Passover was near, and Christ went to Jerusalem’s temple where He found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and the money changers were sitting at their tables, waiting for customers. Christ became so angry that He drove everyone and all of the animals out of the temple with a whip. H poured the money on the floor and overturned the tables. He shouted, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” The Jews asked Him to show them a sign that made His anger appropriate. “Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up,” Christ responded. The Jews did not believe Him, but they did not understand that He was speaking about the temple of His body. Remembering His words, “Zeal for your home will consume me,” the disciples understood what He meant after His Resurrection.
In my seventy-two years, I have witnessed incredibly sacred church sanctuaries and also incredibly secular church sanctuaries. Although my church has some problems, I believe Christ would be pleased with how His Word and His unconditional love are being taught. It bothers me that many churches have become so secular to meet the needs of a secular world that both the Word and Christ’s love have been left at the door. I became aware of this idea because I have spent time visiting other denomination’s services and seeing, first hand, how they teach the Word and how they show Christ’s love in the community. What is the purpose of a church if not to teach the Word and shine God’s unconditional love into the world?
Since COVID, I feel that churches have not recovered to their original duties. To encourage people to return to church after the isolation of those years, many have become so secular that Christ and God have disappeared in their temples. That would anger Christ to the point of Him bringing out the whip again, and saying, “Zeal for your home will consume me.” With Good Friday approaching, I feel the pull of Christ’s words on the cross where He bore our sins in pain, “Thy will be done. Into Your hands, Father, I commit my soul.”
Anna Hartt
