"And the Passover, A Feast of the Jews, was Nigh" (continued)
The very first mention of the Passover in the Gospel of John (John 2:13-22) confirms this for us; for we are told that Jesus "found" in the temple "those" that were making His Father's House "an house of merchandise." And when He had made a scourge [plaited a whip] of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; and then He singled out those who sold doves, and He did this because the doves were supposed to be provided for the poor, either freely given or sold at a very low price. The Lord's own mother could not afford a lamb as an offering for her purification when they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (Luke 2:22-24; Lev. 12:8). And [He] said unto them that sold doves, "Take these things hence; make not [stop making] My Father's House an House of merchandise."
By singling out those who sold doves, the Lord Jesus was gravely saying that the merchandising in the temple had reached the peak of corruption, the cup of iniquity was full. The seriousness of this merchandising, and of all the merchandising amongst God's people, whether it was in the temple in Jerusalem, or as it is today in most of that which is called Christianity, can be understood only if we trace it back to its root. And that is because the root of merchandising is found in the evil heart of satan himself.
In the Word of God, when the word "merchandise" is used in an evil sense, as our Lord used it in John 2:17, it means to make gain of, to cheat, to use deceitful means and ways, it means unfair and unjust practices. In both the Old and New Testaments, these veil practices are usually taking place amongst God's people, and most of the time the religious leaders instigated these greedy practices. In 2 Peter 2:3, we find a clear and concise explanation of the word "merchandise," and of how it operates in and through the hearts of men. "...And in their greed, [in their covetousness] they will exploit you [will make merchandise of you] with false words..." This is saying that in he sphere of covetousness, in the sphere of a greedy desire to have more for self, whether it is in the material or spiritual realm, "they" - the false teachers and false religious leaders of each and every age - will, with molded and fabricated false words, make merchandise of you. Second Peter 2:14 tells us that this sphere of covetousness, this sphere of a greedy desire to have more for self, is a heart condition: "having a heart having been exercised of (in) covetousness" (2 Peter 2:14).
Thus we are led right into the satanic realm. If we look for the origin of this covetousness, the gain for self merchandising spirit that corrupts the heart of man, we will find it in the devilish heart of satan himself. We will find it in Ezekiel 28:11-19 where the prophetic Word of God reaches into the unseen realm of darkness and describes satan's heart as being iniquitous, prideful, full of corrupt wisdom and merchandising: "thou (anointed cherub) .... thou was perfect (spotless) in thy ways ... till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they (thine iniquities) have filled thee with violence, and thou hast sinned ... by the abundance of your trade, your merchandising, you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned, therefore I have cast you out as profane." Second Peter two and Revelation eighteen reveals satan's profane goal in merchandising; HE WAS AND IS MAKING MERCHANDISE OF AND IN THE SOULS OF MEN.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 13)
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