Matthew 21:12-17
[12] And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. [13] He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” [14] And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. [15] But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, [16] and they 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 infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” [17] And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Jesus entered Jerusalem Triumphantly. The crowds shouted hosanna. They laid down palm branches and their own clothes before Him. It was a joyous occasion, but when He entered the Temple the mood shifted. Righteous indignation filled Him. Why?
See, this was the day that Israel was to choose their Passover Lamb. When Jesus entered the Temple, He saw the sellers and the money changers. The sellers and buyers and He drove them out. Why would He do this? They missed the Passover Lamb. The one that would be the final sacrificial offering. The one that would finally wash them (and all who would believe) clean from all their sins. The one that would reconcile them to God Himself, and they missed Him.
They were caught up in the sale. The ritual, so much so that they missed the importance of the ritual. The very purpose and reason for the ritual in the first place. They missed the Passover Lamb entirely.
Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey 2000 years ago and the majority of people missed Him. Today, 2000 years later, we are waiting for His return. We’re waiting for Him to break that Eastern Sky and collect His Bride. His Body. His Church. The men and women of His generation missed the signs and the times. They were too busy with ritual that they missed the purpose of the ritual, the foreshadowing of the Messiah who was now before them. The times and signs are all around us today. We are getting close to the end. Are you ready? Are your loved ones ready? Are your friends, co-workers, neighbors ready?
Just as Jesus removed those from the Temple who weren’t ready for His Triumphal Entry, those who missed His coming, those who chose the animal over the Living God, so will He remove from His presence those who miss His Second Coming. Those who miss His Return. They will be forever removed from His presence. From His Temple.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Choose The Lamb.