Our world is changing and people are rethinking what the church is to be.
When we think about the church we have many tools and resources available today to help us define it and give it expression and direction, but suppose we looked at what Jesus said instead? Shouldn't his words guide us?
Luke 19:46 says,
"It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" Luke 19:46. See also Matthew 21:13 and Mark 11:17, (The passage in Mark adds, "...prayer for all the nations...").
Every word of the Bible is sacred and to be dutifully obeyed, but how much more important is it to obey when something is repeated three times! These are the things we really want to be careful about.
The verse we are considering is from the account of the cleansing of the temple. Where Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers and used a whip of cords to drive the animals from the temple.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
The worshipper traveled for days to the temple and offer sacrifices. But when he arrives he is told that the lamb he brought to offer is inadequate and he must buy a sheep from the temple merchants at an inflated price. He may have to sell the lamb he brought at less than its fair value. He may be told that the money he was bringing was not good enough for the temple and he had to exchange it for temple coin and to do so cost a percentage. This experience at the very least would distract him, it would very likely take the joy out of his worship, and maybe destroy the worship he was going to offer.
DEN OF ROBBERS
Who were the robbers? Most people assume that Christ is talking about how the moneychangers were taking advantage of the worshippers that came to offer sacrifices and worship. Some people might argue that the robbers were the authorities who were allowing it to happen and they were profiting by it. Other people may say the leaders were the robbers by taking advantage of the people who came to serve God and worship and enriching themselves through religion. Those are valid interpretations but what if there is another?
Who was being robbed? What if the question about who is being robbed is answered by connecting the two statements together? For a moment let's connect the robbery statement to the statement of prayer like Jesus did. This would mean that the robbery Jesus was talking about wasn't the swindling of the worshippers by the money changers but the robbery of prayer to the Almighty!
CAN GOD BE ROBBED?
It would be foolish to rob a cop, and more foolish to rob a prosecuting attorney and it would be even more foolish to rob the only judge in your town, but there is no greater foolishness than to rob God who is the judge of heaven and earth.
So, can God be robbed? YES! Malachi 3;8-9 says, Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.
If God can be robbed because we fail to give Him the offerings and tithes, it is only a step away to rob Him by neglecting prayer.
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| Malachi 3:8-9 |
ARE WE THE ROBBERS?
When we fail to pray for others we may be keeping the Blessings of God from them. Perhaps we are robbing the nations when the church is no longer a place where they are prayed for.
For all the hours we spend in church services, we only spend a few minutes in prayer and those minutes are often defined and consumed by prayer requests and little actual praying.
If there is one clear example from the teaching and actions of Jesus in this matter it is that the church is to be a community of prayer for the nations-our own and all others. (Of course not to neglect the other clear commands of scripture to love one another, assemble together, the lord's supper etc.)
MY HOUSE WILL BE...
As we consider what the church is and does we should remember that it was Jesus who connected the idea of prayer for the nations and the statement about robbers. Sadly it is a statement of judgment and condemnation. His actions of cleansing the temple are actions of holy zeal for the temple and the purity of worship. We should take note of it or else we may see him do the same to the church
today.
If you want to rethink what church is start with reassessing the foundational place of prayer in church. Do not be surprised if from the foundation of prayer the other things that the church should be occurfes spontaneously.
