Holy Week 2022: Tuesday

Spend a few moments in silence before God preparing your heart to hear from Him.

1 This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice
    and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
    and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed is the one who does this—
    the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,
    and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”

3 Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say,
    “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”
And let no eunuch complain,
    “I am only a dry tree.”

4 For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant—
5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls
    a memorial and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
    that will endure forever.
6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.”
8 The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather still others to them
    besides those already gathered.”

- Isaiah 56:1-8

How does Isaiah describe those who are considered blessed? What do they do?

How does God regard the foreigners and outcasts (Eunichs were considered outcasts and were not allowed to be part of temple worship, see Deuteronomy 23:1)?

Pray using the words Jesus taught us to pray:

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.

- Matthew 6:9-13

Read Mark 11:15-18

After entering Jerusalem in triumphant procession, Jesus went into the temple, and what He witnessed did not please Him. You read in Isaiah that God’s people were to enact justice, doing what is right, which meant they were to welcome the foreigner and outcast among them. Instead, the people had perverted worship at the temple. They turned the place where people of all nations were supposed to be able to come and pray and seek God into a marketplace. No one could worship and pray in this setting. Jesus, quoting Isaiah, declared, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” Rather than being a light to the nations to point them to the One true God, they used the temple's walls to separate Israel from those they deemed unworthy to belong amongst God’s people. What should have been a safe space for all to find the peace of God had become a symbol of division, exclusion, and the brokenness sin produces in human relationships.

Where do you see brokenness and division in your life, family, neighborhood, community, nation, and world today?

God’s temple is no longer a physical building. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, followers of Jesus were given access to God’s Spirit. We read in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” Those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord become a living dwelling place for God’s presence! We are to bring peace to the nations. We are to go a create safe spaces for all people to pray and seek God’s love and forgiveness through the salvation Jesus offers.

What would happen if Jesus were to come to you today and inspect your temple, your life?

Listen to the following video:

Read Ephesians 2:11-22 (focus especially on verses 14-18)

What does the passage say Jesus has destroyed? What barriers exist in your life that need to be torn down to make way for God’s peace to flow into and through and beyond your life?

What needs to change in your life as a result of hearing this message about Jesus?

Pray using the following prayer:

“Our Father in heaven, You are holy and good. You are our peace. May your kingdom come and will be done through us, Your people, as we seek to be filled with and extend your peace to our families, neighborhoods, communities, and beyond to the rest of the world. May we follow the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and tear down the walls we build to divide us. Make us peacemakers, so that we may be called your true children. Forgive us when we fail to be people of peace. Give us strength to love our enemies, to bring Your shalom to those we struggle most to love. Help us forgive others as You have so richly forgiven us. Lead us away from the temptation to separate ourselves and remain divided in our hearts. Deliver us from the evil that seeks to tears us apart and destroy our ability to experience wholeness and abundant life in You. May your peace abound in our hearts and lives as we honor You in the way we live and love. Amen.”