Buyers And Sellers

Buyers and Sellers

Matthew 21:12-13, NLT

Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”

Setting the Scene

The sacrificial system had been established by God, and making a sacrifice was supposed to be a holy event. The Passover commemorated Israel’s deliverance from Egypt when the Angel of Death had passed over homes where blood had been sprinkled on their doorways. The Passover also pictured the final, ultimate sacrifice that would be made by Jesus, the Lamb of God. Yet those involved in the Temple that day—the leaders, the sellers, and the buyers—missed the point of this worship experience through their self-serving attitudes and actions.

The leaders viewed their role as simply a job—with status and perks. And their cut of the merchants’ profits helped fill the treasury. The sellers saw Passover as a way to enrich themselves. The buyers were also at fault. The “sacrifices” were meant to be just that—sacrifices; that is, each individual was to think carefully about what he or she was doing, especially in selecting the animal to be sacrificed. If they waited until they arrived at the Temple just for the convenience, their “sacrifice” meant nothing.

Getting Personal

What changes might Jesus make in your church if he were to come at worship time?

With which of the three types of people do you most identify (leaders, sellers, buyers)? How can you be careful not to repeat their mistakes?

Although many centuries have passed since this event and the Old Testament sacrificial system, we still have houses of worship where we regularly gather. The main purpose for our worship services is to express our adoration of God and gratitude for his works and to renew our commitment to serve him. The sacrament of Communion recalls the Last Supper (the Passover meal) and commemorates Jesus’ death on the cross, for us. But we still can have hypocritical “priests” (church leaders who just have a job, not a calling), greedy “merchants” (those who attend to enhance their image, make contacts, do business, or other less-than-holy motives), and superficial or casual “buyers” (attendees, even members, who come when it’s convenient and then just go through the motions).

Talking to God

Ask the Lord to prepare you for your times of corporate worship. Ask for help in improving your focus on Christ, in fully engaging in worship, and in ministering to your brothers and sisters at church with love and pure motives.