Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
—Mark 11:12-19
by: Jerry Johnson.
The temple was being used in an inappropriate manner. That is why Jesus came in and overturned the moneychangers' tables. However, I am also sure that many of the people rationalized that the use was okay. The pilgrims had to be able to get animals to make acceptable offerings. Why make them wander through town when they could get it there? They needed money to pay their temple tax in the right currency. What could be wrong with this convenience? The temple had to be cleansed because it was not being used for its intended purpose-worship. Do we rationalize our use of church buildings? Are they houses in which people have the opportunity to have an encounter with the living God?