Questions Jesus Asks on the Way to the Cross

Jesus 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.” Mark 11:17

Only days before his crucifixion, Jesus is teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus’ righteous indignation shows as he responds to the monetization of God’s house. Certain collaborators with Rome were using the Temple as a place to hide schemes that were enriching the empire while oppressing God’s people. In the spirit of the ancient prophets Jesus symbolized his commitment to justice by an act of civil disobedience and raising the rhetorical question: “Is it not written that, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’”

Might Jesus engage in the same civil disobedience in the halls of power and worship in our place and time? Might his question convict us of our greedy and callous policies? Jesus’ words lift up two spiritual truths. First, God’s presence among us should prioritize prayer. Prayer keeps us close to God and empowered to live God’s values. We know what the Lord requires: to do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). Prayer makes these requirements possible to fulfill.  Second, Jesus’ words remind us that God’s intention for Shalom is “for all the nations”. Everyone is included in the reign of grace and peace for which Jesus is prepared to give his life.

Is prayer at the heart of our discipleship? Are we giving our lives for self-interest, or have we caught the vision of justice for all?

Yours in Christ,

Marc