Dear Lord Jesus, on Palm Sunday, You entered into Jerusalem on a donkey. On Monday, You entered the temple and saw how the place of prayer became a place where people sold and bought. “And he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, ‘It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.'” (Matthew 21:12-13) You grieved over how the temple of worship and prayer became a den of robbers. Temple was supposed to be of God, under God’s govern, a place where people could draw close to God. However, the sound of animals now overcome the sound of worship and prayers. It is now a den of robbers, and it is governed by the robbers. Seeing how the temple of God had become a den of robbers, as it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:17)
Dear Lord, as You entered Jerusalem, before completing redemption on the cross, You first examined the temple of God. You could not stand the chaos and the filthiness that was going on, You cleansed the temple so that the temple could be holy and pure, allowing people to worship and pray wholeheartedly. You want to take away anything that is not of You, and to remove any barriers that are stopping people from drawing close to God.
Apostle Paul said, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Our body is the “Temple of the Holy Spirit,” the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we are not our own, for we were bought with a price, we belong to God.
Therefore, we ought to glorify God.
As we approach Easter, just like how You first cleansed the temple during the Holy Week, before going through all the other events, including being crucified, buried, and resurrected. Let us also cleanse our hearts, reorganize our hearts which already belong to God, the temple of the Holy Spirit. If we have any thought that does not please God, it must be cleansed. If we have done anything that is not pleasing to God, it must be removed. We need to repent for each wrong doings, receive the complete cleansing by Your precious blood. So that as we come to Easter, we can be ready for a new beginning, allowing the life of the resurrected Christ fill this temple of the Holy Spirit, overflowing in our lives, so that God will be glorified through us.
Rev. Felix Liu
Logos Evangelical Seminary