Good morning church,
Matthew 21:12-13 (KJV)
And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. Attended a wedding I was heavily involved in planning yesterday and after the service as I was driving the officiating minister home he remarks that wedding biznes has grown. I tell him it's an INDUSTRY employing thousands from wedding planners, flower vendors, caterers, TV shows and all that. It just don't matter how simple your wedding is, you have to burn some cash. I don't lament what weddings have become but I never tire reminding young negroes that the only thing you leave with from the wedding is the ring and a spouse. But of course mirth around nuptials is as old as the institution.
In this incidence, we get a glimpse into the first Century temple activities. As the Jewish population grew after the Return from captivity, the pressure on the priesthood mounted. Sacrifices were now done continuously. Those traveling from far would sell their sacrifices, come to Jerusalem and buy the animals for sacrifices. Recall too that the priests was supposed to thoroughly examine the animals for blemishes before slaughtering them. If your sacrifice was rejected, you had to sell it and buy 'approved' sacrifices. All this took place near the temple, and eventually INSIDE the temple. Bizna was booming in the name of sacrifices.
Please note it is not the sacrificial system that failed, it was people especially the priests who perverted it for their own gains. Presently, the gospel of our Lord has been peverted; it is a means to riches, status, power.
Jesus opposed the perversion and not the temple worship. And while there may be no easy solutions as driving out money changers today, I believe it is possible to separate perversion from the true gospel by asking a few questions;
1. Is there scriptural basis for whatever is going on?
2. Has it always been like this?
3. Is it beneficial?
To answer the first, you need solid foundation in the Word of God. Jesus said His word is a solid foundation and with it, you are less likely to be moved( Matthew 7:24,Eph 4:14)
To answer the second, one needs to be equipped with history and with internet, this information should be easy to come by
To answer the third, an honest evaluation of your subject is necessary. Presently, am wondering whether it is in Christianity's best interests to have mega-churches of thousands. We open church doors and pray for membership but when they hit thousands, I get a feeling we start experiencing diseconomies of scale.
All this is not a call to criticize everything, in fact it is pointless critiquing anything when you have no better solution. Jesus proposed a return to worship, not fleecing devotees
Have a blessed Lord's Day as we worship the Root and Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star (Rev 22:16), the Word made Flesh( John 1:14)
Topic: Let's Pray (Read 8778 times)