One More Time, Moneychangers Continued

THIS IS THE SHORE OF

SEA OF GALILEE. THE SEA IN

AND AROUND

WHICH JESUS SAVED

AND HEALED..

.VIEWING

THIS WONDERFUL

PLACE FIRST HAND

MADE US REALIZE EVEN

MORE THE WILLINGNESS

OF JESUS TO FORGIVE.

I must say that there are times when I think all the effort and study I am putting into this blogging about moneychangers in the church is fruitless. Perhaps most of it is for my own mind settling. I know that this will not be wide read not appreciated by many. The more I read the Bible and understand Jesus' attitude toward such shenanigans in the church the more I want to depict the moneychangers for what they are. Jesus cast them out. Is it not mind boggling that now moneychangers are casting folks out of the house of God. My main hope is that in all this writing I can be of some comfort to those "sinners" out there who have been exploited by such "perfect" people and that sinners will see that there is truly forgiveness and reconciliation and freedom in Jesus Christ despite what the moneychangers may say and do.

So I move on. There are those who might read this and say, given what they perceive me to be, that I am audacious to ever write about sin and forgiveness. Let me clear one thing up for you right here. I am unworthy; I see myself that way. I am sinful; I see myself that way. I am not the judge of anyone; I see myself that way. God is the judge. If one is a moneychanger in His house, who attempts to exploit God's people by refusing God's forgiveness to them, God knows. My hope is that if you are doing this then you too will put yourself in the same category as all other men and seek God's forgiveness for yourself.

Luke 15 gives us another example of how God views sinners. This, if you remember, is a story told by Jesus himself. This sinful person about whom the story was told we have termed "The Prodigal Son." This person got his inheritance prematurely from his father; he journeyed into a far county; he wasted his possessions in riotous living; a famine came; he fed swine and would have eaten with them. He came to himself. He went back to his father to confess his sins. What was God's attitude toward this repentant prodigal? The charlatan has been known to gossip about him and turn from him so he would suffer his "just due." But what was the father's attitude? When the boy was visible "...the father saw him and had compassion..." (Luke 15:20) While he was a long way off the father ran to him "...fell on his neck, and kissed him..." (Luke 15:20) According to some charlatans of our day he should have gone into a self-righteous tirade about how much the boy had hurt him, the family, the church, the neighborhood, and the nation. But he did not. And the attitude of heaven Jesus said is this "...there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents..." (Luke 15:10)