March 29, 2012 – John 2:13 – 3:21

I was thinking about the cleansing of the Temple.  There is language in the Bible that labels our bodies and temples of God.  “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” 1 Corinthians 6:19.  I kept having this idea pop into my head as I was reading this and listening to reflection on it.  Christ comes into our lives, our very bodies, and drives out evil.  Not only evil, but those material goods that distract us from God.  Jesus did not just drive out those that were doing evil, He drove out all those that were selling the livestock (which was needed) and may not be in and of itself evil.  But the focus was the material.  They were losing the focus on God.  That is what Christ is doing.  Not necessarily going after evil, but trying to get the focus back on God.  All the material things in our lives fill us up and leave no room for God.  Before we can change, all that stuff must be driven out or swept clean.  Christ wants to come into our lives and drive away the things that fill us so that we have room for God to dwell.  I am not sure I ever thought about it that way before.