And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Matthew 21:12-13.

If you notice in the above passage, it does not say that Jesus flipped the tables of the poor, the prostitutes, alcoholics or drug users – it says he flipped the tables of those who had flipped on Him. His righteous anger was not towards the ones who were purchasing, but towards the religious leaders who were taking complete advantage of those they were instructed to lead. The sacred place of the temple was being commercialized, and the ones who came to worship God were being exploited. Although Jesus was “angry”, this was a beautiful display of His love and the authority that He has to condemn those who seek to hurt God’s children. I imagine if Jesus walked into many places in the United States today who claim to be followers of Christ, He would fashion a whip of cords and drive them out with a great and mighty fury. It is imperative that you seek discernment as to the types of places you are spending your money (God’s money). Do you sow where you were being fed? Do you support those who rightly divide the word of our Father? Is your money being used to build the Kingdom?

This is a reminder as well for us to all look inside of our hearts to determine what things Jesus would flip so that we could truly worship Him. The temple was a place where those who had been saved could come as vulnerable as they needed to pray and continue the relationship with God. Jesus knew that this was one of the only places filled with the hope that he had been teaching. There was a promise made to Abraham that he would be the father of all nations; by turning the temple into a den of thieves, it excluded the very people who were included in that promise. There are many things that are dividing us as people and causing exclusion from the kingdom of God, it is very important that you look around to make sure you aren’t sitting at the tables that Jesus flipped. I know for many of you (including myself), we are sitting at tables by ourselves – it can be lonely. I want to encourage you to keep pressing forward and lend a hand to those who are looking to dine on the Bread of Life. Those who are in the midst of darkness, those who are in the trenches of depression, those who are on the grief roller coaster and those who have spent their last dollar on sin are all looking for a place of peace. Don’t be too consumed in the religious business – Jesus does not seek religion, He seeks relationship. His actions in that temple do not give you a free pass to anger, quite the opposite, it gives us a glimpse into the mighty, merciful, gracious and loving character of the One they sought to exploit. Some tables may look more appealing than others, filled with finer things, but I encourage you to be careful what table you decide to pull up a chair up to. Sometimes those who seem to offer the most truly aren’t willing to sacrifice their all.

“And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” Mark 12:43-44.

Blessings, Kayla