One of the most well-known moments of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem was when he entered the temple and drove out those buying and selling there. As we reflect on this story today, let’s ask the Lord what He wants to remove from our hearts.
Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, “It is written,
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’
but you are making it a den of robbers.” (Matthew 21:12-13)
What keeps our hearts from becoming a house of prayer? Are we distracted by too many things? Are we worried about problems in our lives? Are we focused on what we see on social media?
Take a moment to examine your spiritual condition. What needs to be cleared out?
One of my friends lived a life of crime and addiction for many years. After he met Jesus, he loved the close fellowship he had with the Lord. When he felt out of sorts spiritually, he would ask God, “What is wrong in my life?” He was taking a spiritual inventory.
One day, when he felt distant from the Lord, he asked, “What is going on, Lord?” God told him, “Get rid of the Kid Rock CD.”
He searched his car but could not find it. Then he called his wife, and she found it in her car. He told her to throw it away. She put it in a dumpster, and his peace returned.
This man taught a large class at our church. He was electric when he connected with people in Sunday school. I believe God used him so powerfully because he allowed God to search him and examine his heart. This helped him let the Lord work through every part of his life.
Isn’t it worth taking time to ask God to show us the condition of our hearts so we can respond to Him more fully?
Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
The Sermon on the Mount began with a blessing for the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). As Jesus leaves Galilee and enters Jerusalem, the poor in spirit still come to Him. They find help and healing, and they give Him the praise he deserves. But those who oppose God’s purposes receive a different response.
The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did and heard the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise for yourself’?” (Matthew 21:14-16)
The good news in these verses is that God is willing to touch and heal those who come to him. People who recognize their need can find help. We can praise God for that.
The opposite of being poor in spirit is spiritual pride. The temple leaders were proud and protective of their authority. As we read through this long section in chapters 21 and 22, we see how from every angle possible they opposed Jesus.
As we take a spiritual inventory, it helps to examine our inner condition. Do we have a humble relationship with the Lord, or is there spiritual pride that needs to be brought down so we can relate rightly to God and others?
Spiritual pride is easy to see in others but often hard to notice in ourselves. It is like the story Jesus told about the man who saw a speck in his neighbor’s eye but missed the log in his own (Matthew 7:3-5).
We should ask God to show us the log in our own eye, especially how we see ourselves, so it can be removed. Then we can see God and other people more clearly.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed Matthew 21:12-17 on YouTube today.
Real Voices 