Zeal for thy house

Today we will consider another familiar story, for after the wedding in Cana, Jesus traveled with His mother, His brothers, and His 5 disciples to the town of Capernaum, a fishing village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. They didn't stay long, though, because the most important festival on the Jewish calendar was approaching—Passover. -So, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

When He arrived at the temple, He wasn’t happy with what He saw.  The courtyard of the temple—the place where people were supposed to come and pray—had been turned into a marketplace.

Jesus wasn't about to let this stand. He took a whip and walked right into the middle of it. He drove out the livestock—the sheep and the oxen—scattering them through the courtyard. He overturned the tables of the money changers.

His disciples watched in silence, as He was quite angry. And then they remembered a line from the Scriptures: "Passion for Your house consumes Me."

The Jewish religious leaders weren't very happy either. They confronted Him. "What gives You the right to do this? Show us a sign that proves You have the authority to act like this."

Jesus answered them with a riddle: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." They laughed. "This temple took forty-six years to build, and You're going to rebuild it in three days?"

But Jesus wasn't talking about the stone building. He was talking about His own body.