God, the invader of his own territory

Suddenly the temple, that sacred, orderly, space, the apex of religious worship and the pinnacle of religious power was in turmoil. Jesus, the so called gentle Jesus, was creating chaos. acting alone, disregarding the dismay of his companions, the outrage of the priests and the bewilderment of frightened pilgrims he began to empty out the merchandise of religion. Tables full of money were up-turned so that their contents mixed and spilled on the ground. Tethered animals, waiting to be sacrificed were untied, and their tether cords turned into a whip with which to drive them through the crowded temple into the street. Why did no one stop him? We know there were temple guards, where were they? What about the priests, were they reluctant to contaminate their ceremonial robes? What about the merchants of religious commodities, surely they were not helpless against this one man.

When it was over, Jesus thundered out his explanation: It is written: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of thieves."

"A house of prayer for all nations." What a dream! Religion is an easy tool with which to separate nations. Religion is used to incite people to kill in the name of God. Religion blindly practiced makes leaders so blind that they lead their followers into evil. The preachers of religion delight in making laws about the way the Almighty must be served, thus producing a harvest of guilt where God intended righteousness. Freedom is not a holy word to religious leaders; freedom is thought to be an enemy which will change the security of tradition. Some religious leaders even, storefront preachers, demand unquestioning obedience to their own interpretation of the will of God bringing man down to the level of herded animals.

Standing up in the middle of the temple mess, Jesus, the itinerant preacher. dares to remember God's dream and identifies God's hope. The temple shall be a house of prayer for all nations.

So it shall come to happen. Because God said it would be so. All nations shall be united by the praise of Allah rather than killed by the anger of the prophets. All nations shall be united by desiring the simple basic laws of Moses and Jesus, and there will be no more need of religious lawyers to help us evade laws or condemn the forgiven. All nations will be united in the equity of the rule of God and will no longer satisfy their wants at the expense of others. Peace the dream of God will happen, but all the efforts of the religious will not be able to place God on the throne. He will do that himself, when he is ready.

The temple that Jesus purified, only lasted for 30 or 40 years after his death; not even the ruins remain. Now each man's heart is a temple for God, if he is given entrance. When God has no entrance the Spirit of God continuously whispers around the hearts of humanity. And repeatedly Jesus must clean out the extremities and lies of every man's religion. He enters, often invited, but sometimes unexpectedly to expose mixed motives, discover deceits and unmask cowardice. Since he has done it in the temple of our hearts we are not afraid, but very uncomfortable, when he does it in the gatherings of our various religious groups. Whether we can stand upheaval or be ruined by it, God continues to save his worship by changing it's patterns, opening eyes gone blind and identifying self-indulgence. God has a dream.

One day all nations will agree, one day we will not be worried about how to portray what we inwardly perceive. The laws of God will have become as pleasant as the laws of breathing and eating. Until that time let the religious not shrink from God's correction. Let them not obstruct the visitation of the itinerant preacher when he disrupts whatever has become corrupt. Knowing that God is merciful, let us not fear the anger of God the destroyer of evil.