Holy Zeal

My daughter and her husband are expecting their first baby to arrive in May.
It is so exciting to see her belly grow.
Every Tuesday morning, my daughter sends me a special text.
It is a picture that comes from a pregnancy app that she has on her phone.

Every Tuesday, I receive a picture of the size of the baby.
It is not an ultrasound picture.
It is a cartoon type picture of a fruit or vegetable.
The last one I received at 31 Weeks was the picture of asparagus.

Before that, it was zucchini, acorn squash, eggplant, and lettuce respectively.
I tease my daughter about how difficult it is to go food shopping.
I pass the food that has been pictured that week and think of my grandchild.
Even in the grocery store, this child is close to my heart.

My daughter and her husband registered for various baby items at two stores.
Baby registries are helpful for those who want to gift them with something special.
The registries were completed and placed on the bottom of her shower invitation.
One of the stores announced that they were closing a few locations.

In a matter of days, the announcement came that the company was closing all stores.
The local store has a large, STORE CLOSING, sign on the front.
My daughter and her husband transferred quite a few things over to the other store.
One thing about this situation was annoying to them.

Apparently, registry dollars were accumulated from previous purchases.
Since they bought their nursery furniture through that store, they had registry dollars to use.
They were planning to use the registry dollars on diapers and other essentials.
They were wondering what the company might do about honoring their registry dollars.

My son-in-love called the company to ask those questions.
He was put on hold for 90 minutes.
He did other things while the phone was on speaker.
Finally, someone came on the line and he was told that the registry dollars will not be honored.

They are disappointed.
This affects many young couples who were expecting to use the registry dollars for other things.
My oldest daughter, who is a web designer, talked about another well known baby store.
They could suggest that people transfer their registry to their store, she suggested.

It would be great marketing if they would honor the registry dollars at their store, she said.
Time will tell if that marketing idea will happen.
The individual stores are closing because the company has declared bankruptcy.
How long has the company known that this would be the outcome?

Businesses close every day.
Companies declare bankruptcy.
Promises are made and then broken.
People are left with the fallout of those decisions.

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves,  and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’ ” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. (Mark 11:15-18)

The money changers and the merchants were selling in the Court of the Gentiles.
That was the only place in the temple that the Gentiles could go to pray.
It was important to Jesus that the Gentiles had a place to pray.
The money changers and the merchants were only interested in making a profit.

The people needed to buy animals for their sacrificial offerings.
They could buy them much cheaper as they made the pilgrimage to the temple.
However, the people were told that the animals bought at the temple were purer.
The people had to exchange their money to pay the temple tax with the Tyrian shekel.

The merchants contrived ways to make money on the backs of the people.
The merchants’ tactics were corrupt and dishonest.
The merchants took the religious practices of the people and corrupted them for profit.
Jesus had righteous indignation towards the merchants and the money changers.

My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations but you have made it a den of robbers.
Jesus knew the hearts of the money changers and the merchants.
Profit was before God.
The money changers and merchants were exploiting the poor and using worship as a business.

Businesses worry about their bottom line.
Jesus knew the hearts of the money changers and the merchants.
The people were trying to worship God properly.
However, the people were being exploited for a profit.

Jesus would have none of it.
Jesus overthrew the tables and benches; He did not allow anyone to carry goods into the temple.
Jesus cared about the Gentiles being able to go to the temple to pray.
Jesus cared about pure worship.

The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching...They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” (Mark 11:18, 27-33)

Those in authority never questioned Jesus about what He did.
They only questioned by whose authority Jesus did what He did.
Jesus is the Son of God and under His Father’s authority, Jesus said and did all things.
The chief priests did not have the eyes to see, the ears to hear, or the heart to believe.

We can get upset when businesses do not keep their promises.
How much more did Jesus’ holy zeal for His Father’s house cause Him to overturn the tables?
Do we have the same righteous indignation when worship is exploited?
Do we have the same holy zeal for the things of God?

Lord Jesus, thank You for showing us that righteous indignation for the things of God is good and pleasing to You. Help us to love what You love. Increase our holy zeal for the things of God so that we will not remain silent. Amen.