Holy Week II - Cleansing

In 1st Corinthians 6, Paul writes about our bodies being the temple of the Holy Spirit and the implications of that:
19Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

One of the key events during Holy Week that we find in Scripture is the cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem.  Jesus was concerned that what was associated with Him did not accurately represent Him, so He went in and turned out those who were buying and selling there.  We have been bought by His blood, we belong to Him, we have been adopted into His family and called by His name - and He desires for us to accurately represent Him.  That involves His inward work of transformation in our hearts by His Spirit, so that we may develop the inward character and outward countenance of the Lord Most High.

This week, we travel with Jesus through some of the events of Holy Week - on the day following that triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He went into the temple, and we pick up the narrative in Matthew 21:
12Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.13And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "
In Fort Wayne, Indiana, there is a project underway to convert a former ice arena into a community center. According to the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, this $1.9 million project is transforming the McMillen Ice Arena into a community center hosting basketball, an indoor track and other activities for young and old alike. The huge spaces that once held sheets of ice will be home to multipurpose rooms that can house basketball courts and artificial turf for indoor soccer.

The entire project is estimated to cost about $4.5 million.

However, recently the project hit a snag...it is reported that a squirrel got into the electrical system at the freshly renovated complex, causing a massive power surge that fried the three new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and damaged some parts of the boiler system, causing about $300,000 worth of damage to the new center, which is set to open June 7. The manufacturer will be rushing to deliver new systems to replace the ones that were damaged.

What an odd, but instructive story for all of us - I would dare say that out of plain sight, an agent entered the building and caused significant damage.  It's a reminder that if we allow destructive thoughts to enter in and reside in our minds, the result could be catastrophic to our spiritual lives.  If we tolerate sinful behavior, we live in a state that is less than what God desires, and could have serious implications for us.

From the story of Jesus cleansing the temple, we recognize His desire for cleansing, to preserve holiness and reverence in what is associated with Him.  This is a very visible example, but He also taught about the cleansing of the heart during that Holy Week - in Matthew 23, He told the religious leaders:
25Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.26Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.27Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.28Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Early in Holy Week, Jesus went into the temple and drove out those who were doing business there.  Later, He taught about cleaning the inside of a person, purging the heart of those desires that are not pleasing to Him.  
I think the message is clear for us - Jesus wants to work in our hearts, in the temple of the Holy Spirit, and bring about transformation.  Just as the temple in Jerusalem was built to honor God, so He has laid claim to our bodies and our spirits - we belong to Him, and He wants to do an inward work in order to bring glory to His name.   
We have to guard against those "agents" that will enter in and do spiritual damage. Proverbs 4 reminds us to guard our hearts.   And, we rely on the identifying power of the Holy Spirit to pinpoint sin in our lives so that strongholds are not erected that will damage us spiritually, and we release the cleansing agents of God's Word and His Spirit to do the necessary work.