Read John 2
15-17Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, "Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a shopping mall!" That's when his disciples remembered the Scripture, "Zeal for your house consumes me." (The Message)
One of the joys of the internet for me is the opportunity to connect with people around my passion for photography. I've learned so much from others in the comfort of my living room by seeing other people's pictures, talking online with them about technique, and having the chance for others to critique my work without worrying about hurting my feelings. When I see someone do something with their camera that I have not been able to do I'm challenged to learn the hows and whys of a particular style or effect. There is a problem though with simply desiring to learn more and that is the very real possibility that you can learn how to do a lot of things but never take the time to actually get out and practice it in real life. One can be passionate about photography and never take a picture just as you might become passionate about football but never go to a game in person or play the game yourself. When that happens one can become a fanatic and your whole life can revolve around a particular thing and yet the person is not really a part of things.
This story about Jesus demonstrates that he was not just passionate about God but was fully involved in following God no matter where it led him. Jesus knew that the Temple was designed as a place for people to connect with God and nothing more than that. He knew that when people filled the Temple with other things it took away from what it was designed by God to do. Because Jesus was passionate about connecting people to God he was willing to do more than have an intellectual conversation about God or even to ask how people were feeling about God. Jesus was filled with passion for God. It should make us stop and examine what we too are passionate about.
Some thoughts to ponder and share with others:
- What are you passionate about?
- How is this story of Jesus clearing out the Temple different from most of the stories we remember about Jesus?
- How might you have responded to Jesus if you had been one of the merchants?
- What do you think the church can do that no other institution can accomplish in today's world?
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