John 2:13-22

Jesus, who is Truth Himself, yearns to sanctify our hearts of all that is impure.

"Because zeal for your house consumes me, I am scorned by those who scorn you." (1)

The Marketplace

The Temple was a marketplace,
Where offerings were bought and sold;
His Father's house, a fount of grace,
Desecrated by hearts grown cold.

He fashioned a whip out of cord,
And drove out all that was profane;
His zeal for the House of the Lord -
Just outrage they could not restrain.

The Temple priests confronted Him,
Demanding a sign for this act;
With hearts so hard and faith so dim,
Even His rising wouldn't exact.

At times, hearts are a marketplace,
Where loyalties are bought and sold;
Yet with the strength of Mercy's grace,
He reclaims hearts that have grown cold.

The heart's idols face a just purge,
That God's true child may emerge.


May the Master of the house of our hearts be vigilant to keep our hearts pure and loyal to His presence.

1. Psalm 69:10


(c) Paul Buis, 2005