He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”
On Palm Sunday, Jesus puts together thoughts from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. Isaiah speaks of the Israelites interceding for more than just their tribes but for those who historically persecuted them. Jeremiah's context was one of idolatry... people worshiping God on the Sabbath but other gods throughout the week.
My friends in the DRC have learned to pray for those among other tribes… and to open their homes, lives and churches to the nations. Ironically, they didn’t know the ‘risks’ of their hospitality. Visitors from the nations appear to have an abundance of accessible resources and freedoms… when actually the DRC is probably one of the most abundant treasure houses of resources in Africa (diamonds, gold, tantalum, wood, water etc.). In essence the wealth of the nations has been robbed from them. Though my Congolese friends pray for the nations, their nation has become a den of thieves.
Walking among the devastation of DRC’s history has opened my eyes to why Jesus lost his temper and became physically aggressive to restore his house of prayer. And so, the nations worship God all around the world on the Sabbath, yet the rest of the week our idols demand our worship, and the house is robbed of its sanctity and humanity.
Which idol in my life is Jesus poised to overturn today on this Palm Sunday?
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