Journey to Jerusalem Day 25

Saturday, March 13 John 2:13-22
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

This is a moment in the Bible that we cannot brush off as mental assent to a set of belief statements. Jesus’ example is beyond his having a rational understanding of God; He is “consumed” with “zeal.” His behavior in the temple exhibits both a passionate love for his Father and his being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

First, we worship what we love, and love for God is cultivated when we worship him. We take our eyes off ourselves, or our circumstances, and put them on God. Jesus, although being God, did not seek his own glory, but the glory of the Father. The heart of Jesus directly contrasts with the hearts of the merchants in the temple—they were not God worshippers; they were money worshippers: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matt 6:24)

Secondly, God desires for us to walk in the power of his Holy Spirit as Jesus did (Luke 4:1,18-19; Gal 5:6). Jesus made such a bold claim, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” because he knew the power of God in the Holy Spirit. This power should be both felt and displayed. Jesus’ faith and ministry were very public, and with the help of the Spirit he intends our lives to be a public witness as well.

Do we have moments of feeling such passion for God that lead us to action? Wherever we find ourselves, let us be drawn to worship the Jesus who exuded unimaginable confidence and zeal for his heavenly Father. If this stirs fear or anxiety in your heart, bring that before the Lord, and remember that “perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18)

“In my heart and my soul
Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out.
Lord, let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out.”
-Hillsong United, “From the Inside Out”