Undistracted Worship

"They came to Jerusalem, and He went into the temple complex and began to throw out those buying and selling in the temple. He overturned the money changers' tables and the chairs of those selling doves,  and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple complex.  Then He began to teach them: "Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations ?  But you have made it a den of thieves !"  Then the chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to destroy Him. For they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished by His teaching.  And whenever evening came, they would go out of the city." 

Mark 11:15-19

This scripture is weighing heavy on my heart today.  

This passage captures so many of the problems that we deal with today. 

A bunch of religious people making a profit off of those who sought worship.  The temple should have been a place for praying, instead it was a place for preying.  

Oh these religious people rationalized what they were doing.  What if someone coming to the temple (carrying their own sacrifice) realized on the way there that there was a blemish (not suitable for sacrifice) or what if something happened on the way...they would need something else to sacrifice.....for the right price.  A bunch of religious people making money off of those who came to worship.  Could this be where hypocrisy began?  Church people living like sinners; intentionally. 

Are we any different? 

This video stirred my heart this morning......

 

We cannot condemn these religious leaders, we must examine our own temples.  If Jesus Christ was to show up at our houses of worship...what changes would He make?  What tables would He overturn, what lives would He expose?  Scary thought.  

He desires undistracted worship.  Is church a place to protect our reputation?  Like somehow hiding under the cross makes us religious enough to walk the path of righteousness.  He knows our hearts.  We are not even qualified to judge our own hearts, and yet we find ourselves more than qualified to judge other's hearts.  Only He is qualified.  And He requires undistracted worship--sometimes that requires some temple cleansing.  

What changes do you need to make?