Is my temple a house of prayer?

Luke 19:45-48

“And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy Him, but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.”

Who was out to destroy Jesus, was it not the top temple boys, the keepers of the rules, and we must add the guys who added many rules to what God had given to Moses.  They had titles; chief priests, scribes and the principal men of the people.  And inside of the temple was the Holy Place where the priests performed their regular duties and the Holy of Holies and two massive hanging tapestries, one cubit apart separated them.  The Holy of Holies was entered only once a year, the Day of Atonement when the (high priest) offered a sacrifice for the sins of the people.  One thing is clear sinful man is separated from a Holy God, and only the high priest has access, and a Gentile has no access, sending a clear message the Jewish people were the chosen of God.

First, we can only speculate on the thickness of the tapestries, but we do have Josephus the Jewish historian that reported they were 4” thick, and when Jesus yielded up his spirit, Matthew records the following happened; “And behold the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. (Matthew 27:51)  On that day God set in place a new covenant, both sin and death had been conquered by our Lord Jesus Christ, and we, that is you and I no longer needed any man no matter what title he has been given to enter the Holy of Holies for us, we have been given full access to our Father in heaven.  The apostle Paul makes this clear to the Hebrews in chapter 10:19-23, “Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

How does all of this change the landscape?  I believe the answer is found in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.”  So each of us must ask this question: Is my temple a house of prayer, or have I made it a den of robbers?  The question is not are we thief’s but is your temple a place where the Holy Spirit who lives in you finds you full of the desires of the flesh, and not filled with the Spirit?  Is your temple in need of Jesus throwing out all that is keeping you from living a victorious life, now?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice