Luke 19:45-48
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
After weeping over the city of Jerusalem – the heart of Israel - Jesus enters the temple – the heart of the Jewish faith. Read Luke 19:45-48 slowly and thoughtfully.
For the Jews, the temple was the place of God’s presence. And the outer court of the temple was reserved for Gentiles who were drawn to seek the presence of the God of Israel. But the buying and selling of sacrificial animals had become such a noisy enterprise that prayer was all but impossible.
The very calling of Israel was to be a blessing to all the nations (Genesis 12:2-3), and the temple was to be a house of prayer for all the nations (Isaiah 56:6-8). But the outer court of the temple had become nothing more than a marketplace where dishonest Jewish merchants took advantage of foreigners and drowned out the presence of God with the racket of their business.
Take a moment to picture Jesus cleansing the temple of the distractions that kept people from experiencing God’s presence. Then recall Jesus’ words in our previous passage:
“How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace…” – Luke 19:42
What in your life might be distracting you from the presence of God and the path to peace? Talk with Jesus about this.
Read Luke 19:45-48 again.
Rather than bring about repentance and reform, Jesus’ cleansing of the temple simply enraged the religious leaders further. Their hatred of Jesus completely blinded them to the path of peace, and their anger turned to thoughts of murder.
But the people “hung on every word” of Jesus. God was still at work in the hearts of these listeners, and the path of peace was still open to anyone with ears to hear.
Take some time to center yourself in the presence of Jesus. Breathe in the name of Jesus and exhale any distracting thoughts. When you are calm, turn the ears of your heart to listen to Jesus for a while.
What are you hearing from Jesus today?
How will you respond to what you are hearing?
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