Passion Week

House Cleaning

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And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Mark 11:17 ESV

Sometimes we get the idea that Jesus went through His ministry smiling, blessing children, and sitting with lambs. But on Monday of Holy Week; the same Jesus who had forgiven the woman caught in adultery and sat down to eat with sinners, became angry when He went into the temple. At its entrance, He found a group of people setting up shop in hopes of making a quick buck. Then the one we call gentle Jesus, made a whip, and started driving them out while shouting, “Is it not written My House shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?” When Jesus used the word “House” He meant household or family. In other words, the place where God’s family meets should be especially for coming together to pray. It is easy for us to criticize the money changers, but do we sometimes maneuver our way into strategic positions in order to take advantage of others at church? Can we say with all honesty that prayer is the main thing that happens when we show up on Sunday morning? Jesus also went on to say that His family was also supposed to include all nations. Are all nations showing up at our place of worship or are we separated by race, economic status, or education? Yes, Jesus is humble and gentle, but He is also Holy and angry with anyone who hurts His family and tries to keep us from Him

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Holy Week – Day 3

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And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.  Mark 14:3 ESV

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.           John 12:3 NKJV

Though this is Holy Wednesday and the last day of Lent; I wanted to take a glance back to this banquet held in Jesus’ honor the week before. I had long been puzzled by the differences in the stories of the anointing of Jesus at Bethany; till I began to re-imagine the scene at the banquet. I saw Lazarus seated next to Jesus, with Martha serving the tables as the people slowly filled the room. Then Mary appeared in the doorway, holding her alabaster jar of perfumed oil. Silently she slipped through to where Jesus reclined and she breaks the seal on her jar pouring some on the head of Jesus. The power of the fragrance immediately filled the room. A momentary silence ensued as the guests stopped and turned to see what had happened. But then just as quickly, the air was filled with complaints about such a waste of resources being made. Mary kneels unashamed looking up to Jesus’ face and seeing His acceptance of her gift, she pours the rest of the perfumed oil on His feet and wipes them clean with her hair. No matter how she looked to others Mary was focused on only one thing. She still had more for Jesus! As we are traveling together towards the Passion of Christ this week, we should also ask; “Am I still all too worried about what everyone else will say?”, or can I say with Mary, “Master there’s still more!”