It is now Monday of Passion week.
Jesus has entered the city to fanfare and celebration. He heads to the temple the next day, and what he sees is an abomination.
People have set up a marketplace of sacrificial animals and gouged all the prices. This is not a Christian bookstore, a coffee house, or even someone selling books. This is the selling of your chance to be made clean in the eyes of God. Basically, people who had come from miles away would arrive and not be able to enter due to not having enough money. Imagine selling tickets to go to church.
45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'”
47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
Luke 19:45-48
In this story, we see the heart of Jesus. He is passionate about helping people get to his Father and nothing should stand in the way. He will pay the ultimate sacrifice in five days, so no one will ever have to go through this again.
Our Prayer: Jesus, thank you for paying the ultimate price for me and for those I love.