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Today, after much delay, the series on Luke 19:45-48 continues. This series has invited Christians to examine the “temple” of the Holy Spirit and vigorously cast out anything unclean from the “temple.” The next part of this series will deal with something very serious. Typically, one may “clean out the temple” and then relapse into sin and again clutter the “temple” with things displeasing to the Lord. However, Luke 19:47-48 and other passages contain some valuable information on striving to keep the temple clean. What does the passage say and how can it possibly help with this concerning issue?
The record of Christ driving the buyers and sellers from the temple is found in Luke 19:45-46. The narration is continued in Verses 46-47:
And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. (NKJV, emphasis mine)
First off, it is to be noted that Christ is teaching daily at the temple after its cleansing. Christ is often found teaching in the heart of one who has recently cleaned the “temple” of the Holy Spirit. Christ can really teach to any Christian once any worldly item of lust is gone from the heart. However, the following sentence is very important and states that, “the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him…” This is typical to what happens in the heart of a man after cleaning the “temple” of God. Satan, the adversary, attempts to destroy the joy, teaching, and harmony that Christ brings to the heart. As a result, Satan attempts to destroy and weaken the relationship with Christ. In other words, the adversary attempts to clutter the temple and move the unhealthy things back into the heart. 1 Peter 5:8 says:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (NKJV, emphasis mine)
Satan is one who prowls around looking to devour the cleanliness of a “temple” of the Holy Spirit. The comparison can be made of Satan seeking to devour and the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people in Luke 19. In both cases, the two are attempting to destroy the teaching and cleanliness of Christ. How, then, does one prevent the adversary from once again cluttering the “temples” of the Holy Spirit?
The two above presented texts out of 1 Peter and Luke hold the answer to the question. Luke 19:48 ends by stating that the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people are “unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.” The chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people are unable to “destroy Him” because the people are listening to Christ’s teaching. One can then draw a conclusion. One way to prevent the devil from “destroying” the cleanliness of the “temple” of the Holy Spirit is to be attentive to the Word of the Lord. Hebrews 4:12 gives a clear summary of the power of the Word of the Lord, by stating:
For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (KJV)
This passage demonstrates the power of the Word of the Lord and Luke 19:46 demonstrates that the Word of the Lord has great impact upon those attempting to stop Christ.
In addition, 1 Peter 5:8 provides insight on preventing the adversary from cluttering the “temple” of the Lord. The passage states, “be vigilant.” Christians must be vigilant. Christians must always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks about the hope that is inside all Christians. Watching for the attacks from the adversary and being vigilant will allow one to keep the temple from becoming cluttered and dirty.
It is time for all Christians to begin to be attentive to the Word of God and be vigilant against attacks from Satan. When Christians are attentive and vigilant, the adversary is not able to come in and destroy the cleanliness of the “temple” of the Holy Spirit. Today let all Christians pray for attentiveness, vigilance, and help from the Holy Spirit so that the “temple” may stay clean.
In the last part of this series on Luke 19, I addressed how all Christians must examine the "temple of the Holy Spirit" and see if it contains anything that is diverting the body and the mind from Jesus. In the case of Luke 19, the temple is contaminated with those buying and selling in it and Christ comes and drives out these buyers and sellers to clean out the temple and attempt to purify the temple. In the last part of the series, I pointed out that as Christians, it is important to drive out anything that is evil in the temples of the Holy Spirit. While it is important to clean out the temple, the Bible gives some instructions on how to clean out all of the temple. These instructions are invaluable when it comes to cleaning out the temple and making the body clean and wonderful temple for the Lord.
Imagine for a moment, a guest house that one owns. This guest house is rather dusty, cluttered, and dirty as it has not been cleaned in quite some time. Then, the owner of the guest house receives a call from one who is very important who needs a house to stay in for a while. This is not a likely possibility in real life situation, but please play along. After receiving this call, what will the owner do? Most likely, if this owner has any sort of integrity, will begin vigorously cleaning the house to assure that this leader is welcome and is not completely disgusted when the house is entered. The owner will probably grab a mop, broom, and vacuum cleaner and clean out this dirty and cluttered house before this important person arrives.
While, some people may not clean this house out, this is an important illustration and it helps to think of this important person as someone who is deeply respected or admired. Imagine that this important person is President Bush or, if the owner is a football fan, Peyton Manning or Michael Vick. Or, imagine that this person is Jesus Christ. Would this house be clean for these people? Or would it be a garbage heap? And if it is cleaned, then how is it cleaned?
In the last paragraph, I asked: If it is cleaned, then how is it cleaned? This is another important question. If one of these important people is to come, how will this house be cleaned? Will the owner only straighten up with his hands and ignore the dirt, dust, and dead flies all over? Certainly not! The owner will probably take a vacuum and sweep all of that junk up with a vengeance. The comparison can be made of this owner and Jesus in the temple. The owner, sees the "impurity" of the house and takes a vacuum to it. Meanwhile, Christ sees this "impurity" and John 2:15 informs all about what Christ does:
So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. (NIV, emphasis mine)
And Luke 19:45 says:
Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. (NIV, emphasis mine)
A few things can be observed from these verses. First off, Christ does not enter the temple and simply say something like, "shoo." Instead, He "made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area." While the whip may be symbolic, it shows how important this task is and how diligent Christ is in this task. Christ is not going to look at the sin and clutter in the temple with a light hand, He sees it as sin and drives it out as if it pains Him to see it. This temple is to be a house for a very important Person, the Lord God, yet it is cluttered, and Jesus, like the owner, drives everyone out with a whip of cords. The fact that Christ uses a whip of cords shows how the temples of the body should be cleaned out so that it is a clean, holy, and pure place for the Lord.
Additionally, the word "drove" in John 2:15 is the Greek word "ekballo" and means to "to eject" much like a referee may eject a player from a sports competition. Blue Letter Bible also translates the word to mean "cast out, drive out, to send out...with notion of violence." The word also has a root that is "ballo" which basically means "to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls." (Blue Letter Bible) None of these translations make the word "drove" look very nice and all of this evidence shows how all Christians should treat sin in the temple of the Holy Spirit.
It is very important that all Christians look at sin and as sin. Christians must look at sin as something that must be thrown out and driven out. Any impurity must be thrown out "without caring where it falls." This series has been concentrating on examining the heart for impurity, learning to cast out all of the impurity, and, right now, learning how to cast out this impurity. When a time for cleaning comes, Christians must not simply say, "shoo" to sin. Instead, all Christians must take a whip of cords and clean out the temple of the Lord with a vengeance.
In any cleaning of the temple of the Holy Spirit, let the prayer of all Christians be the one of David when he says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10, KJV))
The story of Christmas, as recorded in the Gospels, is a story and a narrative of great popularity. The story of Christ being born in a manger is one of amazement and wonder and shows the greatness of God. But, the story of Christmas is more than a story and it is more than a narrative. Like the rest of the Bible it contains lessons useful for teaching and training in righteousness. And the stories of Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus are not the only Christmas stories from which teaching can be drawn. The examples of many characters who witness the birth of Christ demonstrate how the attitudes of all people should toward Jesus Christ.
A Contrast: The Shepherds and the Inn
Luke 2 contains the story of the shepherds who are watching their sheep at the time of Christ’s birth. Luke 2:8-12 says:
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (NIV)
This passage details how the shepherds come to know about Christ being born. Following these verses the heavens come alive with the heavenly host singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14, NIV)
Following this, Luke 2:16-20 reads:
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (NIV)
The shepherds, though tending sheep, find an immense amount of time to visit the baby and then “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.” The shepherds believe this Baby to be the Savior and time is taken to spread the Word about this Child. The attitude of the shepherds is one all should desire to possess. The shepherd’s attitudes toward the Messiah allow them to make “room” in their schedule to spread the word about the Messiah. It is important to contrast the attitude of the shepherds to what happens when Mary and Joseph attempt to get a room at the inn:
…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (NKJV)
The story of the inn is quite popular and at the time of Christ’s birth no room is available due to the immense amount of business created by the census. This brings up an interesting question: Is life too busy for Christ? The shepherds, despite possessing the job of shepherding the sheep, find the time to spread the Word about Christ. Meanwhile, because the business of the time, the inn has no room. Is life like the inn or is life like the shepherds? Is a “census” happening in life and making life to busy for this Child? These are important questions to think about. If the answer is “the inn” and “yes” then all Christians, myself included, should turn to the Word for a way to go from a busy inn to a joyous shepherd.
A Contrast: The Magi and the King
The final contrast has to do with the difference in the Magi and King Herod. Matthew 2:1-2 says of the wise men:
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. (KJV, taken from Blue Letter Bible)
And the remainder of Matthew 2 details how King Herod is disturbed at the news of a “King of the Jews” and seeks to kill Jesus. King Herod is worried that this “King of the Jews” will wish to destroy and overthrow Herod and the Roman government. Herod is afraid of the changes that may come through this “King.” Meanwhile, the Magi, who are defined in the Greek “sorcerers” and simply “wise men” journey to find this Christ. Though they are “wise,” they are not worried about the change that comes from this King. They only wish to worship Him.
This presents the next set of questions. Christ is always looking to change Christians and to mold and shape them into what they are to be. Christ, like He does as a baby, looks to bring spiritual change. The question then is: Are we afraid the change that Christ brings? Or are we like Herod, fearing that our “kingdom” and “treasures” will be destroyed if we let Christ rule in life? Or are we like the Magi and willing to journey to search out this change?
A Christmas Attitude: Conclusion
The attitudes of those alive and present at Christ’s birth present some interesting questions that should be answered by everyone. Is life too busy? Is a fear of Christ’s change present and preventing one from truly “knowing” Christ? When these questions are answered and the Lord is allowed to work, the Christmas story truly comes alive. When these questions are answered, the Christmas story becomes more than a story, it becomes real.
The story of Christmas, as recorded in the Gospels, is a story and a narrative of great popularity. The story of Christ being born in a manger is one of amazement and wonder and shows the greatness of God. But, the story of Christmas is more than a story and it is more than a narrative. Like the rest of the Bible it contains lessons useful for teaching and training in righteousness. And the stories of Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus are not the only Christmas stories from which teaching can be drawn. The examples of many characters who witness the birth of Christ demonstrate how the attitudes of all people should toward Jesus Christ.
A Contrast: The Shepherds and the Inn
Luke 2 contains the story of the shepherds who are watching their sheep at the time of Christ’s birth. Luke 2:8-12 says:
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (NIV)
This passage details how the shepherds come to know about Christ being born. Following these verses the heavens come alive with the heavenly host singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14, NIV)
Following this, Luke 2:16-20 reads:
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (NIV)
The shepherds, though tending sheep, find an immense amount of time to visit the baby and then “they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.” The shepherds believe this Baby to be the Savior and time is taken to spread the Word about this Child. The attitude of the shepherds is one all should desire to possess. The shepherd’s attitudes toward the Messiah allow them to make “room” in their schedule to spread the word about the Messiah. It is important to contrast the attitude of the shepherds to what happens when Mary and Joseph attempt to get a room at the inn:
…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (NKJV)
The story of the inn is quite popular and at the time of Christ’s birth no room is available due to the immense amount of business created by the census. This brings up an interesting question: Is life too busy for Christ? The shepherds, despite possessing the job of shepherding the sheep, find the time to spread the Word about Christ. Meanwhile, because the business of the time, the inn has no room. Is life like the inn or is life like the shepherds? Is a “census” happening in life and making life to busy for this Child? These are important questions to think about. If the answer is “the inn” and “yes” then all Christians, myself included, should turn to the Word for a way to go from a busy inn to a joyous shepherd.
A Contrast: The Magi and the King
The final contrast has to do with the difference in the Magi and King Herod. Matthew 2:1-2 says of the wise men:
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. (KJV, taken from Blue Letter Bible)
And the remainder of Matthew 2 details how King Herod is disturbed at the news of a “King of the Jews” and seeks to kill Jesus. King Herod is worried that this “King of the Jews” will wish to destroy and overthrow Herod and the Roman government. Herod is afraid of the changes that may come through this “King.” Meanwhile, the Magi, who are defined in the Greek “sorcerers” and simply “wise men” journey to find this Christ. Though they are “wise,” they are not worried about the change that comes from this King. They only wish to worship Him.
This presents the next set of questions. Christ is always looking to change Christians and to mold and shape them into what they are to be. Christ, like He does as a baby, looks to bring spiritual change. The question then is: Are we afraid the change that Christ brings? Or are we like Herod, fearing that our “kingdom” and “treasures” will be destroyed if we let Christ rule in life? Or are we like the Magi and willing to journey to search out this change?
A Christmas Attitude: Conclusion
The attitudes of those alive and present at Christ’s birth present some interesting questions that should be answered by everyone. Is life too busy? Is a fear of Christ’s change present and preventing one from truly “knowing” Christ? When these questions are answered and the Lord is allowed to work, the Christmas story truly comes alive. When these questions are answered, the Christmas story becomes more than a story, it becomes real.
