JOHN 2:12-17 DE-CLUTTERING

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 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. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”

17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

From office desks to kitchen tables, the clutter of everyday living accumulates so as to hinder the purpose for which they were made. Mail and memos, books and bags, periodicals and pocketbooks all crowd out the workable space. If one does not address the mess the area loses any availability for use.

The Temple was the visible presence of God in the midst of Israel. It was constructed both as a central place of worship and as the symbol of the fulfillment of God’s promise to dwell among his people. The focus was clearly to make God known and from the promise to Abram in Genesis 12, that revelation was not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles. So when the Temple was built it had an outer court which became known as the Court of the Gentiles because that was where non-Jews could come and worship God. But the necessities of the world – long distances traveled and inappropriate currencies – dictated that animals needed to be available for people to buy for sacrifice and a money exchange needed to be accessible for people to properly pay their Temple tax. The obvious location for such services was the outer court. As inappropriate as such worldly trade was for the Temple of the Holy God, it was made far worse because it usurped the area designated for the glorification of God to the nations.

St. Paul teaches that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Although he gives this instruction in the context of sexual immorality, it has greater application. If the Temple was the symbol of God dwelling among his people, and if the promise of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is fulfilled, then the indwelling Spirit makes the body of the believer God’s temple. The question for us then is, “What clutter have we accumulated that hinders our God-given purpose?” Like the outer court of the Temple, our bodies are to be used to announce and demonstrate God’s purpose and direction to the world in Jesus Christ. Certainly St. Paul’s challenge about immorality applies here. However, what about the worldly clutter that accumulates through daily use and insufficient attention to thorough maintenance? What about the self-serving thoughts and attitudes we think we need to get by in the world? What about the obsession with my personal space and solitary forms of entertainment? What about our consumer attitude when it comes to corporate activities like worship? What about our unwillingness to commend the faith to others? What about the fact that we have become possessed by our accumulated possessions? The list certainly goes on and on. Through repentance we invite Jesus into our lives so that he might reorient us and cleanse us of our clutter. Only in that manner can we be restored and renewed for God’s purpose.

Drive the clutter out of my life, Lord Jesus, so that I might be a vehicle for the spread of the kingdom and not a barrier. Amen.