“Worshipping God In Spirit And In Truth!”

“Worshipping God In Spirit And In Truth!”(Jn.2:13-22).
Jesus like other Jews went up to Jerusalem in preparation for the Jewish Passover. “In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables…”
This is what happens when a good practice is abused! Firstly, we can imagine the chaos that Jesus’ action generated. Imagine untethered cattle and sheep running this way and that; with owners running after the wrong animals that were not their own! Imagine the bargains that were disrupted ; maybe with some buyers having just paid for sheep or cattle and had not yet collected! Imagine the confusion at the Money Exchange tables where some people may have given Roman currency and had not yet collected the Jewish currency! Worst still, it could have caused some worshippers not to have their Passover sacrificial animal, and some may have ended up not making any financial offerings in the temple for lack of Jewish currency!
This sums up that “genuine reform comes with great loss to those who benefit from the cacophonic status-quo! And what one expects from such people is stiff resistance and a threat on your life.
I read with fresh eyes that Jesus told those who sold doves, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” Is it because the doves were probably in cages, and if he opened the cages the doves could fly out, but not leave the temple precinct?
Let us note that the exchange of offerings brought in kind into cash that goes on in the congregations today is in no way connected to the temple market.
If the temple market was evil, it was a necessary evil. The sales of cattle, sheep and doves was to help people who traveled from the hinterlands to acquire the animals for sacrifice. The money changers were there to help people who came with foreign currency to have Jewish currency to give as offerings. Non Jewish currency was not allowed to enter the offering box. Unfortunately, the thing that was intended to help the people became a means of exploitation where the business people made huge gains at the expense of genuine poor worshippers!
There was need for Jesus’ reform! It was to remind the people that God is interested in a clean and pure heart and not sacrifices and offerings! Right sacrifices and offerings does not put anyone right with God. Sacrifices and offerings are meant to cajole, placate, and at worst appease. What God wants is for us to reform our ways and follow the way of the cross; worshiping him in spirit and in truth, and anywhere.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the latest and final temple. Yesterday we read from 2 Kings how Nebuzaradan, commander of Nebuchanedzar’s imperial guard and army burned down the temple in Jerusalem. This temple that was destroyed by the Babylonians was rebuilt by Zerubbabel and it is not very settled whether the temple of Jesus’ time – Herod’s temple – was a third temple or a renovated expansion of the one built by Zerubbabel. Even so, this temple of Jesus’ time was destroyed about thirty years after his death.
But he, Jesus is the final temple, destroyed and built in three days. In him and to him is due the right worship from clean and pure hearts that are washed by his blood!
Prayer: Holy Spirit help us daily to worship God in spirit and in truth. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.