A House of Prayer

I don't think that I ever gave proper thought to the fact that Jesus refers to the temple as a “house of prayer for all the nations” in Mark 11:17. This is one of those verses where I tend to read it very quickly because I am already familiar with the story. I understood this simply as Jesus showing zeal for the holiness of the temple.

Now I see where that is part of it, but I also see how it really does point to missions. He was cleaning out the Court of the Gentiles, which was supposed to be a place where anyone could gather to worship. My understanding is that the various merchants perverted the practice of selling animals for sacrifice into making the temple into a flea market. The focus became money instead of Christ. This then became a barrier to true worship for all people.

I can see how this applies to our situation today. We need to remove any barriers that stand between people and God. Using this as an example, it seems that we need to first look for anything that is self-serving rather than God-serving. I do not think that there was anything wrong with selling animals for sacrifice. I can understand that Jews coming from other areas would not want to transport animals. I also can see how it would be easier for them to bring money in their own currency. However, what likely started as conveniences got out of hand. Is this something we need to examine as we open coffee shops, cafés, and bookstores in our churches? I do not think that any of these things are inherently bad, but it would seem that we should be careful lest they do become a distraction.

To clarify, I do like going to a church that has a café. I like having the option to buy a good and inexpensive breakfast or lunch when I am there. However, I also think we need to remember that church is supposed to be about coming to a place and worshiping a risen Savior. It is certainly about community and fellowship as well, but I think we need to be careful.