JOURNEY TO THE CROSS - A Clean Temple

Do you do the Wally-Walk?  Sometimes Mr. Bill and I really don’t really have a list – we just go to Wal-mart for the exercise.  It’s what we call the Wally-Walk.

After entering Jerusalem on Sunday, the first day of Passover week, Jesus went to the temple.  Mark gives us a noteworthy account of Jesus’ late-day visit to the temple, “Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.” (Mark 11:11)  Interestingly, there’s no record of Jesus worshipping, reading the law, or teaching – only a [seemingly] thoughtful walk-through, a survey of the goings-on in His House.   What temple images do you suppose replayed in The Lord’s mind during the evening and night?  What angered Him to the point He went back the next day to overturn tables and drive dishonest merchants and money changers from their places of business? (Matthew 21:11)  Perhaps it was the same thing that provokes His wrath today: things that interfere and compromise Believers’ drawing near to Almighty God.  Jesus said, “ … true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him … they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)  You see, it’s the heart that is the seat of God in our lives; it’s the LORD’S temple with which He refuses to share with another.  There’s place for only One in the heart of man – His Spirit and His Truth.   All else must be overturned and driven out!  What does God see when He surveys  our hearts. With mere days left, Jesus deemed it necessary to dramatically cleanse the temple – surely, it was important.  So may we allow Him to search our hearts and free us of all that hinders intimacy with The Father and worship of  The Christ Who  redeemed us!