Lenten Reader | Day 31

April 9th, 2025

Zeal For Your House

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

John 2:13-22

As Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem during the Passover, He witnessed merchants and money changers turning His Father’s house into a marketplace. Outraged, He fashioned a whip and drove them out, overturning tables and declaring, “Take these things away! Do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples recall Psalm 69:9: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Jesus’ passionate response reveals His deep love for God’s house. The temple was meant to be a place of worship, yet it had become corrupted by greed and exploitation. His actions challenge us to examine our own hearts — do we approach God’s presence with reverence, or have distractions and self-interest crept in?

When questioned about His authority, Jesus declares, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). The people misunderstand, thinking He refers to the physical temple, but He speaks of His own body. His resurrection would become the ultimate sign of His authority, proving that true worship is no longer confined to a building but fulfilled in Him.

Do we share Jesus’ zeal for God’s house? This isn’t just about a church building but about honoring God in every area of our lives. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. Are there things in our hearts — distractions, sin, misplaced priorities — that need to be overturned?

Let’s pray for a renewed zeal for God’s presence, seeking Him with passion and purity. May our lives reflect true worship, honoring Him in spirit and truth.

Bill Betson