John 2:23-25

Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart. Whether we like it or not, the world knows a great deal about us. Organisations go to extraordinary lengths to store information about every aspect of our lives so they can lure us into buying their products and using their services. However, although it might not feel like it at times, there are limits to what they know. They can’t see into the deeper recesses of our minds, but there is one who can. In these verses, John reveals that Jesus knew all about the people of his time. Some were responding to his message because of the miraculous things he was doing, but Jesus knew that for many of them, this was a superficial response which would soon evaporate. He understood human nature completely and knew every person’s heart. When we first hear that Jesus knows everything about us, we might feel concerned and even anxious. We would like to think we have some privacy, and that we’re able to hang on to at least a few secrets, but it cannot be done. However, when we come to realise that Jesus only has love for us and will only ever use the information that he has for loving purposes, we can start to relax. His knowledge of us is nothing like our knowledge of ourselves. We only understand a very limited amount about ourselves, but he knows the whole story. When we put our lives in Jesus’ hands, we are putting them in the most secure and loved place possible.

Question How do you respond to the fact that Jesus knows absolutely everything about you and, at the same time, loves you perfectly?

Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you know me and love me completely. I gladly place my life in your hands. Amen

John 2:15-16

Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” The Gospels generally present Jesus as a calm, compassionate and peaceful person. This account of him clearing the temple forecourts of traders seems to stand in marked contrast. Jesus was clearly angered by what he saw and determined that it should stop. He longed for his Father’s house to be a focus of prayer and worship, yet all he could hear was the noise of sheep, cattle, money and shouting traders. It could be argued that the money changers and the sellers of sacrificial animals were all making a contribution to the people’s worship, but the way they were doing it totally obscured the purpose of the temple. Jesus may not have actually used the whip he made, but the act of making it shows us how determined he was to clear the temple. His anger came from knowing nothing was more important than worshipping God, and the traders were making that impossible. He had to take action, and he did so in an extremely dramatic way. There are times when it is absolutely right for us to be angry. When we see people being abused or discriminated against, we should be angry. It would be sinful for us to look at abuse or discrimination and to accept it. However, unlike Jesus, we are not sinless, so we need to make sure that we never allow our anger to lead us into sin. The apostle Paul was very familiar with anger, and he wrote to the Ephesians: “Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27). We will all have times of feeling steamed up about an issue, and Paul’s advice is important. We need always to make sure that, if we are angry, we are letting God control us, not the anger.

Question

Prayer Lord God, help us live so close to you that our times of anger will not be destructive but a blessing. Amen