And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 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.’” Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?”
Matthew 21:10-16, NKJV
Sometimes when we read this passage, we just see another confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day. While it certainly was that, I believe that contained in these verses there is an important pattern for healthy, vibrant, life-giving, ministry that all of us can follow.
Now, as soon as I say “a pattern for ministry” some Christians stop reading because they don’t realize that they have a ministry, or don’t see themselves as “ministers.” But one of the primary messages of the New Testament is that Jesus has invited and commissioned all Christians to be a part of His ongoing work in the earth. God has a plan and a purpose in His heart for you. He has gifted you in a unique way so that you can hold a unique position is His family. Jesus’ intention is that every person who believes on Him will do the works that He did, and even greater works (John 14:12). He set it up so that every Christian can be saturated with His Holy Spirit, and bring His presence into their everyday world. So, this pattern is for every one of us.
In our passage from Matthew 21, the first thing we see is Jesus being welcomed into Jerusalem as Lord and King. Without going into a lot of detail here, just know that everything that was done that day communicated the message that a king was entering the city. For example, kings in that day often rode into town on a donkey. That may seem lowly to you and I, but not to that culture. In fact, the tradition was that a king going to war rode a horse, a king coming as an envoy or coming in peace, rode a donkey. By riding a donkey, Jesus showed himself to be The King of Peace. When a king rode into town, people shouted Hosanna, meaning “save now!” as a means of declaring the kings sovereignty over them. And, it was traditional for people to cover the road with their clothes and tree branches when a dignitary arrived.
The first step then for life-giving ministry is to welcome Jesus into our lives as Lord and King. That means that we consider ourselves subject to Him, we give up the right to run our own lives, and accept Him as Lord. When we make that commitment from our hearts, we are born again and begin a brand new life in God.
The next thing Jesus does is purify the temple by removing the things that were contaminating it and preventing it from fulfilling its God given role. There is a highly misunderstood word in the Scripture, that word is “holiness.” Most believers think that holiness is all about things that we do or don’t do. The word holy actually means to be separate, to be distinct, to be separated from something, and to something. When we give our lives to Jesus, we immediately become His unique, distinct, holy, people. We are separated from worldly purposes, and separated to God’s divine purpose for our lives. Sure, there are behaviors that change to reflect this new position more accurately, but the reason that holiness, or purity, is so important to God is that is puts us back in a position to fulfill His divine purpose for our lives.
I want to encourage those of you who really want to experience the fullness of God in your lives to embrace purity. We don’t even have to define purity, we just need to be continually aware of who we are and whose we are. We need to remember that we are God’s people, and that our lives, our thoughts, our activities, all belong to Him. Our lives and beliefs are not to be a mixture of God’s ways and the world’s ways, but increasingly a pure reflection of God’s nature. Jesus has freed us from contaminants that do nothing but hinder the expression of God’s life through us – let Him work this out in you on a daily basis.
After Jesus purifies the temple, it once again takes up its role as a house of prayer. In the same way, pure devotion to God empowers our prayer life. When we get free from the clutter of worldly thinking, it becomes easy to hear what God is saying, know His heart for people, and pray those things out with passion and power.
Once the temple was restored to its original purpose of being a place of worship and prayer, God’s power began to flow easily, and the lame and the blind were healed. God always wants to make people whole again. He wants to restore them spirit, soul, and body. And, God’s intention has always been to bring His restorative power to earth through His church. We are the people, you and I, that God wants to use today. Please don’t exclude yourself from this just because it feels a little foreign to you now. Read the New Testament and watch what Jesus does through average everyday people. He hasn’t changed, and His plan hasn’t changed. If you and I do not bring the life of God to the people around us, who will?
I can almost hear what happened next. As God began to manifest Himself in the temple courts by healing the sick, delivering those bound by demons, and restoring hope to the hopeless, pure, heartfelt, joyous, praise began to swell through the crowd. The children were running around praising God, and shouting “hosanna,” literally “Save Now!” This whole display of free-flowing joy and adoration made the religionists mad–it still does.
Many people are comfortable with a contained, quiet, religious ritual. But they get very nervous when radical praise, and manifestations of God’s power begin to happen. I’m sorry they feel that way, but I believe we need a lot more of it. Jesus wants to make Himself known in Gunnison, Colorado, and around the world. I encourage you to make a strong commitment to His purifying work in your life. Embrace the fact that your life belongs to God, and allow Him to take on the journey you were created for. Welcome the King daily, allow Him to show you His heart for the people around you. Bring His presence to your work-place, your family, your community. Let Jesus bring healing and restoration through you. Then, let’s all rejoice together in Him and in all that He is doing.
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