Monday, April 3, 2023
Full Reading: Luke 19:45-48
The Monday following the Triumphal Entry was quite the contrast of events from the day before. Luke doesn’t make a clear distinction between the days, but we know from Mark’s Gospel that by the time Jesus had arrived at the temple on Sunday, it was already late and he left without incident. However, when He arrived at the temple on Monday morning, He was enraged at what He saw.
The corruption in the temple stemmed from a lack of repentance. The sacrifices were merely religious ceremonies. They were honoring the Sabbath, but living in sin the rest of the week. Early on in Luke’s Gospel we see the ministry of John the Baptist, calling the people to repentance. This was the task and role for the religious leaders, but they had rejected John’s baptism. We can see this the next day when the chief priests asked Jesus where He derived His authority from, to which Jesus responded, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” (Luke 20:3-4).
The temple was meant to be a house of prayer where the people could connect with God. Yet, when we are given examples of prayers from the religious leaders, we discover that repentance was nowhere to be seen. “God, I thank you that I am not like other men…” (Luke 18:11) and “Beware of the scribes, who…for a pretense make long prayers” (Luke 20:46-47).
The temple had been turned into a den of robbers, but what exactly were they stealing? What the people lacked was an attitude of humility and thankfulness toward God’s saving grace. They were withholding their hearts from Him.
We should be careful to examine ourselves. It is easy to think that our good works and self-righteousness are enough to give us a good standing before God. We must remember that we are not saved by our own works, but by the righteousness of Christ. This should humble us and fill our hearts with thanksgiving and praise to God for the gift of His Son.
Adam Miller is the President and host of Songtime Radio and serves as the pastor of South Chatham Community Church.
You can hear his teaching on our daily broadcast on the radio or online, watch his preaching live on Facebook, and read his articles on our website.
