Our scripture today is Mark 11:17 (ESV).
And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
There are many levels to this lesson, but the most vivid is an angry Jesus stopping the disrespect for the Lord’s House and God Himself. The sacrificial system that originated when they were a nomadic people has evolved into a complicated, monopolistic system that enriches the sellers. What had been an honest and valuable service – providing the sacrifice so people didn’t have to catch or bring their own – became the only “authorized source” for Temple sacrifices at outrageous prices. This is part of what Jesus was so angry about, that people were making ridiculous money unscrupulously, right in front of the Temple. Like many human things that began innocently enough, we have failed in using this to honor God.
Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we have made Your church and Your worship into something for ourselves. Forgive us, plant our feet on solid ground, and send us to share the Good News everywhere. Amen.
