My house shall be called the house of prayer

Matthew: 21:12-14 ‘’ And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said to them, it is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.’’

BRETHREN, the house of God is a place of worship. It is a place designed for the purpose of service, meeting, and prayer to God. However, in some places today, many people have converted the house of God to their personal/pecuniary interest. They turn the house of God into a place for their individual, or group interest. They come to the house of God to do all sorts of personal and business transactions. They engage in all sorts of marketing strategies, and in the process, they relegate God to the background.

This was the situation that prompted our Lord Jesus Christ to move into one of the places, and chastised, rebuked and chased away the merchants, and restored the house to its original use of prayers, leading to the healing of the blind and the lame.

It is dangerous and unrighteousness to convert the house of God for merchandise. Among the dangers is that, it causes unpleasant pollution, and hinders the movement of the spirit, and power of God. This was the main reason Christ had to chase away the merchants before healing the blind, and the lame, who came to Him in the house. Apparently, those who were buying, and selling (the merchants) in the house constituted a huge distraction to Him. More dangerous is the fact that the lame and the blind, who benefitted, as they were healed, would have lost out, as a result of the activities of these merchants.

In the same vein, those who are buying and selling, (merchandising) in the house of God in the present day, should realise the danger, and consequences of their actions. They should realise that their activities, and actions are hindering the smooth flow of the spirit, and power of God. Among other things, they are also hindering, and making it difficult for those who genuinely desire, seek the power, and touch of God in their lives and situations. They are hindering sinners, who are seeking salvation. They are hindering the sick, who are desirous of healing. They are hindering the poor, who are seeking the touch of God to make them rich.

These merchants in the house of God are also in great danger themselves. As a result of their activities, they rarely have time to concentrate on the word of God, which they take for granted. The result is that the word of God has little, or no impact on them.

Consequently, they can lie; they can steal, and engage in other kinds of sinful conduct and consequently backslide. [Mathew 13: 1-9]. The parable of the sower. Mathew 13:18-23 “Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not then cometh the wicked one, and catchet away that which was sown in his heart. This is he, which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it. Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Jesus used the parable of the sower to illustrate, and explain the case of the buyers, and sellers in the house of God.