Click here to watch my video reflection on our text for today, or keep reading for my written reflections: 

Today as one of our readings, we look at John 2: 13-22:

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Today in John’s Gospel we read the account of Jesus cleansing the Temple.  In my video reflection today, I explain why this account is found earlier in John’s Gospel than it is in other Gospels.  In short, John is not as worried about getting the timeline correct as much as he is worried about making sure that you know that Jesus is the Messiah.  

Jesus’ intent on cleansing the Temple was in knocking down all the things that were keeping people from being able to come into the Temple to pray.  So many things had crept up, had happened that were keeping people from being to come, just as they were, and seek God. 

The money changes, those selling the sacrifices, they were keeping folks from God.  Jesus drove them out because wanted everyone to be able to come and encounter God.  

That’s our job today; to follow in that mission. There are a lot of people in our lives today who face barriers, often in their minds, that keep them from coming to God. Maybe they aren’t good enough.  Maybe they’ve done too much wrong. Maybe they need to clean their lives up before they can come to church. 

No!  

Jesus folks, where they are, to come to Him.  They don’t need to be fixed to come to Jesus, they come to Jesus and He fixes them.  Our job to make sure as many people as possible can and will come to Jesus.  Let’s leave the rest up to Him. 

And today, if there is something in your past, something in your present, that is keeping you from feeling worthy of coming to God, know this. You are loved.  You are valued.  Jesus came for you.  

Don’t let any barrier stop you from coming to God.  You are loved, today.  

Let’s knock down all those barriers that keep others from coming to God.  And let’s knock down any barriers in ourselves as well.  

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