Today’s Encouragement is, “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.” John 2:15 ESV
He Drove Them All Out –
All four gospel accounts mention this event. Jesus cleared and cleansed the temple of God. He forcefully drove out everything that did not belong there!
We might be tempted to think He was in a rage, infuriated by these people using the temple and the worship of God as a means to make money, but there is nothing to suggest this. Yes, he used a whip, overturned the tables, and drove them out… but there’s no indication that He was out of control or in a fit of rage.
The Temple was the symbol of God’s presence on earth. But Jesus identified Himself as the Temple of God (John 2:21)! And further, He explained that we, everyone who believes in Jesus, are also the temple of God. (2 Corinthians 6:16)
Finally, notice that Jesus Himself did the cleanup! He took command. He didn’t preach at them to stop what they were doing. He himself powerfully cleared out the temple.
So, today, is it possible that Jesus might be saying to us, ‘Let me cleanse you powerfully, because you are God’s temple now; you are where He lives.’ So I will powerfully cleanse you, and perfectly, so that God’s Holy Presence can live within you today!
Thank You, Jesus, that You will, and have already, driven out all the evil within us. You have already cleansed us, just as You did the Temple 2000 years ago. Thank You that You now fill our cleansed temple with Your Holy Spirit!
Clean
Natalie Grant
Today’s Encouragement 