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An armed masked man bursts into a bank yelling "EVERYBODY PUT YOUR HANDS UP, THIS IS A ROBBERY!"

 

  The patrons and staff are terrified and quickly comply.

He's loading up his sack with cash when his mask slips down some. He quickly pulls it back up and sees a guy who may have seen his face. He points his gun at him and growls, "Did you see my face?"

The fellow points immediately to an older woman standing a little behind him and says,"No, but I’m sure my mother in law over here did!"

   In today's Gospel story we have our Savior driving some thieves out of the temple.

Luke XIX 46: “It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

   

  This cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem by Christ, clearly was something that the Jewish religious leaders there could not tolerate. 

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  After this they would look for ways to find something, indeed anything, that they could use against Jesus to destroy him.

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   Of course down through the centuries many people have tried to profit from religion. 

   

   It wasn't even a recent development in our Lord's time.

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   What does our Savior's reaction to this evil in today's lesson tell us?

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  What should we remember from it?

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  Why would Jesus, who would offer himself, meekly without a struggle a brief while after this to the passion and death on the cross, physically drive these sellers and money changers out of the temple?

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   Why such a strong reaction to these people who would say that they were just there trying to make a living?

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   The damage that these individuals were doing, (as well as those who use the Christian religion today for monetary gain), is that they were, (and are), keeping others from God by their actions in really two ways.

   First they are cheating God by taking money that could and should be used for the spread of God's kingdom.

   Money that could be used to show God's love toward lost mankind, is instead diverted to selfish uses.

   Some therefore, never get the Gospel message that His Church could reach them with, if that money were not lost to it.

   The second, (and perhaps the even greater evil), is that many outside the Church see this as the only real purpose of organized religion. 

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  The enemies of Christianity use this as a reason for others to not even give the Church's message a fair hearing.

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   For both of these reasons we need to remember Christ's actions and words in today's Gospel story.

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  We as Christians should always be on guard against corruption within His Church.

 

  We need to do whatever we can to make sure that all of the Church's resources aren’t stolen, or wasted, but all go toward bringing others to the saving love of Christ. 

 

  So that those without hope, will hear of God’s great love, and and through faith in Christ, become inheritors of heaven.

Let us pray

ALMIGHTY God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess; Grant us grace that we may honour thee with our substance, and remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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