November 11
Scripture of the day: "He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves; and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. And He began to teach and say to them, 'Is it not written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a robbers' den."'
Mark 11:15-17
Thought of the day: Jesus cleansed the temple before ... near the beginning of His public ministry. However, this cleansing was much later at the beginning of the week of the cross. The Triumphal Entry was a great time of fulfilled prophecy as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt while the people praised God. At the end of that processional, Jesus entered the Temple and looked around before returning to Bethany for the evening. Then on the next day he cleansed the temple because it had become a place of business and robbery.
Challenge of the day: The church gathers to worship, to pray, and to minister to one another. Church leaders are given by Jesus to equip the people to fulfill their own ministries, Ephesians 4:11-16. Some churches, top-heavy with staff, seem to have that backwards. Their leaders don't equip the people in the pews. The people, with their money and attendance, equip the leaders to do the leaders' ministries. The people are effectively robbed of their ministries. Would Jesus think that such places were robbers' dens? And what about the merchandising that has infiltrated some churches ... the book sales, tape sales, music sales, bake sales, used-junk sales, and concert and seminar ticket sales? What would Jesus think if He walked in and looked around? Would He come back tomorrow and turn over some tables?
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