Praise Rather than Pout

The story of Jesus kicking out the merchants and knocking over tables in the temple fascinated me as a kid. As best I could I pictured the mess he made. I thought Jesus must have been quite the character to do that! I guess that because I got caught up in the action of cleansing the temple I missed what followed--the healing of the blind and lame who came to Jesus in the temple (Matthew 21:14). And I certainly did not make the connection between the two that Matthew wants us to make.Matthew wants us to see that genuine healing requires a deep cleansing. If we are going to 'see and walk' in the light of Christ then we must do the preparatory work of making our 'temple' one of prayer. We must have the posture of soul that is intentionally aware of the presence of Christ. As we surrender our ways of doing life, preparing our souls for the kingdom age dawning on Easter morning we experience the healing work of Christ.Passion week shows us that God is FOR us in Christ. A humble heart is met with his glorious transforming power. His transforming presence in us brings transformation to others. As a result, anyone with a sensitive soul like the little children will respond in praise for what God is doing in us through the same Spirit who empowered Jesus (Matthew 21:15). Those with a hard heart will pout like the indignant religious leaders did. But the fear of how some (even some religious leaders) may respond should not deter us from the joy of a life purified and empowered by Christ.To what extent we can let go of our religious activity and embrace the presence of Christ?