Wednesday, March 18

Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, ‘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.’  And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

Mark 11:15-19

The story startles us. Jesus, the Suffering Servant of God becomes the Tiger in the Temple. The scripture paints a vivid picture. Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were robbing the worshipers.

Could Jesus be confronting us as well? Is He possibly asking us to consider what may be robbing us of the sense of the Holy in our lives? Could he, even today, be turning over some of those tables that actually get in the way of our relationship with God and hinder the positive potential for which we were uniquely created?

I remember vividly an episode when I was in junior high school. All of the “important” and “popular” girls were cheerleaders. I, along with 15 other hopefuls, tried out for the team in front of the whole school. Girls were selected according to the applause meter. How I wished that the meter would bounce off the end of the scale when it came my turn. But, when it came to me, instead of the thunderous ovation, there was a polite round of applause probably from sympathetic teachers. Gulp. Thud. I wanted to put a paper bag over my head and go home.

My best friend, Judy, had the same thing happen to her. As we walked home together that afternoon, we started to talk about our disappointment. We also shared our secret expectations about the overwhelming applause. We started to laugh. Together.

On that sun-shiney afternoon, we also discovered that it was not the end of the world. We didn't have to be everything to everybody. We didn't have to win at everything. It was a real turning point. When the “tables" of unrealistic expectations get overturned in our lives, such occurrences can be quite freeing. At such times we may experience Christ as the “Tiger in the Temple" who calls us to change. He also becomes Christ the Liberator who frees us into an honest and worshipful relationship with God and others.

Holy God, Enable us to boldly and bravely turn over those “tables” in our lives which clutter up our worship of You. Help us today to turn our lives over to the One who bids us to Follow. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

 Kate Thoresen (1994)