Mathew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, andcast outall them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Every time I have seen a picture or video representing this scene it is shows Jesus as very upset! This was no joking matter, it was a big deal! The temple is a place of utmost respect for those things of eternal importance. It’s a place to communicate with the Lord and to receive ordinances and blessings. Jesus was upset because the people had turned the temple into an everyday, ordinary marketplace. The selling and buying of goods was distracting and overshadowing the purpose of the temple. The commotion was over powering the quiet, still, small voice of the Holy Ghost.
The Lord has instilled every guideline possible to help us keep the temples sacred and removed from the world. So that we have a safe, quiet place to do the most precious work of the Lord, as well as to have a place of refuge from the constant movement of life. This is important and necessary, as we will find blessings beyond our comprehension if we will utilize the temple.
“Today our Savior desires that what we do and who we are becoming will invite others to come, follow Him. Come find love, healing, connection, and covenant belonging in Him, including in God’s holy temple, where sacred ordinances of salvation can bless all family members, thus gathering Israel on both sides of the veil.” -Gerrit W. Gong
The Lord has also asked us to make our homes a temple as well as to treat our bodies like temples. This is what I want to focus on today.
“The last principle we need to stand and defend is the sanctity of the home. We need to take a term which is sometimes spoken of with derision and elevate it. It is the term homemaker. All of us—women, men, youth, and children, single or married—can work at being homemakers. We should “make our homes” places of order, refuge, holiness, and safety. Our homes should be places where the Spirit of the Lord is felt in rich abundance and where the scriptures and the gospel are studied, taught, and lived. What a difference it would make in the world if all people would see themselves as makers of righteous homes. Let us defend the home as a place which is second only to the temple in holiness.” -Bonnie L. Oscarson
It’s interesting that he casts out all that were buying and selling goods in the temple, yet he called them “thieves”. A thief is someone who steals without using force or violence. However, buying and selling is not considered “stealing”, that’s actually how the cycle of business works. So what were these consumers and merchants stealing? They were robbing themselves of a temple; The House of The Lord. If you invite the world to enter within the temple, it is no longer a temple, just a beautiful building. Those business transactions replace the importance of the saving ordinances and the external blessing that can only come through temple work.
What in our homes is stopping us from creating a safe haven, a place where the spirit of the Lord can dwell, giving us a place of protection from the endless opposing forces? What in our homes are distracting us from the greater purposes? As we examine our homes, imagine Christ himself coming and staying for a week, what would he observe? Better yet, imagine Christ observing unknown. What would he throw out? If we think about what we are protecting, our children, it makes the effort completely worth it. I believe it is a constant, never-ending ordeal to carefully declutter and clean up our lives. Our homes can be a temple, a place that is safe from all the distractions. This can be a full family goal; to achieve a “House of the Lord” at home.
“Make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth. Growth happens best in a “house of order,” and women should pattern their homes after the Lord’s house.” -Julie B. Beck
What about our bodies? How can we keep them free from the worldliness? This is an individual matter, but one that will result in great blessings. We have the word of wisdom which gives fantastic guidelines to keeping our bodies healthy and strong. However, the Lord wants us to be able to think for ourselves, he can’t tell us every drink we shouldn’t drink and every movie we shouldn’t watch. Whether it’s not eating late at night, using cleaner language, or improving our reading material, we have to make these decisions for ourselves. The bottom line is we need to beware of the “thieves” in our own lives and cast them out so that our bodies can be a place where the Lord can dwell.
“We must be constantly alert to their evil presence in our homes and destroy them as we would the germs and filth of disease. We must hunt them from the closets of our minds, freeing ourselves of such worldliness, quenching the embers of wickedness before they become destructive flames.” -Spencer W. Kimball
One key point to helping us make these changes is prayer. The Lord tells that the temple is to be a house of prayer. Prayer is our communication line to the Lord. It is the way we receive revelation and express our desires for more. As we pray fervently, constantly, and sincerely, then respond with exactness, our homes and bodies will be transformed into temples where the thieves are not allowed.
“No doubt most of our youth have their evening prayers, but perhaps many of them struggle with the habit of personal morning prayer. As parents, as their prime gospel teachers, we can correct this. Which parent in Book of Mormon times would have let their sons march out to the front of battle without a breastplate and shield and sword to protect them against the potentially mortal blows of the enemy? But how many of us let our children march out the front door each morning to the most dangerous of all battlefields, to face Satan and his myriad of temptations, without their spiritual breastplate and shield and sword that come from the protective power of prayer? The Lord said, “Pray always, … that you may conquer Satan” (D&C 10:5). As parents, we can help instill within our children the habit and power of morning prayer.” -Tad R. Callister
-Sherri Jorgensen
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