Focus: The Passion of Christ

Text: Jh.2:16

"Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise."

The Lord Jesus Christ while here on earth was totally passionate about His Father and utterly compassionate about people. 

He stepped into the temple and met those who were using the sacred space for commercial purposes, and He completely disapproved of it. Where the temple authorities saw absolutely nothing wrong with it, the Lord Jesus Christ saw everything wrong with it. Out of zeal for the sacred space, He took a stance against the absurd and the abnormal and thoroughly whipped the temple merchants of desecration. He said to them, "Take these things hence; make not MY Father's house an house of merchandise." He saw the temple at Jerusalem as His Father's house. He took it personal; He possessed it. The Father was His, and the temple was His Father's house. 

The fact is that whatever is regarded as 'ours' is not owned by anyone. Simply put, people have no business with what is not theirs. People do not get concerned with what is not theirs. They usually say, 'It's none of my business,' or, 'It doesn't concern me.' People don't really commit themselves wholeheartedly to whatever they regard as 'everyone's thing.' Jesus Christ saw our God as His own God, and our Father as His own Father. The temple was His Father's house, not our Father's house.

When His parents came looking for Him, He said to them, "How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about MY Father's business?" (Lk.2:49). He was absolutely and intentionally sold out to His Father's business, not our Father's business. When He encouraged His disciples about His imminent death, He said to them, "In my Father's house are many mansions…" (Jh.14:2). Jesus Christ was possessive of His Father and everything that concerns His Father. He was passionate about His Father and His grand purpose of redeeming man and restoring the universe to its original design.

John tells us after the cleansing of the temple, "And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up" (Jh.2:17). He was always passionate about what His Father was passionate about. He was fully surrendered to His Father's will and absolutely committed to His purpose. He knew His Father, and His Father knew Him. He said, "I do always those things that please him." Father and Son were into each other.

Jesus Christ had vision and passion, and was focused on His mission. Let's be as Jesus Christ was - passionate and intentional, dedicated and determined, devoted and committed.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter