Come Home to the Cross by Anne Wilsonਨਮੂਨਾ

By His Stripes We Are Healed

One of the momentous things Jesus did during the Passion Week, the day after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where He accepted worship, was to go cleanse the Temple. For those who make Jesus in their image and paint Him as a mild-mannered, passive teacher, this part of the Scripture may turn their world upside down, just like those tables Jesus flipped!

When we compare notes among the Gospel writers, we see that He braided a whip to drive the animals, salesmen, and tax collectors out of the Temple. He was righteously angry because this place was to be a “house of prayer,” not a “den of thieves” where greedy merchants could squeeze money out of sincere worshippers for the proper sacrifice, perhaps a dove for enough coin. But Jesus was not rash. It takes a few minutes to braid a whip, and Jesus was in full command of His emotions as he intently worked on the task at hand.

As I see Jesus in my mind defending the sanctity of the Temple, I am reminded that Paul teaches in I Corinthians 3:16 that WE are also a temple. With guidance from the Holy Spirit, he writes: “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” (ESV)

I can’t help but meditate on Jesus holding that whip…and using it as a purifying tool to cleanse the Temple…knowing that in a few days, someone else would be holding a whip to strike Him, causing His Temple to spill the blood that purifies mine. It is hard not to envision that these savage marks left on His body were the very stripes that healed mine. I am so very thankful for Our Savior who offers healing…healing for our bodies, our hearts, our minds, and our souls. Nothing is too big that His blood cannot cover. Claim your promise prophesied by Isaiah in 53:5 and confirmed by Jesus and Peter (1 Peter 2:24) that by His stripes, we are healed!

Reflective Questions:

• Knowing He had a few days left to live, why do you think Jesus took the time to cleanse the Temple?
• Does this part of Jesus’s personality surprise you? Why or why not?
• Is there anything you would like Jesus to cleanse within Your temple? Ask Him now!

Prayer: Dearest Jesus, do You approve of what’s happening in my temple? If I need some reorganizing, I pray You would use Your zeal and love for me…even Your carpentry skills…to turn over whatever needs to be turned over and to rebuild something better in its place. I pray You will immediately usher out whatever does not need to be there, and make space for only the things that do. I want this to be a place that warrants your approval…a place of refuge and a place in which Your light shines. Thank you for dwelling in me, and promising to never leave my side. You are always welcome, Jesus. Amen!