Mark 11:15-18

Mark 11:15-18  On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there.  He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.  And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’?  But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”  The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 

Jesus, who is now celebrated by the people as the coming Messiah, takes control of the temple in the above verses.  He symbolically cleanses the temple by overturning the tables and benches of those who are using the temple for other purposes, unacceptable to God.  He is making the temple a consecrated place of prayer and worship.  By doing this He is challenging the authority of the priests.  His actions are, of course, an affront to the priests, for they have authorized these commercial enterprises within the temple grounds.  Jesus is countering the ruling priests' worldliness by restating the holy purpose of the temple.  He quotes Isaiah 56:7 where God is telling the eunuchs and the aliens that He will bless them in his temple and that in his temple they will find joy and a purpose for living.  

This is exactly what the Lord does in each of our lives when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, as our Messiah.  He brings joy and purpose in the midst of our lives; concurrently, He drives out the dross that has been corrupting our personal temples for so long.  God changes us in the twinkling of an eye.  We were once unfruitful, unable to please God, and then, in a nano moment, we are pleasing to God.  We were once Sabbath breakers, unable to rest in God, and the next moment, the fulfiller of the Sabbath is within us, changing us, making us conformable to his image.  We were once unholy, incapable of Godly goodness, and then we become the definition of goodness because He is within us.  We are known from that time on as HIS PEOPLE, and Jesus cleanses the temple of HIS PEOPLE.  He doesn't allow His Place of worship, which is located in our innermost being, to be contaminated by the sinful enterprises of the world.  The innermost part of our being is cleansed and made holy.  

Then what about sin?  We all sin and come short of the glory of Lord, EVEN AFTER WE ARE SAVED.  What about those fleshly actions that we commit that are SO CONTRARY TO HIS GOODNESS, TO HIS WAY OF THINKING?  The Bible says reckon those actions to be the actions of a dead man, otherwise don't let the dead man have control--consider him dead.  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  If we do so, we will be encouraged to do better.  However, our sins will be judged, disciplined as conscious wayward actions.  God does not appreciate sin.  But the efficacy of Jesus' sacrifice is complete.  When we come to Christ, He does away with sin; He covers it completely with his blood.  Does this mean that we go on sinning to show God's mercy and greatness?  No, because of his mercy and love, we bow to that love by being his servants, by being subservient to his will.  If we sin and claim we have no sin, we are liars, but sin must be dealt with.  If we harden our hearts and continue on in a wayward, sinful life, we will run into harsh discipline, for God wants our life, our walk, to reflect his transforming power.  If we reject his will and continue on in carnal living, we will be chastised if we are children in his family.  If we are not "bastards," which we are not, He will discipline us.  He will create roadblocks or cause our lives to be difficult.  Jesus cleansed the temple after He was recognized by the people as the Messiah.  Jesus will also clean us from the inside out once we recognize him as our personal Messiah.  His cup of righteousness, his blood, will cleanse us within and bring conformity to his will in our lives.  We who are cleansed by his righteousness will be a house of prayer and worship, temples of the living God, holy and acceptable to him.