Seek salvation in Christ

John
{3:16} For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. {3:17} For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the
world through him might be saved.


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Matthew
{21:12} And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast
out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and
overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of
them that sold doves, {21:13} And said unto them, It is
written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye
have made it a den of thieves.


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For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but thta the world through him might be saved...
Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and seats of them that sold doves.


We want Jesus to condemn don't we? Seriously. When He overthrew tables and chairs and cast out the wrongdoers in the temple the imagery of it all is amazing. Jesus filled with a righteous wrath because overthrowing and casting out isn't done with smiles. We want evil to be condemned and we feel inside ourselves this righteous wrath when we are injured, when we are despitefully used, when we are treated with disrespect, we feel this anger inside of us and is it righteous? Is the anger we feel justified? Is the anger akin to Jesus' wrath as He over turned furniture and kicked people out of the temple? We want to believe it is, but truly can it be?


Jesus was sinless in His wrath. There was no personal injury on His behalf that He was trying to champion, no personal wrong that He was trying to avenge. He said unto those in the temple- It is written My house shall be called the house of prayer - but ye have made it a den of thieves.


It is written.


God's house shall be called a house of prayer.


Buying and selling, exchaning money even for animal sacrifices to be made in the temple wasn't in accord with God's will. It wasn't written you shall buy and sell in my house, that you should cheat people and sell for gain, that you shall barter a price on a sacrifice, that you should make my house a place of haggling and forget all about it being a place of prayer. There was a sacredness in the temple and people had lost sight of that. Jesus saw the totally disregard for His father's house and righteously revealed the evil going on right in the temple.


Our anger isn't sinless, it isn't righteous because more often than not our supposed righteous indignation comes from selfish origins. You want to protest not always and maybe you're right, I can't condemn you for anything it's not my place. Jesus came into the world to save the world, not to condemn the world. If we want condemnation we aren't looking to Jesus.


Jesus came to save. Yes, Jesus felt a righteous indignation as His father's house was descrated but it wasn't a selfish indignation. He didn't condemn the world in that act, He condemned actions. Jesus can condemn and has to condemn sin, but the sinner He longs to save.


May God help us to recognize the actions in our lives that are worthy of condemnation and may we beg for forgiveness for those actions and seek salvation in Christ, by His everlasting mercy and grace.


Amen.