Jesus told us that the money changers turned His Fathers’ house, the house of prayer, into a den of thieves. With their buying and selling of the paraphernalia and sundry goods of the religious world, they were using this platform, the Temple, as an arcade to conduct their fleshly missions in what they thought was their marketplace. It worked well until Jesus came around and upset the ship by turning over the tables of their would-be success upside down and setting this business on its heels. ARE WE LISTENING?
What in the world are we doing today that is any different? What are we thinking when these corner marketplaces, with their sanctioned steeples, and their unwritten code of fleshly ethics, are doing the same things? Why would God today embrace these factories called ‘church’, with their forums of selling the sermons in audio, bake sales, car washes, chili suppers, throw in rally for the youth, and advertise through the radio and TV, and then think that our Lord is behind their every move? I DON’T THINK SO.
Those that participate in these practices can quote every verse of what happened with the pharisees, scribes, rulers and the chiefs of the Temple, but have no idea that they too are doing the exact same thing. When it’s all about money, donations and collection plates, then it’s obvious to see that it’s all that coveted money. If they have to preach Jesus, the Bible, and their interpretation of scriptures, to get would-be followers to enter their doors and empty their pockets, so be it. But the results are still the same.
Now I know that these weekly Sunday meeting are important to those that are caught up in the system, to those that feel a need to fellowship with like-minded folks, and to those that seek reprieve from their guilt, but a greater understanding of this carnal method of mans’ flesh can set many free from the hindrance that this traditional religion; and from there, begin to walk in a relationship with God that is based on intimacy with Him.
The song about putting your hand in the hand from the man from Galilee somehow takes on a greater meaning. We’re no different fellers than the buyers and the sellers than they pretend to be.
Just a thought to think about; if we get quiet within we can then begin to see the mask coming off.