17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine (Mark 11:18).
The Temple sacrifice system had become a moneymaker for many of the religious leaders. Christ called them out on it, and for this and other things they wanted him dead. They saw Christ as a threat to the established order. Many of the established order really weren’t interested in serving God, but rather they were concerned about serving their own self-interests. So much so that they not only failed to recognize the King of Kings, the Creator of heaven and earth, and the only begotten Son of the Living God, but also plotted to have Him killed. This is the very face of evil in this world. This face of evil has shown itself many times in human history from the rebellion in Genesis 3 to the circumstances of today. Although we sometimes forget that evil is present in the world, circumstances that occur all too frequently should remind us of this fact. Evil, in all its’ forms, will only be finally conquered at the consummation of all-things when Christ brings final justice to the world. Until that time, as Christ in His earthly ministry had trouble in this world, so shall we have trouble. The good news of the Gospel is that our perspective is focused on the eternal promises of God, rather than the present realities of the consequences of evil.
The Temple sacrifice system had become a moneymaker for many of the religious leaders. Christ called them out on it, and for this and other things they wanted him dead. They saw Christ as a threat to the established order. Many of the established order really weren’t interested in serving God, but rather they were concerned about serving their own self-interests. So much so that they not only failed to recognize the King of Kings, the Creator of heaven and earth, and the only begotten Son of the Living God, but also plotted to have Him killed. This is the very face of evil in this world. This face of evil has shown itself many times in human history from the rebellion in Genesis 3 to the circumstances of today. Although we sometimes forget that evil is present in the world, circumstances that occur all too frequently should remind us of this fact. Evil, in all its’ forms, will only be finally conquered at the consummation of all-things when Christ brings final justice to the world. Until that time, as Christ in His earthly ministry had trouble in this world, so shall we have trouble. The good news of the Gospel is that our perspective is focused on the eternal promises of God, rather than the present realities of the consequences of evil.
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