In the Chosen Season 5, Episode 2, Jesus takes a whip and cleanses the Temple of money changers. In the scene Jesus says, “this court use to be filled with the sounds of prayer, now it is filled with sound of animals.” This comes from the words of Jesus who says, “And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Matthew 21:13). The Temple was no longer a place of worship and prayer, it was a market selling indulgences in the form of animals. This happened again in Rome, Martin Luther saw the Indulgence sellers at St. Peter’s Basilica selling salvation, forgiveness for dead relatives, and saint medallions and crosses for protection for some coin; as John Tetzel said, “when the coin in the coffer rings a soul from purgatory springs.” Martin Luther in the Spirit of Christ cleansing the Temple nailed his 95 Thesis to the door, and The Reformation began literally as complaint about what Christ was cleansing the courts of the Temple over.
Christ cleansing the Temple was not an outlier of His Message, it was not an anomaly, rather a poignant message that, “No one is able to serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and he will love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and he will despise the other. You are not able to serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24). With a whip The Lord made His mark, and throwing tables over when at another table he will preach the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). I ma greatly concerned the Churches are as the Temple, selling the gospel and selling a brand of ministry, as well as books, and other things; we have begun to lose we are Ecclesia, The Called Out Ones, who are the living stones and temple of God (1 Peter 2:5, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 2 Corinthians 6:16). We have allowed trade to pervert our houses of worship as the Jews had in 33 A.D., our courts sell coffee, books, CDs, videos, and ministry offerings like sacrifices in what ww call a church lobby.
Jesus our Lord spoke very harshly against the love of money and riches,
“but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth (riches) and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful,” (Mark 4:19), “I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!,” (Matthew 19:24), “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” (Matthew 6:19-21), “And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions,” (Luke 12:15), “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful,” (Matthew 13:22). Our Savior knew that the pursuit of riches perverts us and our houses of worship, because if comes from Satan, “” (Ezekiel 28). The false god Mammon (money) is the dcvil and his trade made him violent, “In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub (cherub is singular for Cherubim Angels, see Exodus 37:7-9, Ezekiel 1:1-28, Revelation 4:6-8), from the midst of the stones of fire.” (Ezekiel 28:16), and spurs the hearts of men to violence. Thus we open a door to him by turning our churches into den of robbers, by becoming courts just like the One Jesus cleansed! I wonder when Jesus returns, will he not turn over our tables in our lobbies and toss the peddlings to the floor?
Earning wages is not sinful, money in of itself is not evil, but the love of it is, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs..” (1 Timothy 6:10), and “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” (1 Timothy 6:17). Indeed the writer of Hebrews makes the same exhortation, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).
Houses of worship love money when they neglect prayer and sell the latest pamphlets, books, audio books, coffee and etc in the lobby, for the apostle says, “First of all, therefore, I exhort entreaties, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings, to be made on behalf of all men,” (1 Timothy 2:1) and Jesus said, “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.” (Mark 11:17). Instead of people laying hands on one another to pray, “they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover,” (Mark 16:18) and “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:14); but instead in the lobby, its to lay hands of a book some guest speaker is pushing. For shame! For shame!
The serpent of commerce has coiled up cozily in our courts, in our lobbies and outer steps of the church where donuts are sold rather than disciples made (Matthew 28:19). We have allowed ourselves to become a Den of Thieves rather than Upper Room where the Holy Spirit falls and people are preached to freely. We have monetized the gospel! The scrolls of the New Testament were freely copied and sent to the churches, now Bible societies own the words and oracles of God! A person has to pay to read Scripture, and if they quote too many verses from one translation they may receive a lawsuit!, “But instead, one believer sues another—right in front of unbelievers! 6 And here you are taking each other to court before people who don't even believe in God! How can they render justice if they don't believe in the God of justice” (1 Corinthians 6:6). How very Christian! Woe to you Brood of Vipers! Who take money for the gospel! When the apostle Paul did not!, “What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:18).
Satan has his grubby paws on the Scriptures. Putting a price tag on the very words that say “you cannot serve God and money!” (Matthew 6:24). How tragic.. the words of Life behind a pay wall. No wonder missionaries have to buy Bibles and give them as gifts.. or else a poor new believer might not have thousands to get a smart phone to get 99 cent to 5 USD Bible app or the cheapest physical Bible that is 15 USD. Think on this saints! The words of Eternal Life, of Jesus are held behind pay walls.. that should sicken us. Other books lose copyright in fifty or less years.. and yet the New Testament which is 2025yrs old is copyrighted by Zondervan, Tyndale Publishers, Nelson, and so forth. While I appreciate their translation efforts and I understand if they are to keep making Bibles all the time which would be a full time job.. it just is maddening the words of God Almighty are not free.
There is a warning to us O Church from the Apostle regarding our Pursuit of riches in these last days,
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.” (James 5:1-5). Take heed you who defraud the Faithful, and think wealth will save you at The Day of The Winepress of God’s Wrath! Your money will perish with you! And churches that covet their commerce in their courts will rot at the gold and silver rots!, “Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:24).
How do we pluck Mammon’s serpent from our hearts and keep God’s House a place of prayer? The truth is that it requires those in churches to prioritize prayer over purchases. To achieve that requires a heart transplant, “create a clean heart in me O God and renew a right spirit in me.” (Psalm 50:10). If we are to cease being money changers, and be makers of disciples, we have to have a heart change. To allow the Holy Spirit to circumcise our hearts. This is celled revival, and to get there mat require us to be radical and turn over some tables. Amen.
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