It
was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to
Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves
for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus
made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out
the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and
turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he
told them, "Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father's house
into a marketplace!" Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the
Scriptures: "Passion for God's house will consume me." John 2:13-17
Envy is a
human emotion that seems like a sin to me—like coveting something that doesn’t
belong to you. We all know from the Ten Commandments that coveting is wrong.
"You must not covet your neighbor's house. You
must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or
anything else that belongs to your neighbor." Exodus 20:17
Jesus didn’t
have a home…and probably not a camel or a donkey of His own…but did He envy
others that they had that. I don’t think so.
Then one of the teachers of religious law said to
him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." But Jesus replied,
"Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has
no place even to lay his head." Matthew 8:19-20
What are the
synonyms for envy you might ask? Is there something else that Jesus may have
experienced that is similar to envy. Envy…jealousy, greed, bitterness,
resentment, spite or desire. Our God is a jealous God. He declared that when He
gave Moses the Ten Commandments.
You must not bow down to them or worship them, for
I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for
any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire
family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those
who reject me. Exodus 20:5
God is a
jealous God.
O LORD, how long will you be angry with us? Forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire? Psalm 79:5
So is that
quality part of Jesus’ character? After He fed the 5,000 men He told some of
the followers who came to Him that spiritual concern were important and that
God the Father approved of Him although He had not yet had the Mount of
Transfiguration experience.
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, you want
to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous
signs. But don't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your
energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the
Father has given me the seal of his approval." John 6:26-27
 |
| Jesus drove the sheep and cattle out of the Temple area. Probably that area to the left in this Model of the Second Temple. Jerusalem. |
Jesus came
obediently to honor God the Father. In the scripture passage for today Jesus
was showing respect and honoring His Father while driving the money changers
out of the Temple. He resented that they were making a market place out of His
Holy Place. The disciples were quoting a Psalm when they referred to prophecy
passage of scripture. Passion for your house has consumed me, and the
insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. Psalm 69:9
Do we treat
our churches with such devotion and respect? Do we treat God in our own homes
with the respect and honor due Him? Do we have some other god before Him? He is a jealous God. We don’t want to
invoke His anger.
Prayer ~ Lord God, jealousy and selfishness are not Your
kind of wisdom—not how You want us to live. Such things are earthly,
unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition,
there we will find disorder and evil of every kind. James 3:15-16. Guard our
hearts and minds that we would not become envious of anyone…or jealous of their
accomplishments, stuff, or life. You alone are worthy of our love and devotion.
Daily
Bible Reading: Jeremiah 32-34
Happy Birthday, Michelle!
© 2018 Text and
photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
Follow
And Like "Banquet With The King" on Facebook. 👍
No comments:
Post a Comment