”And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.” Luke 19:45-48
Station 2
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, he found that the temple was more of a marketplace than a place of worship. Jesus didn’t want any barriers for people to come and worship God, so, in one of the most dramatic events in Jesus’s life, he flipped the tables outside the temple to wake everyone up. Throughout Jesus’ ministry and now as he prepared for his death, Jesus saw injustice, called it out, and turned the tables.
Our society today is different than Jesus’s, but we still experience similar barriers and injustices. Racism, hatred, and bigotry persist in our world. Instead of drawing the circle wide we create insiders and outsiders.
This large tree is called the “Wise Old Oak.” As you sit beneath it or around it, imagine yourself in a similar position to what Jesus would have seen in the marketplace.
Where have you seen unjust barriers in the world today?
How is Jesus inviting you into the work of justice?
Visualize this and spend time praying and asking the Holy Spirit to guide your life.
Continue on the paved path toward the Giving Garden for station three.