It Is Written

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Well, after Jesus enters Jerusalem the week before he's gonna die, he soon after goes to the temple, and we'll read this from Luke chapter 19. Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who are 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. So Jesus comes into Jerusalem. There's a lot of hype and attention and many people are expecting that he's going to

declare himself and be declared king. And they're preparing for this. And that's part of why when he comes up to Jerusalem, they're saying, Hosanna, Hosanna, while he's riding on a donkey, they're waving palm branches and putting down their coats on the donkey and in front of the donkey. Now, all of these had to do with kingship in the history of the Jews. And so,

many people's expectations were very high. So it's very interesting that instead of coming in and declaring himself king, and then maybe eventually kicking out the Romans, that he goes into the temple and he criticizes the Jews.

And as he's clearing out those who are selling things, the money changers and those selling pigeon and other things, oxen and other things for the sacrifices, as he's kicking them out of the temple, he's saying to them, it is written. My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. How often does Jesus begin with the words, it is written?

When Jesus says this, he's referring to what is written in scripture. For Jesus, this was the scripture of the Jews, the Old Testament, as we would call it. He speaks of scripture throughout his ministry. He knows it by heart. He refers to it on countless occasions.

Saint Paul says that all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training and righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

So it's good for our knowledge. It's good for our argumentation or our correction of others. It's good for our moral life that it would help train us in righteousness. It's good for our whole life, says Saint Paul and the Holy Spirit through Saint Paul. It's good for a whole life that we would be competent in the Christian life, in life, that we would be equipped for every good work.

Jesus knows Scripture. Do we? Reading the Gospels is an excellent practice. Let's each consider a passage that's attracted us in our previous readings or in our previous prayer. Now, let's consider this passage today.

After our time and prayer, let's try to memorize a very short piece from this passage.