Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words. (Lk 19:45-48)
It has always amazed me that there would be people who rejected the Lord in His day. How could they possibly reject Him when they saw His mighty deeds, when they heard His powerful words, when they saw so many people radically change their lives from bad to good?
Jesus was zealous, yes. There were times that He could become a bit gruff in His words and actions. He condemned people’s actions when it was necessary to do so. He did not seem to care whether people would think ill of Him or not. He was always about His Father’s will.
All of that should have brought the people around to His side.
However, there were some people who were so steeped in sin that they would not come around. Jesus’ words were offensive to them. Jesus’ challenge was threatening. They were bound and determined to rid themselves of the Lord rather than follow what He had to say.
Today’s gospel gives us reason to ask ourselves how we view the Lord. Is He a distraction to us? A hindrance? A threat? If any of us perceive Him that way, we are the ones who need to change — before it is too late.
If we know others who have taken a wrong turn on the road to the Kingdom, we ask God to give us the grace and courage that we need to extend the Lord’s challenge of repentance to them so that they can change their lives.
FAITH ACTION: Pray for all those who are “on the fence” in terms of accepting or rejecting Jesus, that they may make the right choice.