Day 4: With Jesus as He Cleanses the Temple

Take a moment to quiet yourself: close your eyes and take some deep breaths.

Pray this prayer or something similar in your own words: Jesus, help me draw close to you by seeing my suffering in yours and your suffering in mine.

After entering Jerusalem triumphantly the Sunday before his death, Jesus went to the temple. Its outer court was meant to be a place where Gentile worshippers could pray. Instead, it had become a marketplace for moneychangers and sellers, who were blocking worship and cheating people who were already poor.

Read the passage, imagining yourself as one of the onlookers. Perhaps you are a poor worshipper trying to buy a dove for sacrifice, a Gentile convert hoping to pray, a religious authority, or one of the merchants. What do you hear and see? What emotions do you experience?

Prayerfully read the passage a second time. What image or images from this scene does God press upon your heart?

As you close this time of prayer, talk with Jesus about what this passage has brought up for you.

Reflection Questions

Personal reflection:

What was Jesus' mood as he drove out the sellers? Do you see him as angry? Do you experience his action as sorrowful?

Community discussion:

Jesus will not tolerate actions that keep people from worshipping God. In your difficulty, have systems or people prevented you from connecting with God? How might those experiences help you enter into Jesus' actions in the temple?