Lesser Monday

Matthew 21:12-17 + “Things That Happen in a Church”

So after the Triumphal Entry, Jesus goes to church. It’s a Sunday, so Jesus, a very religious person, lived out his relationship with the Father along with other believers in the synagogue.

This was no ordinary Sunday though - Jesus walks in, surveys the scene and he takes action.

He drives out the money changers and flips over tables. Jesus was zealous for the Father’s house (the church) to be what the Father wanted it to be. Not a marketplace, but a place of healing, a house of prayer.

Now, the aforementioned things usually get all the attention, as they should. I mean, we haven’t seen Jesus do anything like this in his ministry! Driving Out & Flipping Over! 

That’s v13, where Jesus preaches a sermon, “it is written” proclaims Christ. He says the Father’s house shall not be a den for robbers, but a house of prayer. 

So, v13 Jesus says some words. In v14, Jesus does some deeds that we may have missed → He heals the lame and gives recovery of sight to the blind.

Friends, Jesus didn’t just drive out and flip over - Jesus Christ, healed and made well.

Friends, he does this on a Sunday, in a church and it wasn’t even in the bulletin.

Jesus disrupts the flow and the order again! Oh Mercy.

The Passion of Christ has begun and he is still healing. The Matthew 4:23 model of preaching, teaching and healing is still in place.

This wasn’t the first time Jesus disrupted a church service by going off script. Nearly 3 years earlier, as Jesus was first beginning his earthly ministry, Jesus went into a synagogue (church). In Mark 1:21-26 Jesus is teaching in the synagogue (church) and while teaching, he is confronted by a man with a demon. Jesus does what Jesus does - he deals with the darkness and he casts a demon out of the man - in church - on a Sunday → not in the bulletin!

What does this mean, Jesus has a holy habit of showing up in church.

Do you think he still shows up? Do you go to church because you are supposed to? Just to “go”? Or perhaps because you believe you are going to encounter the power of God.

From his first appearance in a church to his last - Jesus shows up, healing, casting out and making well. Sometimes gentle and calm, other times, in power and authority.

Saints, he still shows up. He still heals. He still restores. Has dead religion taken over your experience of church? Today, invite Jesus afresh and anew to show up at your church.