30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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LUKE 19 45-48 JESUS THE TEACHER 07 Giving people the opportunity to return to God
📖 Luke 19:45-48
03Feb2021 - *Giving people the opportunity to return to God* - _Luke 19:45-48_ - JESUS THE TEACHER 7 – Bible reading: _Matthew 6:19-24_
Jesus' teaching was with authority and the people were attentive and astonished at His teaching but the religious leaders took strong offence against Jesus.
_Luke 19:47-48 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, (48) and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him._
What we see here is the hardness of the heart of man, we see how far these religious leaders were away from God, we see how it is frightfully possible to put on an outward show of religiosity and continue to be totally against God. We also see here that these leaders being away from God was linked with the love of money. We see in them the hunger for power. Finally, the end of evil in a man’s heart is wanting God, dead.
The temple had to be truly a sacred place dedicated to the people to meet with God and be joined together in worshipping God. Not only was it to be a place of reconciliation and restoration of the people with God, but it was also to be a place of restoration of relationships between one another.
So, when Jesus said the temple was His Father’s house of prayer for all nations there was much that was at stake.
Nevertheless, what was happening in the temple was totally contrary to what should have been the setting of the temple. This was why the Lord took action against all that was going on.
The leaders of the people were responsible to ensure that temple fulfilled the purpose for which it existed but they failed in their responsibility.
Jesus through His action and His teaching was revealing to them their failure to make sure that His Father’s house was a house of prayer for all nations.
He was also showing these leaders that they now had the opportunity to repent and turn to Him and be healed, within, but they hardened their heart and in response went against Jesus.
Secondly, we see that Jesus was troubled over all that was happening in the temple that He overturned the tables of the money-changers, accusing them of having turned God’s house of prayer into “a den of thieves” _(Matthew 21:13)_.
These money changers and merchants were charging exorbitant prices, as religious observance is a lucrative business.
It is quite obvious that without the blessing of the leaders, these dishonest money changers and merchants could not have continued their thievery. There was a flow of money to the very top of the ladder of the hierarchy of the temple.
Jesus’ action was directly cutting the flow of funds to the top. Though these were religious leaders, what drove them was the love of money not the love of God.
It brings us to face a frightening reality that in the final analysis, there are just two masters, God and money.
_Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon._
Jesus’ action and His teaching made these religious leaders realise that it was money which they served and that they were not serving God. They were being shaken out of their blindness.
They could have accepted their sin, repented and turned to Him but they chose to destroy Jesus. This is what the love of money will do, finally. It will want to put Jesus to death.
Thirdly, the temple was to be a place for the Sabbath rest. What was happening there did not facilitate this to happen. The religious leaders had themselves forgotten that they needed to be in an intimate relationship with God.
Jesus through his action and teaching was showing these religious leaders that they were no longer in an intimate relationship with God.
They could have repented and surrendered. They could have experienced a miraculous restoration of relationship with God. Instead, they hardened their heart and decided to destroy Jesus.
Finally, these religious leaders decided to destroy Jesus but restrained themselves because the people were eager to listen to Jesus. These leaders craved for the praise and recognition of the people. They wanted the people with them and exercise control over the people. They hungered for power.
Coming to Jesus in brokenness would have taught them the secret of being powerless and yet powerful in Christ, but that was not to be.
Are there lessons for us to be learnt from the lives of these religious leaders? What are the lessons that God is impressing on your heart?
*Thought to ponder*
```Ultimately, it was envy that led the religious leaders to crucify Christ _Mark 15:10_.```