Morning Devotionals

by Don Emmitte

 

March 10th, 2008

 

"Monday of Passion Week, 2008"

Jesus entered the temple area 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 NIV).

Even though we are a week early this year as we examine the events of Passion Week (I really do know when Easter is this year), I thought this series might give you a boost as you actually experience each day next week. My prayer is that you will be able to sense a powerful presence of Christ and his redemptive work everyday, and especially as we focus on celebrating the resurrection.

While we do not know a great deal about Jesus’ activities on Monday, we do know that after he entered Jerusalem, with crowds calling out praise to God and exclaiming “Hosanna,” he went to the temple. It could have been on Sunday or early Monday. Either way, the action is plainly stated in our reading today. Jesus saw the money changers in the area designated for prayer and declared their sin.

Some might misunderstand this condemnation as one in which Jesus comes against the money changers for their business activity. I think it is much deeper than that. There was a need for these men to convert money from the many pilgrims coming for Passover; however, it appears that they were taking advantage of the people. He charged them with making what was intended to be a “house of prayer” into a “den of robbers”!

I wonder if we are guilty of that in the modern church? Of course I know we don’t “charge people” to come to the gospel, but could we still be guilty of stealing from those who come? The grace that God has so freely extended to all of us has been fettered with so many lists of things to do and laws to keep that I fear we have robbed them of the opportunity to truly approach God in prayer. No place in the Scripture does it demand that we do or be something other than what we are to approach God in prayer. Even in the guilt of our sin, we only need to call on the name of Jesus to be forgiven and restored.

As you begin to think about Easter this week, think about the wonderful right your have to come into the presence of God. That right was won by the blood of Jesus. It was secured by His resurrection from the dead! Don’t listen to the money changers! Come into His presence and receive His grace in abundance!