:13-17, I learned something new that I had never thought about before. The passage deals with Jesus cleansing the Temple at the time of the Passover early in His ministry. According to the John MacArthur Study Bible footnote on John 2:15, Jesus cleansed the Temple twice at the beginning and towards the end of His ministry. He writes: "As John recorded this cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the synoptic Gospels record a temple cleansing at the end of Jesus' ministry during the final Passover week before Jesus' crucifixion The historical circumstances and literary contexts of the two temple cleansings differ so widely that attempts to equate the two are unsuccessful. Furthermore, that two cleansings occurred is entirely consistent with the overall context of Jesus' ministry, for the Jewish nation as a whole never recognized Jesus' authority as Messiah." This is the first time I had heard about two cleansings of the Temple taking place, and in relation to our own approach to worship, there are some things we can learn.First, Jesus drove out those who were making a profit on selling animals and changing foreign currency because they were cheating the people in the very House of Worship which God had appointed. These merchants knew that devout Jews from around the known world would come to Jerusalem to sacrifice at the Passover so they took advantage of the situation. Jesus told these people, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade" (vs. 16). He was zealous for the holiness and reverence that was due to God the Father. His Temple was to be a place where worship occurred rather than a common place for trade to take place. I wonder at times if we approach worship with a holy attitude in our preparation or is it just another place to go on Sunday?
How often do we take time to drive out the extraneous thoughts, worries and attitudes that keep us from entering His presence with praise? Are we making Him the center of our concentration as we listen to the preached Word and sing our hymns? If not, perhaps it is time for us to do some self examination before we attend worship service.
In his letter to the Corinthians (I Cor. 6:19-20), the Apostle Paul reminds believers that we are the Temple of the Holy Spirit: " 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.…" These are important words for us to consider as we prepare for worship. Our blessed Lord lives within us and therefore, we must be careful to keep our Temple clean from sin. God wants us to be holy even as He is holy.
Years ago when our children were growing up, it was usually a mad dash to church on Sunday mornings. Someone could not find a sock, shoe or other apparel. Then, in the car, there might be a disagreement between siblings or some other distraction. By the time we arrived, we often felt frazzled to say the least. So, we tried different avenues to calm the situation like laying clothes out the night before, praying on the way to church or playing praise music as we drove. It certainly helped and even today, my husband and I often listen to a sermon or hymns before we go to church preparing our spirit to receive from the Lord.
Cleansing the Temple of our hearts and minds even as Jesus drove out the moneychangers and merchants is essential to upholding reverence for our God in worship. Adding to or taking away from what God has ordained in church worship can lead us astray from the Lord's best. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones made a great observation about worship in an article published in a blog called "Growing in Grace". I will leave the link here for you to follow (https://growingingrace.blog/2019/09/23/lloyd-jones-on-numbers/ ). May we seek always to honor the Lord by making certain our temple is cleansed before we come together for worship and as we walk with Him each day. Selah!
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