Do you hate it when someone comes into your territory with the urge to clean up and throw away things that you consider valuable?

This is the time of the year when some spring cleaners get the urge. Jesus had a heavy urge as he headed to the Temple and wasted no time when he arrived. He went into the complex and dispatched those who bought and sold. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers, and the chairs of those who sold doves. (Mat. 21) To put in southern terms, “He cleaned house.”

Immediately, he put the Temple to another use. No, he didn’t start a worship service. He opened a healing center. In moments, Jesus was healing the blind and the lame.

Christ was fresh from his “triumphal entry,” where he was cheered by the throng as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. He was soon headed for the cross. Yet he took time to pause and clean his Father’s house of common clutter and open up a healing ministry for those in need.

We are running headlong into Passover and Easter. At our last Andalusia Ministerial Association meeting, we went over plans for the community sunrise service held each year on a hill in the Andalusia Memorial Cemetery. There are already some mothers who are keeping their eyes out for just the right outfits for their children for Easter Sunday.

Christ’s crucifixion was imminent when he took time to clean house. Are you inclined to take time and invite him to clean yours? “Yes Lord, but don’t touch my treasures. There are some parts I don’t want to part with. Come on in and get on with it. But mind you I insist on reserving veto power. Nothing will go until I say so.”

We might note that even the powerful Jewish religious leaders had no say as to where Jesus went and what he threw out of the Temple. Even the bankers had to go with the lambs.

What right do we have to dictate methods and results to our Creator? We are talking serious business when we turn the King of Kings loose to clean God’s temple of our body.

Some areas of my life that could benefit from the Creator’s cleaning are poor priorities, worldly clutter, self-sufficiency and selfishness. Those are not the only ones. How about you? Do pride, keeping up with my friends and neighbors, living life through my children, failure to trust God with my tithe and time, or not using the gifts He has given me in his Kingdom’s service start you to thinking? Just invite the Holy Spirit in and he will talk with you about what is clutter as he helps you throw it out. It is reassuring to note that Jesus went straight from cleaning to healing without missing a beat. I believe that God already has some great ideas about how to put our newly cleaned interiors to excellent use.

Clyde Northrop