According To Luke: The Temple, Tables, Teachings and Treachery

According To Luke: The Temple, Tables, Teachings and Treachery

I. Jesus’ Desire Is To Transform Our Temple!

1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV

[19] Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own...

II. Jesus’ Sanctification Models Our Salvation!

Point:

Sales within the temple were apparently conducted by permission of the high priest's family which received a commission from every sale. Jews couldn't use Roman coins to give as an offering, so they changed their Roman coins for Tyrian coinage for the half-shekel temple tax -- and the money-changers made a bit on each sale. Likewise, the sacrifices to be offered in the temple needed to be certified as "without blemish" by a priest. Many pilgrims would purchase a sacrifice in the temple rather than herd it for several days on their way to the Holy City for Passover. Yes, it was a convenience to purchase sacrifices at the temple, but the price gouging was often terrible. Later in the First Century, Rabbi Simeon (son of Paul's teacher Gamaliel) crusades to lower the price of a pair of doves from two gold dinars to one silver dinar, 1% of the original price.[11]

No wonder Jesus skewers these crooked dealers with the word "robbers" (NIV) or "thieves" (KJV). The Greek word is lestes, "robber, highwayman, bandit, brigand."[12] He compares the temple which should be holy with a cave used as a robbers' hideout (Greek spelaion).[13] Crooked commerce must be banished from the temple so that it might serve as it should, a "House of Prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56.7).

Luke 19:45-48 ESV

[45] And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, [46] saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers." [47] And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, [48] but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

Point:

Verse 47 lists Jesus' enemies, who were not previously united. Now they stand together seeking cause for charges to be brought against him:

1. The chief priests, a hereditary family whose members had been appointed as chief priests by Herod for terms of a year or more. Caiphus was the current high priest, succeeding Annas, who had served until recently.
   
2. Teachers of the law or scribes (Greek grammateus). These are most likely Pharisees. Many from this group have verbally sparred with Jesus before, and in chapter 20 try hard to catch Jesus in some unpopular or seditious statement on which they can arrest and try him.
   
3. The leaders among the people. The Greek word is protos, "the most prominent men, the leading men."[14]

III. Follow The Pattern To Temple Purity!

Luke 19:45-48 ESV

[45] And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, [46] saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers." [47] And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, [48] but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

A. Invitation vs. 45

[45] And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold,

Point:

The Greek word being used for “enter” is as-e'r-kho-mi (ass-err-co-my). This word is very interesting because it means so much more than our English word “enter”. If you fast forward in the story of Christ, you will come to the point where Judas makes the decision to betray Jesus. Scripture tells us that it was at that moment that Satan “enters” Judas. It is the same phraseology. The word means to go in, enter in, come, and arise. It also means “to take possession of”. Jesus is literally taking possession of the temple. Jesus saw a temple that Satan possessed and Jesus repossessed what belonged to Him. Jesus took control, and possessed the temple. Friends, Jesus is still repossessing temples today. Do you remember when Jesus repossessed you? Do you remember when Jesus took control of your life? Do you remember when Jesus came and made an eternal impact on your life?

Revelation 3:20 ESV

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

A. Invitation vs. 45

B. Purification vs. 45-46

[45] And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, [46] saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers."

I Corinthians 15:33 GWT

"Don't let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people."

Psalm 51:10 ESV

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

A. Invitation vs. 45

B. Purification vs. 45-46

C. Maturation vs. 47

[47] And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him,

Illustration:

There are no short cuts to maturity.

It takes years for us to grow to adulthood, and it takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. The same is true for the fruit of the Spirit. The development of Christlike character cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time.

When you try to ripen fruit quickly, it loses its flavor. In America, tomatoes are usually picked unripened so they won’t bruise during shipping to the stores. Then, before they are sold, these green tomatoes are sprayed with CO2 gas to turn them red instantly. Gassed tomatoes are edible, but they are no match to the flavor of a vine-ripened tomato that is allowed to mature slowly.

Illustration:

Ted Williams, who died in 2002 was arguably the best hitter baseball has ever known. He was the last baseball player to hit better than .400 in a season. Upon his death, George Will said in his column "There is no joy in Red Sox Nation, a.k.a. New England, or in any heart where baseball matters."

One of reasons Williams was unique in his ability to hit a baseball was because of how fastidious he was with the bats he used. For instance he used a postal scale to check that humidity had not added an ounce to the weight of his bats. He was once challenged to find from among six bats the one that was half an ounce heavier than the others without the scale...he quickly did. He once returned to the maker a batch of his Louisville Sluggers because he sensed that the handles were not quite right. The handles were off by five-thousandths of an inch.

Some would call him obsessive, but it was hard to argue with the results. Ted Williams knew bats and could detect the smallest discrepancy.

Point:

There are 4 levels of spiritual maturity for believers in Christ. 

1. REBELLION: I'm going to do what I want regardless of what God says.

2. CONDITIONAL LOVE: If God gives me what I want, I will give Him what He wants.

3. GROWING FAITH: I will give God what He wants, with faith that He will give me what I need.

4.SELFLESS WORSHIP: I will give God what He wants, regardless of any thought for myself, because He is Lord and worthy of my praise.

I Corinthians 14:20 ESV

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

A. Invitation vs. 45

B. Purification vs. 45-46

C. Maturation vs. 47

D. Aggression vs. 47

[47] And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him,

John 15:18 NIV

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

A. Invitation vs. 45

B. Purification vs. 45-46

C. Maturation vs. 47

D. Aggression vs. 47

E. Amplification vs. 48

[48] but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

Mark 16:15 ESV

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Question: What Is The State of Your Sanctuary?