When Tables are Turned

“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.  And He said to them, ‘It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.’”- Matthew 21: 12-13

I have always found this scene in scripture fantastic! To see our Lord and Savior get so real in His role with humanity is perfect. He is not weak, He is not to be mocked, and He will definitely do what He has to do to make His presence known and felt. He changed the atmosphere of a community at the very moment He flipped the tables and chairs over. Just a side note: Have you ever wondered if the dove sellers were still in the seats when Jesus flipped their chairs?

Let’s think about this; Jesus, the Holy One, The Messiah who was supposed to come and change the government system and free God’s people, came and disrupted a financial institution of a community. He was unrecognized as the Messiah to come, but at that very moment did exactly what He was prophesied to do! He flipped things upside down, declared His Father’s house a “house of prayer” and changed the culture of Jerusalem.

Now, for followers of Christ, the implications of the table turning and temple “cleansing” are incredible. Our bodies have become the temple in which Jesus resides. We have the Holy Spirit within that guides us and moves on to do the great works that God had already planned for us. Nevertheless, we have things that have taken precedence over Christ’s authority. We have allowed personal desires to overtake our thoughts, our finances control our service, our judgments hinder our ability to care for the least and lost, and much more. We have our own internal “money changers” and “dove sellers”.

Jesus is trying to overturn our tables and flip over our seats, in which we are still seated in! He longs for His temple to be restored. He longs for His temple to be used correctly. His temple is our mind, body, and heart; which He expects to align with His heart, mind, and to be His body! We have internal issues that keep us from serving the way we are called to serve, love the way we are called to love, and be who He has created us to be and it is time for a “cleansing” to occur.

Today, allow for Christ to turn the tables and chairs over within. Allow Him to declare your body as His temple. Allow Him to stake His claim and rightful place in your heart and declare it His Father’s “House of prayer”! If we hold on to our own desires and passions, we are creating our hearts and minds into “a robbers’ den”, which the enemy comes to kill steal and destroy. Allow the One who brings life to create change in you today.

Question: What tables need to be overturned in your life? Are you willing to allow such a work to be done?