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REFLECTION
“Temple dealings” is the theme for our reflection. A temple is a building designated or consecrated for religious activities. It is essentially a place where worshippers or believers congregate to offer sacrifices and worship God. Dealings refer to business relations or transactions or the activity of buying and selling a particular commodity. Temple dealings therefore refer to business transactions being carried out in the place of worship. We shall reflect on the fact that every dealing in the Temple must glorify God.

Dear friend, every dealing in the Temple or in the house of God must glorify God. “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ¹³ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of robbers.’” (Matthew 21:12-13). Temple dealings were normal practice at the time. During the Passover festival or other major celebrations, Israelites in the diaspora came from all parts of the world to perform sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem. Most of these travellers could not carry along animals throughout the long journey. For this reason, money changers and people who traded in animals were available at the Temple courts to help worshippers who had travelled from far away to easily exchange their foreign currencies and buy the animals required for sacrifice in the Temple. The challenge was that travellers were being cheated by the money changers and the prices of the animals were inflated. This development made some travellers especially the poor ones more vulnerable. These corrupt practices were going on at the Temple court but the Chief priest and his cohorts condoned it. They might have condoned it because these money changers and traders also paid some tax to them. The temple dealings infuriated Jesus because evil, corruption and robbery were ongoing in and around the House of God. It was for this reason “He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ¹³ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Matthew 21:12-13). John’s account gives us more detail when he wrote that “When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:13-16)

Dear friend, our dealings in the House of God must glorify God. There is nothing wrong with selling items in the house of God, so long as those items or funds realised out of the sale of the items will be used for the furtherance of God’s mission or work. We must, however, condemn the situation where some so-called men and women of God would sell anointing oil, handkerchieves, water and other items at exorbitant or inflated prices to desperate, ignorant and vulnerable people looking for solutions to their problems in the house of God. Today, many people are being extorted in the House of God through fake teachings and fraudulent church dealings. We are being called upon to follow the example of Jesus in exposing fraudulent or corrupt temple dealings and extortion in our Churches. We are to ensure that God’s name is glorified in His temple through integrity and just dealings with one another. We must properly account for all temple dealings and the money used for its rightful purpose in the church. The Temple or the House of God must not be used to impoverish people or to extort people. The house of God must remain a place of fellowship, and worship.

In summary, the theme for our reflection is “Temple dealings” We have discovered that our main dealings in the Temple or house of God must glorify God. It is for this reason, we must expose any form of corruption and fraudulent deals in the house of God. Shalom.

PRAYER
Holy Spirit, strengthen us to glorify God with our lives and to eschew all forms of dealing that do not glorify God in our Temples. Amen.