Opening Prayer
Lord, cleanse our hearts and prepare Your praise from our lips. Amen.
Text: Matthew 21:10–16
And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'” Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?”
Christ the gentle King is still very zealous against evil and does not tolerate the ungodly in His kingdom. As gently as He deals with the troubled who wish to be cleansed from sin, so sternly He drives out of His Church all self-confident, unrepentant sinners. He doesn’t break the bruised reed, but stiff-necked and proud men He topples to the ground. All who will not humble themselves must be cast out, for Christ’s kingdom is the home of meekness, gentleness, and love. The blind and the lame He heals, and the Hosanna of children makes Him glad. But the money-changers and dove-peddlers He drives out with a sharp whip, and the proud scribes He admonishes with the two-edged sword of the Word. The temple of animal-sacrifices is torn down, and a temple of living stones is raised instead, a temple with worship in spirit and truth. Let us understand that only those who repent and become like little children belong to this house of God, only the meek and the believing, not at all those who are worldly minded, self-righteous, and self-important.
A great house has not only vessels of gold and silver, it also has vessels of wood and clay, but those for glory, and these for dishonor. Indeed the tares grow together with the wheat in the field until the harvest (Mat 13:30). But they do not belong there, and the day is coming when they shall be separated from the wheat with merciless severity. Let each of us examine ourselves to see if our heart is bowed in meekness and cleansed in Jesus’ blood, so that we may stand in the covenant of a good conscience with God and worship Him in spirit and truth. No one else will stand in the judgment. The Lord laid down His life (1Jo 3:16) to save us from the ways and works of the devil, and He let water and blood flow from His side as a cleansing for His own people (Joh 19:34). Shall we then not seek after holiness and be zealous for good works? So now in the power of Christ’s blood leave all the ways of darkness. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelief. Cleanse your soul in obedience to the truth, and let your heart be a holy temple, your whole life a pure worship of God in service to Him who is consumed with zeal for His Father’s house!
Closing Prayer
Grant us such grace, merciful God, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Hymn
This treasure ever I’ll employ,
This ev’ry aid shall yield me;
In sorrow it shall be my joy,
In conflict it shall shield me.
In joy, the music of my feast;
And when all else has lost its zest,
This manna still shall feed me;
In thirst my drink, in want my food,
My company in solitude,
To comfort and to lead me!
And when Thy glory I shall see
And taste Thy kingdom’s pleasure,
Thy blood my royal robe shall be,
My joy beyond all measure;
When I appear before Thy throne,
Thy righteousness shall be my crown,
With these I need not hide me.
And there, in garments richly wrought
As Thine own bride, I shall be brought
To stand in joy beside Thee.
Gerhardt: A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth L 305:7-8 ELH 331:8.10
tr. Composite ©1941 CPH. Used by permission.;
tune: An Wasserflüssen Babylon