Love for My Father House

Di noise of table wey fall hit stone. Coins dey spin and roll for ground. Sheep dey scatter, cows dey make noise, doves dey flap for inside dem cage. And one voice, clear pass all di noise. Carry dese things comot from here!

Na Passover, and Jesus don come up to Jerusalem with di crowds of pilgrims. John tell dis story near di beginning of di work of Jesus. Matthew, Mark and Luke describe how e clear di temple for im last week, and Christians don dey discuss for long time whether na one event or two. Anyhow e be, di scene na di same. Jesus waka enter di temple, di house where God people dey come pray and worship. But di big outside yard sound like market. Traders dey sell cows, sheep and doves for di sacrifices. Money changers sit for dem tables, dey change coins.

Jesus take some ropes and twist dem together make whip. Then e drive di sheep and di cows comot from di temple yard, and everybody wey dey sell dem go too, dem dey rush follow di animals inside di noise and dust. E waka go di tables of di money changers, pour dem coins for ground, and turn di tables upside down. To di people wey dey sell doves e talk, Carry dese things comot! Stop to turn my Father house to house of buying and selling!

Im disciples dey look too. Maybe some of dem shock. But John tell us say one verse from di Psalms come dem mind, words wey one person wey love God house write long time before. Di zeal for your house go consume me. Zeal mean love wey dey burn like fire. Jesus care about im Father house so deep wey e no fit just stand dey look while dem turn am to market. E call God my Father. No be only our God, or di God of Israel. My Father. And dis na im Father house.

Di temple leaders rush come. Dem want know which right e get to do dis. Which sign you fit show us, dem demand, to prove say you get authority? Jesus give dem answer wey dem no expect. Destroy dis temple, and for three days I go raise am up. Dem look am. Dem don dey build dis temple for forty-six years, dem talk, and you go raise am up for three days? Dem look up at di big stone walls, and dem think say e dey talk wetin no make sense.

But John show us di secret. Jesus no dey talk about di stone building. E dey talk about di temple of im body. Nobody understand am dat time, not even im disciples. Na only long time after, when God don raise Jesus from death, dem remember wetin e talk dat day. And John say na dat time dem believe di Scripture and di words wey Jesus talk. Sometimes, di meaning of wetin Jesus talk dey only clear after.

Dat forty-six years na true. Di temple for di time of Jesus, na King Herod di Great rebuild am and make am bigger. Di historian Josephus, wey write for di first century, say Herod start di work for di eighteenth year of im reign, around twenty or nineteen years before Christ. Count forty-six years forward and you go land for di late twenties after Christ, di same time wey Jesus start im work. And di work never finish dat time. Di building continue for many more years. Di people wey dey sell animals dey there for reason too: di law allow pilgrims wey dey live far make dem buy wetin dem need for sacrifice when dem reach.

Love for my Father house. You go find am for John chapter two, verse thirteen to twenty-two. Jesus clear space so dat people go fit meet with God. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin dey crowd your life wey dey block your way to meet with God?