Jesus cleansing the Temple

Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem

When Jesus and His disciples drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples to a nearby village and to bring a particular donkey along with its colt to Him. The disciples brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them and set Jesus on them. When Mathew says that Jesus was set on the donkey and the colt (Mat.21: 7), the other three gospel writers i.e. Luke, Mark and John say that Jesus sat on the young colt (John 12:14, Luke 19:30 and Mark 11:2). Mark further says that no man sat on this colt.

According to Mathew, the prophecy spoken by Zechariah was fulfilled in Zech.9: 9.

“Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass”.

Both the donkey and its young one were there. Though Jesus sat physically on the colt, prophetically He sat on both the donkey and the colt. Jesus needs both the donkey and the colt for His ministry. There are two types of ministries for Jesus. The spiritual elders are likened to the donkey, whereas the spiritual children are likened to the young colt.

The donkey is leading the young colt in this kingly march. Seeing the mother donkey by its side, the young colt does not feel the burden on its back. The mother donkey rejoices on seeing Jesus on the back of its colt. This shows the true fellowship of His followers. The spiritual elders in the body of Christ should lead their spiritual children in the ministry. We find these days that the renowned evangelists do not develop the people under them or the second line leaders but use them as their colt.

Jesus chooses those people likened to the donkey and the colt. He does not choose those people likened to the horse, which is used by the kings or the soldiers. He changes the human method here. He chooses only the foolish things of the world to confound the mighty. Dearly beloved in Christ Jesus, you are the donkey Jesus looks for. You think that you cannot deliver a sermon in your church. You think that you cannot sing a song in the choir of your church. But you are the one Jesus looks for.

Jesus wants a colt on which nobody ever sat. He is not looking for a person who is being used in a manner pleasing to men. He is not looking for a person on whom some people sat for doing a ministry in accordance with their own will. Dear sister, you are the young colt Jesus looks for! One day, you will lead thousands to Christ because you are that particular colt who will carry Christ to many nations of this world.

These days, the ministers of God likened to the donkey take the glory due to His Name. The great multitudes that attend their meetings do not see the Christ on the back of the donkey and the colt. In a true revival, God is glorified and the men take their back seats. In Jerusalem, the great multitudes saw the Christ on the donkey and the colt and rejoiced. They spread their garments, and laid the branches of the trees in the way and cried, “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest”. In a true revival, the multitudes glorify God, and not men.

The insignificant donkey and its colt performed their assigned role in carrying Christ into Jerusalem where He was to suffer crucifixion. The title given for this particular passage in many of the Bible version calls it “ a triumphal entry”! The triumphal entry would not have been possible without the role of the donkey and the colt.

The crux of the whole message is that a minister has to carry Christ on his back. It is not his resources or his oratorical skill, which presents Christ to the multitudes. It is only his humility or his spirit of meekness that presents Christ to the multitudes. You are that donkey Christ has been looking for. He has found you today! Amen.

Having made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the back of a colt, Jesus went into the temple of God. On seeing a crowd of people selling and buying there, He made a whip of cords and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves (Mat.21: 12-13 & John 2:13-17)

What provoked the meek Jesus Who even rode on the colt, to hold a whip of cords in His hand and to drive out them? It was because of His zeal for the house of His Father, which was made “a house of merchandise” or “a den of thieves”.

This is the lone episode in the gospels, which depicts the ventilation of the holy anger of the Lord to such an extent that He physically evicted those people from the premises of the Temple. The sheep, the oxen and the doves were in fact required for sacrifice at the altar of the Temple. There was nothing amiss with such merchandise. However, there was something wrong with those who bought and sold in the Temple.

Jesus was concerned about the sanctity of His Father’s House, which was a house of prayer, and not a house of merchandise. The merchandise should have been kept outside the temple. The people who came to the Temple for worship and prayer were distracted from their devotion but attracted towards the merchandise in the temple. Jesus was not against the merchandise as such but was against the defilement of His Father’s house. He was against commercialization of God’s premises. In place of prayer, He found the tricks of the traders and the bargaining power of those who bought such merchandise. If they had brought the merchandise outside the temple and then entered the Temple for prayer and worship, He would have loved their action.

These days, we commercialize our holy ministries to God. No doubt, a minister has to make a living out of the gospel but should not live in a luxurious manner at the cost of the people to whom he is supposed to minister. He or she is not supposed to make undue profit out of the free will and sacrificial offerings given by the people of God. If God has materially prospered a minister of God, he or she must minister to the poor saints in the House of God.

The other day I was watching some video CDs of some beloved servants of God in Tamil Nadu. I thank God for their wonderful talents of singing songs in Tamil language. The songs composed and sung by them are being used by many Tamil Christians all over the world. These songs and hymns are being used in many churches during their worship services. While watching such video CDs, the Holy Spirit showed me "iniquity" and caused me to behold grievance (Hab.1:3). The Holy Spirit led me to make a comparison between the video CDs of a beloved servant of God, Don Moen, who is known for his wonderful worship songs all over the world and the video CDs of my beloved brethren in Christ from Tamil Nadu. The worship songs of Don Moen were lively and natural because these scenes were recorded in a real atmosphere while the worship songs of the beloved servants of God in Tamil Nadu whom I love were recorded in an artificial atmosphere where the camera was focusing on their actions and different types of dresses. It was like viewing the TV/video programmes of cine actors and actresses. The singers were shown singing songs on the sea shores and on the banks of rivers. Really, they did not sing these worship songs on the sea shores and on the banks of rivers. These were only "their acts" as they moved only their lips. They had in fact recorded their songs in studios. Are they "acting" as actors before the living God who is a consuming fire? Do they honour the living God? Let us not mock God!

The camera of Don Moen did not only focus on Don Moen but also on other worshippers who were worshipping God. I did also watch some video CDs of worship songs being sung by the associates of Billy Graham, in memory of those singers and servants of God who had entered glory. While singing these old songs, I saw tears roll down the faces of some singers. It was very lively and lovely.

Maybe, these beloved servants of God in Tamil Nadu have adopted this "corrupt" method of the cine world just to promote their ministries. When we should make use of all the modern day tools and electronic media for promoting the gospel, care should be taken to ensure that we do not imitate the things of the world, especially of the "corrupt" cine world. Let us not adopt the "corrupt" commercial methods just to market our audio/video CDs.

Jesus cannot tolerate the trend of commercialization in His body. Jesus did not condemn sinners who came to Him but forgave them. However, He took the whip in His Hand and drove those who traded inside His holy premises.

(By Job Anbalagan)