How Are We Doing?

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

HOW ARE WE DOING?

Mark 11:15-17

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" 

NIV

It has been said that Jesus did not harm any of the livestock that was there, but simply drove them all out. He did, however turn over the tables containing all the money and thus it was scattered all over the ground. We could guess that some of the people who had been purchasing the livestock for their sacrifice might have jumped in and gathered up as much of the coins as they could. It may well have been a place of a little mayhem. Yet the point was that Jesus was really upset people had used religious practice into a profit making situation. People were taking material advantage out of what was supposed to be a spiritual experience. At the same time those who came to buy a sacrifice were using the system as well. Now it might be true that a person who was a merchant in the city may not have any livestock, flocks or doves of his own to bring and thus needed some way to obtain the right type of sacrifice for his particular sin, and thus these sellers of sacrifices fit right into his lifestyle. It is also true that the Law of Moses allowed people, if their tithe was too great to carry a long distant, they were allowed to sell it for silver then buy more when they were at the place of giving their tithe.  The cultural had changed since the Law of Moses and so the church had to change to stay relevant with the times. Certainly the chief priests were not opposed to this kind of business being conducted in the outer courts of the temple, in fact, maybe they got a cut of the profits, we really do not know that, but we do know they allowed it to go on. We have to be careful that the church today does not turn into what that temple looked like when Jesus walked in. Sure we may not have money changers, and people selling sacrifices, but do we have anything that could be seen as money exchanging in the church? Sure we need to bring our tithe, but we surely should not be exchanging money in the church, yet there are some churches which have a full coffee house, bookstore and gift shops for the people to spend their money in, making a material profit from what should be a spiritual experience. Perhaps the church is trying to change with the cultural in order to be relevant. We simply must not allow the church to become a den of robbers. We should not allow people to be robbed of the spiritual experience they need to have within the church. Many churches are in the right, but some are surely in the wrong. The question is,  how are we doing?