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

Some of us get the idea that Jesus waltzed through His ministry smiling, blessing children, and holding lambs in His arms. But on Monday of Holy Week; the same Jesus who had forgiven the woman caught in adultery and sat down to dinner with sinners, became angry when He went to the temple to pray. Instead of a smiling Jesus, just meekly entering, an angry Messiah showed up who drove out the buyers and sellers shouting, “Is it not written My House shall be called a house of prayer?” Now the case could be made that Jesus was upset about the physical location where these vendors were set up. But when Jesus used the word “House” it didn’t mean just a building, it meant household (as in a family). In other words, the place where God’s family meets on earth should be primarily about coming together to pray.

Now, it is easy for us to criticize those temple vendors, but are we really any different? Do we sometimes maneuver our way into desirable positions in church in order to take an unfair advantage of others? While special events are great and fellowship and laughter in the church coffee area matters; can we really say with all honesty that prayer is the main thing that happens at our meetings? Also, notice that Jesus went on to say that His family was supposed to be for all the nations. Are all nations showing up at our place of worship? Jesus wants to clean His house today just as He did back then of anything that keeps us apart. Then when we all come together for prayer, together we can truly become the Household of God and His family indeed!