Jesus, money changers & You

S. SEKOU ABODUNRIN

14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
John 2:14 - 16

As you follow the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus you catch a glimpse of the Father for what he said to Phillip, he says to you – He that has seen me has seen the Father. The earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus then was a window into the realm of the spirit. The Father is a spirit and in the Son he has given to us a window of revelation. He hasn’t required that man devise a way to come into the realm of God for man outside of the revelation of Jesus is spiritually bankrupt.

The Father has undertaken on the basis of his very love nature to bridge the gap and give to you a clear view of what the Father is like. As you keep your gaze on Jesus you’d end up knowing a lot about the Father. The more you know of your father, the more you know of yourself.

I am sure that you have read the incidence of the Lord’s entrance into the temple before, but I’d like you to pay close attention. There is a lot encapsulated within that passage. You have to realise that in the earth walk of the Lord Jesus he was dealing largely with men that were spiritually dead. There was a lot that he did and demonstrated in the view of men so that he could intrude into the everyday life of the human.

A key that unlocks that passage was given to us through the ministry of Paul.

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 cor 3:16 - 17

In other words take your mind away from some temple in Jerusalem, for he was merely giving us a window into something deeper. According to the revelation given through apostle Paul the true nature of these things have been brought out – you are the temple.

There is a strong parallel between that passage in John and the passage in Corinthians. The Holy Spirit through the ministry of John gives us a natural preview, and through Paul he leads us into the very substance of these things - You are the temple of God.

The temple is designed to serve the purpose of God in the earth. In other words God needs you in order to reach the earth for you are the body of Christ. The degree to which the temple is “defiled” is the degree to which the Father’s plan through you is limited. It is the activity of the Son within the temple that cleanses it and fits it for the release of the Father’s purpose upon the earth.

You have to recognise that the temple is currently under siege from moneychangers and those transacting the merchandise of the world. Think about that. For as long as I yield myself to the traffic of the world system the purpose of the Father revealed in the Son is stunted. Merchants only get rich through market forces – buying and selling. Within you right now you need to awaken out of “buying and selling” and instead learn the secret of yielding to the Father by his Spirit.

Your eyes need to be trained to remain fixed on the master. The troublesome thing for all of us is that until the master gets active within us we are tuned to and focused on the delusion of the moneychangers. I want you to recognise that your link with the moneychangers is the ideas that you embrace.

The bible says that the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches enter in and choke the word.

Real freedom begins by realising that the moneychangers must be chased out. The buying and selling must stop. You are not designed to function by the world’s systems and principles, nor are you designed to function on the basis of “works”. The father needs the moneychangers out. Exciting thing is I am not required to struggle to get the moneychangers out. The Lordship of Jesus extends into this area – my job is to yield to him. I am to get out of his way and allow him do his job.

When I hand the whip to the Lord, he will drive out the poisonous system of the world. This he will do by the living word. In simple terms the Lord, by his Spirit within the temple will bring to you the wisdom that it takes to operate above the system of the moneychangers.

The Lord’s anger is hot, he is not angry with you – he is angry with the moneychangers and the profiting that comes by living in the world’s philosophy. He still lovingly calls you “My Father’s house” – You are the house of God. Put simply, the blessing of God is not upon the system of religion. Man provides religion, which is simply a camouflage for “buying and selling” on earthly terms and concepts. God provides relationship. He is called “Father” here. Operating in the system of God brings you into his wealth for the Father’s wealth only flows from him and is released through fellowship.

When you yield to the Lord, he will teach you how to overthrow the strongholds, philosophies, reasonings and ideologies that are contrary to his revelation of himself by the Spirit through the word.

The ideas of unrenewed thinking must be unseated. The Lord himself will teach you by his word. Some of it will be painful to the carnal mind, but think of the thrill of functioning by divine design. At last you showcase the true wealth of God. Money represents a system of value. Your system of values is to be of a heavenly order. The fact that everyone recognised the moneychangers and their buying and selling philosophy does not mean that the Lord was behind it. The deception of that day was that if it is done within the temple, then it must be spiritual. Now, that is a lie. Only the actions of Jesus within you count. There is true wealth in the Father’s house and it is released through you as you allow Jesus drive out the moneychangers and the system of works.

The temple shall be called a place of prayer, a place of thanksgiving.

As you fellowship with the Father you’d be released into the true wealth of God.

....to be continued