3/31/2026
"It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you
have made it a den of thieves.'"
Luke 20:46
Jesus has entered Jerusalem, wept over the city, and afterwards He went rogue in the temple, throwing out the money changers and breaking up the tables selling animals for sacrifice. The temple had become a place of making extra money for the synagogue, no doubt to pay temple taxes to Rome, but it also went to the opulent lifestyle in which the religious people lived. Jesus did not mince words when it came to calling out the scribes and Pharisees for their form of godliness. In Matthew 23 Jesus was speaking to the disciples and the multitudes which included Pharisees and other religious spies who followed Jesus around.
Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees
23 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 [g]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Jesus Laments over Jerusalem
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
As one would imagine this did not bode well for Jesus, but it was necessary as part of God's plan for redemption. I don't want to sound overly critical, or judgmental at all, but if Jesus appeared in our services, what would he find? And what should He find? I understand the need to be prepared for a Sunday message, but what if Holy Spirit decided to mix things up. How would that be received by those in attendance? We always say that we want to invite the presence of Holy Spirit, yet we sing a few songs, and we get on with the next item on the bulletin. There's always a program set for a certain amount of time, as people don't want to linger long. Their stomachs begin to complain. I remember a time when we waited upon the Lord, and we cried and prayed for the needs of the people. There was no set time, yet God in His mercy always allowed that man should eat. Jesus is the Bread of Life. He is the Living Water. He is our bread and meat. Quite often I have spoken about the younger kids rushing to the churches, Bibles in hand, hungry for the Word of God. Hardly anyone brings a Bible to church anymore, because it is printed on a screen before them. Personally, I want to hold the Word of God in my hands. I want to reference it, follow along in it, mark it, and write notes on the sides. How well I remember those days of endless worship, as it happened to me. I was insatiable, and thankfully, I still am. Sometimes when I'm listening to Jesus Image, and the Presence of God is so tangible, I have to lie down on the floor, and I could stay there for hours. This is rare today. I'm not talking about denomination. Jesus didn't have an organized, labeled church. He had followers who went out and taught and made more disciples. What are we doing?
I've been considering where to attend Resurrection Sunday this weekend, if my health allows, because I don't want to go where everything is rushed, including Communion. I want to rejoice, because He is alive! He has risen from the dead! I don't need pancake breakfasts or entertainment. I just need Jesus! He is more than enough for me.
How will He find us? How do you want to be found? Will there be oil in your lamp? Dearest Lord, purify our hearts, and make them holy and true.
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