Stopping others from finding God (John 2:13-17)

John 2:13-22 ¹³ The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple Jesus found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. ¹⁵ Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." 

The Jews were required to make sacrifices for a variety of reasons - for instance, at the time of a child's birth or for their failures.  They were allowed, rather than bringing their sacrifice with them to the temple, to buy it once they got to the temple.  If you were poor, you bought a dove.  If you were rich you bought something more expensive.  These sacrifices were your way of being in right relationship with God. 

The problem was that this had become big business.  The prices and the money changing weren't fair.  If you were a poor family and you showed up to make a sacrifice on behalf of your son's birth, you might not be able to afford the dove.  In essence, these business men in the temple were at best case making an unfair profit off of the desire of people to be right with God and at worst case, they were actually putting roadblocks up keeping the poor from being able to afford the sacrifice all together. 

You don't want to be the people who keep others from a right relationship with God.  Jesus demonstrates that he will not tolerate it! 

Are there things in our church communities today where we might be standing in the way of people entering into a right relationship with God?  And yet, the house of God is no longer technically a place - the followers of Jesus are now the house of God.  But the question still applies... do we do things that stand in the way of people following Jesus? 

Jesus has a zeal for the house of God.

****  The story from the view of the other gospel writers...

Matthew 21:12-13 ¹² Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. ¹³ He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers."

Mark 11:15-17 ¹⁵ 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; ¹⁶ and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. ¹⁷ 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."

Luke 19:45-46 ⁴⁵ Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; ⁴⁶ and he said, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer'; but you have made it a den of robbers."