Turning Over The Tables

Sunday, February 28th, 2010 | Lent Meditations

This morning at Christ Community’s worship services, we will be focusing on the following passge. Would you read it and mediate on it?

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, ” ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise’?”
-Matthew 21:12-16

Isn’t it sad that the chief priests, who were the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, were indignant and unaccepting of what God was doing in their midst, yet the little children praised Jesus wholeheartedly? The chief priests were more interested in keeping their places of power in the status quo than in embracing what God was doing around them.

As you go to worship this morning, ask God to speak to you and give you an open heart. How does He want to change your priorities? Who is He asking you to show love to this week? What tables does He want to turn over in your heart? We have the choice to be like the chief priests or the children in this story—clinging to control and the status quo, or joyfully embracing what God wants to do. Which will you choose?

Tags: Lent 2010