“After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days. Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple courts those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at tables. So he made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple courts, with the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will devour me.” —John 2:12-17
When Jesus was on earth, He was passionate about His Father’s house–and He is still passionate today. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians:
“And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, “I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” —2 Corinthians 6:16
As believer’s, our bodies are the dwelling place of God! Let’s just think about that briefly. Our bodies carry within us the very Spirit of the living God; Jesus is therefore just as zealous about our temples as He was about the physical dwelling place of God. This message may step on a few of our toes if we are willing to put our feet out there.
As believer’s, we must continually be reminding ourselves of the purpose of life–which is not happiness or health but holiness. Peter tells us:
“Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” —1 Peter 1:14-16
Zeal for the Right Things
Our lives may be consumed and wasted by our distractions, interests, and desires–some of which may even be right, noble, and worthy. However, God intends for us to be constantly moving towards holiness as He prunes things that are perhaps good in order for the better to bloom forth. Obedience and a relinquishment of our will to Him are required in this process as well as a firm grasp of His Word, a fervent prayer life and the constant listening to His “still small voice.” He alone equips and enables us to grow in Christlikeness as we willingly and humbly submit to His leading.
“The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God … God has only one intended destiny for mankind–holiness. His only goal is to produce saints … He did not come to save us out of pity–He came to save us because He created us to be holy … Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God … Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.” —Oswald Chambers
Take It to Heart
I wonder if, like Jesus, zeal for our Father’s house consumes us. Are we willing to “make whips” to consciously drive out sin in our lives? Are we concerned about our personal holiness?
Paul sets forth for us a wonderful illustration in 1 Corinthians:
“Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. Each competitor must exercise self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.
So I do not run uncertainly or box like one who hits only air. Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be qualified.” —1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Further Reflections
“Ask me not where I live or what I like to eat…Ask me what I am living for and what I think is keeping me from living fully for that.” —Thomas Merton
“We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives.” —Charles Spurgeon
While I regarded God as a tyrant I thought my sin a trifle; But when I knew Him to be my Father, then I mourned that I could ever have kicked against Him. When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I smote upon my breast to think that I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so, and sought my good.” —C. H. Spurgeon
“The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.” —A.W. Tozer