Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

When “Tradition” Meets Jesus
”Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ’It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” – Matthew 21:12-13

Save for the last four days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) the event of Jesus in the early part of the week remain a bit sketchy in terms of sequence. We are told he continued to teach, heal, and remain a thorn in the flesh to the religious elite – which of course would eventually lead to his crucifixion.
One such event that stands out is the “Cleansing of the Temple” where Jesus overturns tables and scatters the tables of the “money-changers” that had been set up in the Temple area. This for years had been a common practice. Those coming to celebrate and participate in the Passover would first have to “register” at the Temple. They would bring their sacrifice for inspection, or, some would come and purchase their sacrifice from the chief priest who would in turn provide that individual with the proper animal for the Passover Sacrifice.
The problem with this was that the process had become corrupt and nothing more than a money-making scheme for those “selling” the sacrificial lambs. According to the Law as given by God to Moses, the lamb had to be without defect. Mostly, without any visible deformities. The ambiguity of the language, however, provided the temple priests opportunity to find fault in areas that were never meant to be so those bringing in their lambs for inspection were having them rejected as unfit! To be eligible to participate in the celebration and receive the blessing of forgiveness would in turn cost them more!
Martin Luther would fight this same battle some 15 centuries later as the Church was selling “indulgences,” the remission of a sin which may or may not have been forgiven. As was the case with selling in the Temple – there were those making a fortune by selling “forgiveness.” Luther was appalled by the practice and called the leaders out on this as well as other issues – only to be excommunicated by the Church – leading to the beginning of the Protestant movement.
For years the Kingdom of Christ has been plagued by those who have found a way to make faith “profitable.” All this does is disgrace His Name and cheapen His grace. I would hope that we would be able to see through the disguises and reject anything that is not ordained of God. Unfortunately…not all things that occur “in the name of Jesus” have to do with money but far too often it is a matter of POWER. Having one’s way because they can! Someone once labeled this phrase, the seven last words of a dying church…”We’ve always done it that way before.” Both, the selling of forgiveness and/or the need for control do nothing to lift up the Name of Christ.
Jesus would remind us today that you cannot buy your way to forgiveness – it can only happen in this way…by asking and then repenting! Thank you Jesus for giving us a better way to find and experience forgiveness and redemption.
Pastor J. T. Carnell.