“Believe The Scripture And The Words Of The Christ!”

“BelieveThe Scripture And The Words of The Christ!”
The forex bureau business and the sales of cattle, sheep and doves within the temple courts was necessary. It was intended to make available Jewish currency for those who were coming from foreign lands with foreign currencies. The sales of animals was to provide the animals for temple sacrifices to those who were coming from far away and had to offer one kind of sacrifice or the other.
Unfortunately what was meant for good had been put into bad use and made the whole thing bad. Those who were engaged in the currency exchange business made huge exchange profits at the expense of the worshippers. Those in the cattle business sold to make exhorbitant interest. Besides, the bargaining made the place noisy. Worst still that section for business deprived the Gentiles of their place of worship.
When Jesus drove the cattle dealers from the temple area, scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, the Jews did not react against him. They must have considered that he did the right thing.
Their only worry was where he got his authority from. They demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this? Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.'”
This terse reply only confounded the Jews the more! The Jews asked to know how he could raise in three days a temple that had taken forty six years to build?
The Jews were still naively putting their trust in man-made structures, right sacrifices and offerings. The temple that was constructed by Solomon had been destroyed during the Babylonian invasion in 586 BC (I Kgs 25:9). The temple they were referring to was Herod’s temple built from about 516 BC.
Man-made temples are temporary just as man is mortal. This temple which was the admiration of the Jews was destroyed as soon as it was completed.
When Jesus said he could raise the temple in three days, even his disciples did not understand that the temple he was talking of was his body. It was only when he was raised from the dead that they recalled what he had said. And the good news is that when they recalled this, “they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken”(Jn.2:12-22).
That’s it my friend! The temple is within us. For as Paul says, our bodies are the Lord’s dwelling place. True worship is neither the sacrifice of the right cattle, sheep or dove, nor is it the offering of the right currency. True sacrifice and the right offering is to believe in the Scripture and the words of Jesus and to live by it.
The psalmist teaches us that God does not delight in sacrifice, he takes no pleasure in burnt offerings. “The sacrifice of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart…” is what God desires”(Ps.51:16-17).
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ I believe in the Scripture and in your words. Purge me and make me your dwelling place for ever. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!