Words of Reflection
The excitement of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem has subsided. The religious leaders are on alert, having been greatly concerned by the crowd’s fervor in welcoming Jesus to the city. The events that will lead to Friday have started to unfold.
You can almost imagine the disciples, aware of mounting tension and danger in the city, quietly hoping Jesus will keep to himself and not cause too much of a stir. That’s not what happens, not by a long shot, as all three Synoptic gospels go on to tell:
“Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves, and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying,
Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.’
And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him, for they were afraid of him because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples[a] went out of the city.”—Mark 11:15-19 (NRSV)
The people coming to Jerusalem for the Passover need animals for the sacrifice, and out of that need the merchants and money changers see an opportunity for profit, even here at the temple. It seems the laws of supply and demand have overshadowed the Law of God.
Jesus is rightfully upset, and it shows. He throws the money changers out, blocks their way, and begins to teach the crowd, who stand amazed at what he says. And the religious leaders take note. They perceive a threat.
Jesus is a threat. That’s not a word we necessarily want to associate with Jesus, but it’s an accurate one. In Jerusalem that first Holy Week Jesus is a threat to entrenched systems of religious abuse and hypocrisy. And as the week plays out, he will show himself to be a threat to the entrenched powers of sin and death, which will tremble and fall in defeat as he fulfills God’s plan of salvation.
To anything that sets itself up against God, Jesus will always be a threat. He still moves through temples, and he still overturns those practices and idols that do not belong there. The temples he cleanses today can be churches, but they are also the hearts of those who desire to follow him. Especially during Lent, we invite Jesus into our hearts and lives and give him permission to do what he did that day in the temple. We invite him to cleanse us of anything that is not of him.
As we approach the cross of Calvary, may this be our prayer:
Give us clean hands give us pure hearts. Let us not lift our souls to another.
Scripture for Meditation:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
—Hebrews 10:19-23 (NIV)
Song: Give Us Clean Hands
We bow our hearts we bend our knees
Oh Spirit come make us humble
We turn our eyes from evil things
Oh Lord we cast down our idolsGive us clean hands give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Give us clean hands give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh God let us be a generation that seeks
That seeks Your face oh God of Jacob
Oh God let us be a generation that seeks
That seeks Your face oh God of Jacob
Charlie Hall
© 2000 sixsteps Music; worshiptogether.com songs
Questions for Contemplation:
How do you respond to the idea that Jesus is a “threat” to the things in our lives that are not of God? What would it look like for you to accept him in that way, while always remembering his motivation is love?
When you ponder the song lyrics, “Let us not lift our souls to another,” what is that “other” in your life? What desires, forces, habits, or entities can often replace God in your life as an object or worship?
Here is the text of an ancient prayer of confession. Offer it to God, substituting “I” for “we,” and watch for the movement of your soul as you pray. Is there any part of this prayer that signals something in your life that needs attention, maybe even needs to be overturned?
Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. In your mercy, forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.