A Place in the House of the Lord by Andrew Riley
“I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
Psalm 122:1
It may surprise some of you to hear that I was quite a rambunctious kid. I did actually like going to church, but, for many of us, it was common to hear adults nagging us kids to “stop running,” or “be quiet.” These adults believed that “the house of the LORD” should be treated with their idea of reverence. Their idea of a holy space was freedom from loud noises. But what is it that really defiles God’s house? And what makes it a place worthy of rejoicing?
We can recall Jesus’s passion for the Father’s house when he cleared out the temple before Passover. The common interpretation says Jesus was really angry at the greedy people taking advantage of the pilgrims, but there is a subtle hint of something more significant happening here.
The temple complex of this time was split into several sections. Only ritually clean Jewish men could go into the Court of Israel, where the sacrifices happened. Jewish women and children had to remain in the Court of Women. Everyone else had to stay in the Court of the Nations (Gentiles). Just to be clear, God never commanded Israel to build the temple with these divisions to exclude others; it was someone else’s idea. Jewish families would walk into the Court of the Nations, buy their approved festival animals, without spot or blemish, and take them inside to be sacrificed.
The result was that God-fearing Gentiles no longer had a place in the temple for their worship. They were excluded. They had first been pushed out by walls, and were now further displaced by greed. Jesus boldly quoted Isaiah, “My House shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” God’s plan all along was total inclusion, which is really something to celebrate.