the Kingdom of God into their kingdoms, Jesus dies for all creation. To cleanse creation, even if creation is the problem. Jesus dies for creation to save creation from itself. To cleanse the sanctuaries and human hearts from sin, but also to restore it to its true purpose: gratitude and trust in the Loving, Covenant God. Friends, as we near the end of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week, we are ever reminded of just how much in ourselves and even our churches needs to be removed and how much we need to be blessed with the new creation. The good news of the Gospel is that as Jesus of Nazareth, God has done everything needed for our sanctuaries and our selves to be cleansed and restored. The burden of our discipleship is learning to be a true temple of prayer and connection with God, not with sin. Grace has changed us, let us be that changed people. Jesus has Spring Cleaned, let us be His Holy and Faithful disciples. Amen.
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