Thoughts From the Bible

  Luke 19: 45- 46-   The religious leaders of the time had turned the pilgrimage to Jer usalem for repentance of sins into a major business. Sacrificial animals brought for sacrifice for an in dividual's sins would be deemed to be inadequate, and the individual would have to purchase a different sacrificial animal from the religious leaders. The religious leaders would take their initial sacrificial animal and sell it back to another person. In verses 45 and 46, Jesus acted, ' (45) Then he went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it. (46) saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer, but you have m ade it a den of thieves.'" "   Jesus wanted to see the temple a place for prayer and reverence to God but as time passed, the people and religious leaders cheapened the temp le but allowing other activities designed to help line their own pockets. We need to guard against our churches from becoming anyt...

Read Luke 2:21-35-   As Jesus grew, Mary and Joseph held to the principles of the Jewish religion and brought Jesus to the temper to be dedicated.  Simeon had been given a promise by God that He would not die before seeing the Messiah. This is where we read what Simeon said when he saw Jesus in the Temple, “(29) Lord, now, you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word, (30) for my eyes have seen your salvation (31) that you have prepared in the presence of the people, (32) a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”   The people had talked for thousands of years about the coming of the Messiah. Now Simeon was holding the Messiah in his hands. I cannot imagine the enormity of the situation for Simeon. He held his responsibility to dedicate those children to God and now he knew he held God’s Son.  I want to make sure I understand the enormity of the situation of having God in our lives. I think we need to return t...

Read Mark 11: 1 5-19-   Jesus wanted the temple that had been dedicated to God to be respected. The religiou s leaders of the time had allowed the process of sacrifice for sin to become big business around the temple. It was more business than it was a spiritual review of their souls. In verse  17 we read,  ‘Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?’ , but you have made it a den of thieves.”’  There are churches today in our society that have bookstores  within them. This is done to provide Christian books and  paraphernalia  for Christians.  This is not similar to what was going on around the temple.  The religious leaders were taking  animals brought by those wanting to sacrifice them for their sins and then routing those animals back to an area where they could be bought by people who did not have an animal for sacrifice. The religious leaders were swindling the pe...