The Scripture reading for today is John 2:13-22

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. ¹⁵ And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.”¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” ¹⁸ So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. ²² When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

The Confessions reading is the 6^th Commandment

You shall not commit adultery. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife honor and love each other.

Meditation: The temple had become a den of iniquity. The people of Israel had taken the pure temple, in which God dwelt, and made it into a place to make money and feed their greed. The people of Israel took a Godly thing and desecrated it with their sinful desires.

Do we not do the same today with our bodies. God has given us our eyes, ears, heart, hands, feet, and all our members. Our bodies are not wicked in and of themselves. Yes, we have been and are corrupted by sin, but this does not mean that God made our bodies wicked. God does not put lustful thoughts into our hearts, cause our eyes to look with lustful intent at those that are not our spouse, nor does he gives us wicked tongues and ears to do wicked things. No. Like the Israelites before us, we have corrupted the temple. We have taken our bodies that are temples of the Holy Spirit and made them dens of lust and sensual desires.

There is only one solution to this problem. Rather than justify our sins of the flesh by saying that it’s all biological, we should and must repent. Jesus’ mercy leads us to repentance so that we may be forgiven and our hearts created anew. Jesus comes, and like with the temple, He cleanses our bodies of all that is corrupt. He comes and kicks out all evil thoughts and fleshy desires. He comes and removes all things so that He may occupy our bodies alone. This He must and does do on a habitual basis. For every week we are forgiven of our sins in the Divine Service, and every week we go out and exchange the holy things of God for the sinful things of this world. Jesus then comes and throws out all things that condemn us so that He may occupy us alone and live in us without any other occupant. This He does so that we may know that we are forgiven, loved, and His beloved child forever.

Peace be with you. May the devil be silenced, the world be hushed, and the Old Adam be drowned anew so that you hear only the peaceful voice of your Savior Jesus who says, “I forgive you. I love you. I claim you as My own forever,” Amen

Jesus Sheepdog