JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE

AIM FOR CHANGE

BY THE END OF THE LESSON, WE WILL:

EXPLORE the importance of keeping worship form becoming rote;

UNDERSTAND the danger of losing our passion for things we habitually do for God; and EMPLOY ways to remember that God's house is a house for prayer and that we must remain on fire to give Him proper worship. 

FOCAL VERSES Isaiah 56:6-7; Jeremiah 7:9-11;

 Mark 11:15-19.

KEEP IN MIND

"Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD"

(Jeremiah 7:11).

AT-A-GLANCE

1. Isaiah Reminds the People that the Temple is a Symbol of Hope (Isaiah 56:6-7). 

2. Jeremiah Warns Against Temple Abuse (Jeremiah 7:9-11)

3. Jesus Expresses Outrage (Mark 11:15-19)

IN FOCUS STORY

Ten Signs That Your "Temple" Needs Cleaning

What actions indicate susceptibility to the danger below? How would you avoid or rectify these pitfalls? What suggestions do you have to avoid or rectify these errors?

1. Little appetite for the Word of God: If you no longer hunger and thirst for knowledge of the Bible, you run the risk of serious spiritual malnutrition. 

2. Neglecting personal prayer: Like physical exercise, prayer requires discipline and determination. 

3. MIA during worship assemblies: If this describes you, then you are missing the connection of fellowship and support you need. 

4. Bystander status with local church programs: A branch in the relationship between identity as a saint of God and your faithfulness to the ministry of the church can leave you without connection and accountability. 

5. Increased criticism: An attitude of judgement and criticism poisons the air around you, harms the church, and distracts those who seeking the Lord. 

6. No excitement regrading saved souls: A loss of joy about new saints who receive the baptism in Jesus' Name or the Holy Ghost signals a loss of joy for your own salvation. 

7. Absence of concern for others: This coldness is a warming that the love of Jesus is missing. Check to see where your leftover pain is still aching. Then give that over to the Lord!

8. Craving for non-Christian fellowship: When the majority of your friends shift form those who turn first to God to those who turn first to lust, swearing, or sexual pleasure, you are in dangerous company.

9. Lack the desire to share your testimony: If you never seen to fin the time and place to say you are saved, you have to ask yourself if it is because of shame. Check your surroundings and your activities for the source. 

10. No joy about Jesus: You are in serious trouble and should stop and pray-now!

Far too often, our service in the church and our devotional habits become routine and mundane. In today's lesson, we will see that God intends for His house to be one of prayer, worship, and genuine service. 

THE PEOPLE, PLACES, and TIMES

The Second Temple. In 586 B.C., the Babylonians destroyed the original temple in Jerusalem that had been built by King Solomon. 

Following years of exile, contingent of about 42,360 Jew was given permission by King Cyrus to return and rebuild the Temple, which lay in ruins (Ezra 2:64). Renovation of the temple was begun under the direction of the governor Zerubbabel. These renovation attempts were slow, and the focused on the rebuilding of the altar. Not surprisingly, this second temple was not as splendid as the original. 

Many years later, the seventeenth year of this reign, Herod the Great announced his plans to again renovate the Temple. He began in 20 or 19 B.C. by enlarging the Temple Mount (also known as Mount Moriah) area to accommodate larger crowds of pilgrims who regularly attended Passover and other religious festivals.

Herod provided a thousand wagons to transport stones form the limestone quarry. Additionally, Herod hired ten thousand skilled craftsmen to work on the building of the Temple. Because the law required that only priests could work on the holiest parts of the temple, including the sanctuary and the Court of Priest, more than thousand priest were trained as carpenters and masons. 

According to records by the historian Josephus, the inner courts were completed after a year and a half. He also recorded that during the construction of the inner courts, no rain fell during the day. While Herod had the original foundations of the temple removed, the eastern wall was kept intact. Construction on this Temple continued for twenty years; however, it was sufficiently ready for use and was dedicated within three and a half years of its commencement, thus fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy that another temple would be constructed when people had been restored to the land (Isaiah 2:2-3; 44:28, 56:7, 66:20-21). 

BACKGROUND

Even when they were captives in Babylon, the Jews were required to follow the laws of God. Writings from the prophets like Isaiah continued to remind the people that the salvation of the Lord was "close at hand" (Isaiah 56:1, NIV), thus affirming their hope that they would be restored to their land. God's commandment to "remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8) was especially difficult for Jews living in captivity. They were enslaved in pagan lands and this prohibition against working on the Sabbath was often impractical. Similarly, other pagan customs were imposed on the Jews that made it difficult for them to follow God's laws and commandments. Isaiah had prophesied to King Hezekiah that some of his heirs would one day serve as eunuchs in the palace of Babylon (2 Kings 20:18). While the Bible does not say that this is what happened to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, most biblical scholars recognize that this is what happened to foreign men serving in the royal palace of Babylon. Such conditions would have been prohibited from temple service when they returned to Jerusalem. Moreover, the eunuchs would be unable to father children and ensure the community of their family name. However, we read that this law would be overruled if the eunuch kept the Sabbath holy and obeyed God to the best of his ability

(Isaiah 56:4-5). 

This is clear indication that God, then as now, is far more concerned about the hearts of His people rather then their physical condition. Similarly, special place of honor would be established in the Temple for the eunuchs (v. 5). Here we see that God would publicly honor the faithfulness of these men who had been physically altered against their will, yet who continued to honor and serve Him and follow His laws. More importantly, this is further confirmation that God has no intention of allowing His beloved to remain as outcasts. 

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

1. What blessings did God offer to the non-Jews who embraced Him (Isaiah 56:7)?

2. What sins did God accuse the nation of Judah of committing (Jeremiah 7:9)?

3. What accusation did Jeremiah and Mark make against worshippers and and leader (Jeremiah 7:11 and Mark 11:17)?

4. How did the scribes and the chief priests respond to Jesus exposing the evil being done in the temple (Mark 11:18)?

5. How did the people respond to Jesus' actions and why (Mark 11:18)?

DISCUSS THE MEANING

1. In Mark 11:15-17, Jesus was indignant when He saw the temple being misused. What do you think should be the appropriate response and action of Christians who witness ungodly behavior and practices in the church?

2. Mark 11:18 records the reactions of the people and the scribes. Think about the role scribes and priests were supposed to have. What great opportunity did they miss and why?

3. Examine the list in In Focus. How can the ten signs result in a modern-day version of the situation described in Jeremiah 7:9?

LESSON IN OUR SOCIETY

1. Jesus lashed out against a spirit of depravity and monetary greed that had pervaded the temple. One need only read the newspaper to see the ways greed and corruption appear to be imbedded in our society. Where do we find greed present in our churches? Is there anything that can be done to turn this over?

2. Our faith in God must be exemplified through our care and compassion of others. Do you believe these qualities are hall marks of churches today?

MAKE IT HAPPEN

A true believer does more than follow rituals and traditions. Being children of God means that we must make every effort to live according to His Word. When we live according to our own desires rather than God's will, we eventually cling to fallacies and fall into a life of self-deception. Examine your life and ask God for fresh fire. 

(Except from the Apostolic Light Pentecostal Assemblies of the Word Inc.)