Reading your Bible for today December 2

December 2: Luke 19:41-48

KJV Key Verse: Luke 19:46
46 Saying unto them, It is written,My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Devotion:
Some ten years ago I saw these verses in a new light, so I have decided to bring that same light to you today once again. Previously, I have looked at these verses and wondered at how upset Christ must have been to see so many people turned towards sinful lives and putting His Word aside. I have wondered at Christ’s feelings and spent many a time wondering how I would have felt if everyone that I knew turned against me (I know it was not everyone for Christ, but I don’t know that many people!). But, when we look at this in a slightly different way, we see a passage of ultimate compassion.

What would you have done if you saw a place which was designed for praising God being turned into a den of iniquity where people were doing everything but being truthful, doing everything to anyone and leaving God out of everything they did? Would you have cast everyone out and locked up the place to make sure they could not get back in? What did Christ do? He threw them out and then started preaching. He rebuked them for what they were doing wrong and then started to try and build them up in the truth again. He did not punish them, throw them in jail or exclude them permanently; He stopped them doing wrong and taught them what was right.

How could anyone looking upon Jesus and seeing His reaction to what was about to happen, not believe Him when He showed them compassion – even in the sight of what they were about to do to Him! How can we then make rules and regulations that would condemn people rather than teaching them the truth? When we know God’s truth, we know what lies ahead for those who reject Him. We must not condemn people but try to let them see His truth so that they too can avoid what would ordinarily lie ahead of them too. Christ wept because of the pain and suffering He saw for the people in front of Him and not for any pain or suffering He knew He was about to face. We need to allow the Holy Spirit into our daily lives to help and guide us away from our sins so we too can have our hearts cleansed, so we too can follow the path of peace.

Points to Ponder:
What happens to others when you get angry?

Do you deserve Christ’s compassion?