The Clash of Kingdoms (The Plot Thickens)
February 4, 2022
Matthew 21:12-17, The Message - Jesus went
straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and
selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants.
He quoted this text:
My house was designated a house of prayer;
You have made it a hangout for thieves.
Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in.
They came to Jesus and he healed them.
When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he
was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple,
“Hosanna to David’s Son!” they were up in arms and took him to task. “Do you
hear what these children are saying?”
Jesus said, “Yes, I hear them. And haven’t you read in
God’s Word, ‘From the mouths of children and babies I’ll furnish a place of
praise’?”
Fed up, Jesus spun around and left the city for Bethany,
where he spent the night.
It is
noteworthy that upon His arrival in Jerusalem, the first place Jesus goes is
the House of God, the Temple. When He
arrives, He does something He knows will set in motion events that will lead to
His death in just a few days. But this
is not a publicity stunt aimed at starting a conflict. Jesus throwing over tables and driving
merchants out of the Temple speaks to heart of the clash between kingdoms that
we have highlighted throughout our journey through Matthew’s gospel.
“My
house was designated a house of prayer; You have made it a hangout for thieves.”
Passover
was a time when thousands would make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, specifically
the Temple, to offer sacrifices to God.
Because bringing animals to sacrifice was impractical and sometimes impossible,
a huge sale of sacrificial animals took place literally on the Temple steps
each year. The pilgrims could buy the
animals and then make their sacrifice inside.
Over time, this sale became more a “cash cow” for the Temple than a
practical service of convenience for the pilgrims. Tye religious officials
behind the sale knew that without an animal to sacrifice, the whole pilgrimage
is for nothing. They took great
advantage of this dubious opportunity.
This is why Jesus labeled them thieves.
A place of prayer and sacrifice had become a place of exploitation and
greed. No wonder Jesus was so enraged.
The
second part of this story is one that only Matthew includes. After His “cleansing of the Temple, Jesus begins
healing the blind and the crippled who have arrived to pray. In other words, Jesus quickly shifts the
focus of what happens in the Temple back to its proper designation – a house of
prayer (and a place where prayers are answered). My favorite part of this story is the
children’s reaction to all that they have just seen. They witness the ruckus and then the healing. They get carried away (as groups of children
often do) with all these amazing events and begin chanting loudly the praises
of Jesus. The words they shout recall
the praises of the crowd that greeted Jesus at the Golden Gate with Palm
branches and “Hosanna’s.” Take a moment
to imagine their chants. It is most
beautiful music in my mind’s eye.”
Not so
for the religious leaders who have had enough.
They are hating all of this as much as the children are loving it. That. That right there. That is the contrast between the Kingdom of
God and kingdoms of this world, even the “religious kingdoms.” The religious leaders were loving the “bank”
they were making and the absence of children’s “nonsense” in God’s House. Jesus drives out the leaders’ cottage industry
and restores the sweetness and exuberance of children’s voices to their rightful
place. Jesus loves what they hate and
vice versa. A clash of kingdoms
indeed. And the clash continues to this
day.
Question: Thinking
about the religious institutions of our day, where are the places where what
God loves is absent and what God hates thrives?
Prayer: God help us
to see the ways where we as the community of faith have strayed from Your purposes
for us. May we, the people of your “House,”
be truly a “house of prayer.” Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for your church and for the Church worldwide today.
Song: Song of Repentance
– New Wine Worship
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