Almost 2000 years ago on this date, the city of Jerusalem was alive and active. People were everywhere, voices layered on top of one another, animals bleating, coins clinking, people laughing and yelling...
It was Passover week, so the temple courts were packed. Families had traveled for miles. There was excitement in the air… but also noise. So much noise.
If you walked into the temple that day, it didn’t feel quiet or sacred. It felt more akin to what we might picture the prelude to a major entertainment event. It also felt like a marketplace.
Men shouting prices.
People arguing over the cost of doves.
Money changers sitting behind tables stacked with coins, exchanging currency, for a nice fee, of course.
Animals penned up, the smell hanging heavy in the air.
And somehow… all of this had become a normal state of events in that time.
Religion was happening. Sacrifices were being made. People were checking all the boxes.
But the presence of God? It seemed all but drowned out.
Then, on that one particular Monday, Jesus walked in. Not rushed. Not chaotic. Just focused. Intentional.
You can almost imagine Him pausing for a moment, looking around at the sights, listening to the sounds, just taking it all in. His senses were overwhelmed with the noise, the distraction, and a sense that something holy had been turned into something transactional.
And something began to burn inside of Him. Not irritation. Not annoyance. Righteous anger.
Because this wasn’t just another busy place. This was supposed to be His Father’s house.
A place of prayer.
A place where people met with God.
And in this moment, it looked nothing like that.
He stepped forward. Tables flipped.
Coins scattered across the ground, rolling in every direction.
Animals broke loose.
People jumped back in shock.
The sound alone would’ve been enough to stop everything in motion; to garner all attention. And then His voice cut through the chaos:
“My house will be called a house of prayer… but you’ve made it a den of thieves.”
I imagine that one could literally feel the intensity and weight of that moment.
This wasn’t about money or inconvenience; it was about the heart.
They had taken something sacred and made it about profit, routine, and control. They had built a system that looked outwardly religious but had lost its connection to God.
And Jesus wouldn’t let it stand. So he stepped forward in boldness. Spirit led boldness.
But then, right after all of that.. after the tables, after the confrontation, after the intensity... we see what sets this man apart from all the others, something changes.
The blind and the lame come to Him. And He heals them.
Right there. In the same place that had just been flipped upside down.
Here's the point- Jesus didn’t just come to tear something down. He cleared the space so the right things could be made right again.
In my devotional time this morning, it struck me... how often does our own life start to look like that temple? Busy. Loud. Full of activity. Doing all the “right” things on the outside…
But somewhere along the way, the intimacy, the reverence, the connection, it gets crowded out. We lose focus. In fact, many times, we don’t even notice it happening. It just slowly becomes normal.
And then, Jesus steps in. And when He does… it might feel disruptive.
Things get flipped.
Comfort gets challenged.
What we’ve gotten used to gets exposed.
But the point is not to hurt you. He’s trying to restore what was always meant to be there all along.
A place where God actually dwells.
A life that’s actually connected.
A heart that isn’t divided.
So today, on Holy Monday, maybe that’s the question to reflect on all of these years later: If Jesus walked into the “temple” of your life right now… What would He turn over? Then, what would He restore?
This is a week of healing, of acceptance, and of life that would not otherwise be possible. Consider the sacrifice that was about to occur all those years ago. Follow in His footsteps this week. Accept your healing. Then, claim your inheritance.
Four more days to go... Friday is quickly approaching.
~ Devin
Devin Osborne
