Eyes Right

John 2:¹⁶ (TPT] “And he shouted at the merchants, “Get these things out of here! Don’t you dare make my Father’s house into a center for merchandise!”

Sometimes people, even friends, come to me asking to be taught how to do certain things but when they find out that there is nothing, I do for God that I profit from, their interest dwindles very quickly. A friend once came asking to understand and learn how we put together the FreshFire devotionals. I was excited, what do you want to know because I initially did not understand that he was after the perceived profit. When he learned that the selling price is less than fifty percent (50%) of the cost price, his interest vanished.  We cannot turn God’s house into a place for profiteering. Do not get me wrong, I am not sharing this because anybody is better than anybody. I am sharing it because it is very easy to slip, so we must be deliberate to ensure our focus remains on Jesus. When you start merchandising ‘The Oil’, something has gone wrong.

Jesus said to them, “…freely have you received, freely give” [Matt.10:8]. The question that usually follows is, how will you take care of yourself? Guess what? The One who has sent you will take care of you. However, the problem is if you send yourself, then you would have to fend for yourself. But if He sends you, He fends for you and by that, I mean, He fends for you not only physically as in finances. He fends for you spiritually. He fends for you emotionally. If He sends you, He will fend for you and that is so powerful. John 2:¹⁸ (NRSV] “The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” These people know the scriptures; they know that what they are doing is wrong. They know that the marketplace cannot be the house of God and God’s house cannot be the marketplace.

Jesus just scattered their money; should they not be angry, and demand to know why He was doing it? Should they not try to stop Him and try to fight Him? But instead, they asked for a sign to show that He has the authority to do this. What does that tell you? It shows clearly that these people were spiritual people. They know that it is either He is God, or He is mad. For Jesus to do what He is doing, it is either something is backing Him up or He has lost it. They did not fight Jesus, instead, they asked Jesus for a sign, and Jesus again just messed them up. John 2:^19-21 “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body.” (NRSV].

Note that three years later, they did not forget this statement, in fact, it became the basis for killing Jesus. Matt.26:⁶¹ “who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’” Matt.27:⁴⁰ “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!” Although they did not understand it, they fulfilled the prophesy.

Prayer: Father, I ask for the grace to keep my eyes on Jesus in all things, in Jesus Name. Amen!