Cleaning Up | The Institute for Creation Research
Cleaning Up

“And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves" (Mark 11:15).

Housecleaning is a necessary part of housekeeping. It takes effort to preserve a place for its proper service; no one likes to live or work in a place that is dirty, run down, or filled with inappropriate clutter. Jesus was no different when it came to His Father’s house. In Mark 11:11, we read that Jesus came “into Jerusalem, and into the temple” to see the condition of things, and returned to Bethany with His twelve disciples to spend the night. The next day, He returned to the temple and, in short, He routed them out! Then He taught them why this should be: “Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves” (v.17), quoting from Jeremiah 7:11.

Sacrifices were a part of each Jew’s religious practice. But, instead of selecting an acceptable sheep from the flock or acquiring an acceptable bird to offer as a sacrifice as specified in the Mosaic law, it had become convenient to come empty handed and buy a token gift from the profiteering merchants there to offer to God. But God knew what was happening! “Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 7:11). “And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not, . . . and I will cast you out of my sight,” (vs.13,15).

Since we ourselves are the temple today, we need to clean house now and then. Get rid of the attitudes and behaviors that make our temples unfit as a place of prayer and communion with God. We bring all kinds of trash into the sanctity of our meeting place with God and expect to hear from Him, but “He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). KBC

The Latest
CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
Struck: Risking It All for the Truth | Creation.Live Podcast:...
In this unique episode, host Trey talks with three key people involved in creating Struck—an upcoming miniseries that shows the special ties between...

NEWS
Giant Ants Buried in Receding Flood Rocks
Evolutionary scientists are baffled by a large ant fossil found in British Columbia, Canada. Known as Titanomyrma, this same ant had been found previously...

CREATION PODCAST
Why Do Animals Hibernate? | The Creation Podcast: Episode 45
The word hibernation is often used in reference to deep sleep, but what is it really? What kinds of creatures hibernate? How does this demonstrate the...

NEWS
Thalattosuchians—Extinct Crocodile Relatives?
The Thalattosuchia are an extinct group of marine crocodylomorphs (a group that includes the crocodiles) that allegedly transitioned from land to water...

NEWS
The Star-Nosed Mole
The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a fascinating semi-aquatic mammal found in eastern Canada and the United States. Moles (placental mammals)...

NEWS
The Hexagon: An Indication of Order and Design in Nature
In nature, noncoincidental patterns and geometry exist everywhere. But the number six appears to overshadow nature’s mathematical landscape. Whether...

NEWS
Neanderthal Crab Bake
The evolutionary science community said it perfectly in their headlines: “Proof that Neanderthals ate crabs is another 'nail in the coffin'...

CREATION PODCAST
Is There Any Truth to Dragon Legends? | The Creation Podcast:...
Dragons are considered by many to be made-up creatures in fairytales and legends, but our ancestors produced many descriptions and depictions of "dragons,"...

NEWS
Our Sun, Finely Tuned for Life on Earth
Aside from appreciating the splendor of the sun during a beautiful sunrise or sunset, many rarely consider how special, necessary, and finely tuned...

NEWS
March 2023 ICR Wallpaper
"Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God, Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who...