"Then Jesus went into the temple and threw out all those who were selling and buying there. He pushed over the tables used for currency exchange and the chairs of those who sold doves. He said to them, “It’s written, My house will be called a house of prayer.. But you’ve made it a hideout for crooks.” People who were blind and lame came to Jesus in the temple, and he healed them." (Mat 21:12-14)
After Jesus entered the holy city of Jerusalem to the triumphant shouting of the crowds, He entered the temple. He saw that it had a marketplace used for buying and selling animals for sacrifice. It had tables for exchanging foreign currencies into the temple shekel. The temple was a place of prayer, not profiting and haggling. He drove them out.
The New Testament uses the concept of the temple and applies it to our community of faith. The church is a holy temple built with living stones. (1Pt 2:5) And the temple metaphor is used to point to one's own body. "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." (1Co 6:19-20)
When I think of my body as a temple for the Holy One, I begin to understand the need for holy living. Holiness means to be set aside 100% for God's purposes. As I teeter between self-focused decisions and God-centered actions I realize I have some cleaning up to do. This Daniel Fast has cleansed me physically and uncovered the spiritual mess that needs attention. The unholy things (not particularly evil, but not God-centered) are things like cravings for foods outside this fast. Eating more than I need to satisfy an emotional need is something that doesn't belong in the temple.
The comedian Jim Gaffigan (http://www.jimgaffigan.com/) often talks about food in his stand up performances. He says something like, "Have you ever eaten so much it made you sick? Isn't that great? It makes me feel so...American." Of course the ridiculousness of his statements makes us laugh at a sad and pitiful truth. We have too much, too easy and it's killing us.
The Daniel Fast has made me look at a lot of stuff surrounding my life. The walls of my home are cluttered with books, DVDs, CDs, VHS Cassettes. In the basement I have drawers and boxes full of Vinyl LPs and audio Cassettes. I even went through a period with the mini disc which never caught on here in the states. And on my iPod is 18,000 tracks and growing. I am an entertainment junkie. Might the Lord take a look inside His temple and see a need for cleansing? Would He drive out that which does not belong in His holy dwelling?
I remember a meditation once where Jesus was invited to come into a man's house, a metaphor for his heart. Jesus wanted a tour of the place. The man showed Him what he had tidied up visitors: the living room and the dining room and the kitchen and the main bathroom. He wanted to see the family room. It wasn't ready. The man needed to hide the ashtrays and empty beer cans and coke bottles, and clean the snack foods that had fallen under the coach cushions. Jesus looked and the man felt His sadness. He asked to see the bedroom. The man scurried to make his bed. If Jesus was going to live in the man's house, He needed to know it was clean. He hadn't swept up the dust bunnies in months. Jesus wanted to look at my computer and see what files the man had stored and what sites he visits on the internet. The man was ashamed to show Him. If he truly wanted Jesus to live in him and be his Lord, this was non-negotiable. And finally Jesus asked to see the closets. The man felt he could not let Him in there. But Jesus insisted. If He was going to make the man holy as He is holy, he had to freely give Him access to all of his interior home. There Jesus found bitter resentments, brokenness, sadness, rage, childhood fear and phobias and nervous habits.
Jesus turned to face the man. The man was mortified. He felt paralyzed, vulnerable and ashamed. He expected to hear Jesus say, "I cannot live here with You." Instead He placed His gentle hands on him, lifted his gaze to meet His loving eyes and said, "Are You ready to start cleaning up this place? I'll help. What shall we tackle first?"
Lord Jesus, Thank You for loving me enough to cleanse my heart. I open my heart to You. Make it Your temple, Your holy dwelling. And keep me vigilant to keep it that way. Amen
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