Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Sanctification of the Church
Jorge V. Wilson (Appu)
MTC of San Francisco
Bay Area, CA
16 He told those who were selling
the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a
marketplace!”
In this passage, we learn of Jesus visiting the temple in Jerusalem during the start of Passover. Jesus entered the temple to see a multitude of merchants selling their various goods as if they were in the marketplace. In verse 16 we see Jesus becoming angry and telling the merchants to “Take these things out of here… and to stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” All through out the Gospel we never see Jesus becoming this visibly angry or zealous. We see many other situations where we would expect Jesus to express these emotions, but only see this anger when He saw this deep disrespect for God the Father. In the same story as told in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus proclaims, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
This story reminds us of the sanctification of the Church. Sanctification is defined as the act of consecrating or of setting apart for a sacred purpose. This definition can be further implied in that through sanctification we are made free from sin, we are cleansed from the moral corruption of sin, and made ready to worship in the presence of our creator.
How does this message resonate in the context of our Mar Thoma Church? As an Eastern Church in a Western land, our church is a bridge that brings together faith and culture, and often results in the church being far more than just a place for worship. At times our Church can be transformed into a marketplace fulfilling both the spiritual and social needs of its members. The peripheral activities of our church create a great sense of community and fellowship to its members but we must be cautious and always vigilant to not lose the sanctity of our Church.
In this passage, we learn of Jesus visiting the temple in Jerusalem during the start of Passover. Jesus entered the temple to see a multitude of merchants selling their various goods as if they were in the marketplace. In verse 16 we see Jesus becoming angry and telling the merchants to “Take these things out of here… and to stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” All through out the Gospel we never see Jesus becoming this visibly angry or zealous. We see many other situations where we would expect Jesus to express these emotions, but only see this anger when He saw this deep disrespect for God the Father. In the same story as told in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus proclaims, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
This story reminds us of the sanctification of the Church. Sanctification is defined as the act of consecrating or of setting apart for a sacred purpose. This definition can be further implied in that through sanctification we are made free from sin, we are cleansed from the moral corruption of sin, and made ready to worship in the presence of our creator.
How does this message resonate in the context of our Mar Thoma Church? As an Eastern Church in a Western land, our church is a bridge that brings together faith and culture, and often results in the church being far more than just a place for worship. At times our Church can be transformed into a marketplace fulfilling both the spiritual and social needs of its members. The peripheral activities of our church create a great sense of community and fellowship to its members but we must be cautious and always vigilant to not lose the sanctity of our Church.
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