FoundationsSample

Today starts our look at Holy Week. This is the week the church remembers the crucifixion of Jesus--and celebrates his conquering of sin and death. If there is hope in a Christian's life, this week is why we can have that hope.

Yesterday, in the story of Jesus, he entered the city of Jerusalem. This was the city where so many of the promises of God were supposed to happen. One of those promises was that the Messiah would start his kingdom there. But Jesus wasn't the Messiah most people were expecting. So, when he came into Jerusalem with some shouting, "Hosanna!" he caused a big stir. That kind of entrance was saved for the Messiah, and this guy wasn't it.

But Jesus doubled down. With everyone buzzing around him, he walked right into the temple and began throwing out the salespeople who were using the house of God to rip off their brothers and sisters. Consider when you go to a sports game and pay $17 for a pretzel--that's what these people were doing. But it wasn't a sports game - it was access to God they were ripping people off for.

So, Jesus, who would soon die to give us access to God again, cleaned the place out.

Think it Over: What do you think Jesus would clean out today in our churches?