¹³ It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ He found in the temple those who were selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as those involved in exchanging currency sitting there. ¹⁵ He made a whip from ropes and chased them all out of the temple, including the cattle and the sheep. He scattered the coins and overturned the tables of those who exchanged currency. ¹⁶ He said to the dove sellers, “Get these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a place of business.” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written, Passion for your house consumes me. (Jn 2:13-17, CEB)

If Jesus came through our “temples” today, he would find some other junk to toss around. Some smart phones. An Xbox here and there. Golf clubs. Football equipment. Trashy novels. TVs. Just STUFF that gets in our lives and we never get rid of because somehow we can’t live without them…

But in that process of finding things we can’t live without we have shoved aside our passion for the presence of Christ. Prayer is on the periphery. The attention to his Word is even farther to the outside.

The junk and the stuff of this world has allowed us to “settle” for what we think is our “good,” and we have left the passion for the presence of our King.

This season of our Church year could be a great time for some “house” cleaning.