February 26th, 2023

Day 5
Sunday, February 26
John 2:13-25
13 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 He found in the temple those who were selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as those involved in exchanging currency sitting there. 15 He made a whip from ropes and chased them all out of the temple, including the cattle and the sheep. He scattered the coins and overturned the tables of those who exchanged currency. 16 He said to the dove sellers, “Get these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written, Passion for your house consumes me.[a]
18 Then the Jewish leaders asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? What miraculous sign will you show us?”
19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple and in three days I’ll raise it up.”
20 The Jewish leaders replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days?” 21 But the temple Jesus was talking about was his body.22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered what he had said, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
23 While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, many believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs that he did. 24 But Jesus didn’t trust himself to them because he knew all people. 25 He didn’t need anyone to tell him about human nature, for he knew what human nature was.
Reflection
Whether it’s due to previous traumas or just the way we were raised, many of us tend to label certain emotions as “good” or “bad.” For example, many tend to think of anger or sadness as “bad” emotions, something that we shouldn’t let ourselves feel. But we are humans with a broad range of emotions, and these emotions are not “good” or “bad” but neutral, something we all are allowed to feel and really should feel from time to time.
While most know Jesus as a peaceful person, we do see occasional moments of righteous anger in the gospels, such as in John 2:13-25 when Jesus clears the temple. These crooked salesmen and money changers had made the house of worship a shopping mall, and Jesus was not pleased. I always find it a little funny to picture how this scene must have taken place. It says he actually takes the time to make his own whip out of rope and uses that to drive all the livestock into a stampede rushing out of the temple. Were the disciples just standing by watching in confusion, wondering why their teacher was suddenly so focused on some rope? After getting the livestock moving, Jesus flips the tables and coins crash to the ground and scatter everywhere – I’m picturing salesmen yelling and scrambling around frantically trying to collect their coins. But in the midst of all the chaos, Jesus pauses and commands that the doves in their cages be removed. He doesn’t throw the cages to the ground, which would hurt the doves. A touching moment that shows Jesus is fully in control of his anger and that this is not just some over-the-top emotional outburst that should be seen as “bad.”
It’s okay to fully feel your emotions. Even Jesus himself felt anger and sadness and the whole range of human emotion. Instead of labeling certain feelings as “good” or “bad,” I’ve started to sit with the emotion and just let it be. Sometimes it’s okay to feel angry about something. Sometimes it’s okay to feel sadness. We have a God who completely understands (after all, he did create emotions in the first place), and we can even read in scripture how Jesus experienced all of these feelings right along with us. Embrace your emotions, feel what you need to feel, and remember that you can always turn to a loving, understanding God in all situations.
By Parker Patton
Sunday, February 26
John 2:13-25
13 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 He found in the temple those who were selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as those involved in exchanging currency sitting there. 15 He made a whip from ropes and chased them all out of the temple, including the cattle and the sheep. He scattered the coins and overturned the tables of those who exchanged currency. 16 He said to the dove sellers, “Get these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written, Passion for your house consumes me.[a]
18 Then the Jewish leaders asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? What miraculous sign will you show us?”
19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple and in three days I’ll raise it up.”
20 The Jewish leaders replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days?” 21 But the temple Jesus was talking about was his body.22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered what he had said, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
23 While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, many believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs that he did. 24 But Jesus didn’t trust himself to them because he knew all people. 25 He didn’t need anyone to tell him about human nature, for he knew what human nature was.
Reflection
Whether it’s due to previous traumas or just the way we were raised, many of us tend to label certain emotions as “good” or “bad.” For example, many tend to think of anger or sadness as “bad” emotions, something that we shouldn’t let ourselves feel. But we are humans with a broad range of emotions, and these emotions are not “good” or “bad” but neutral, something we all are allowed to feel and really should feel from time to time.
While most know Jesus as a peaceful person, we do see occasional moments of righteous anger in the gospels, such as in John 2:13-25 when Jesus clears the temple. These crooked salesmen and money changers had made the house of worship a shopping mall, and Jesus was not pleased. I always find it a little funny to picture how this scene must have taken place. It says he actually takes the time to make his own whip out of rope and uses that to drive all the livestock into a stampede rushing out of the temple. Were the disciples just standing by watching in confusion, wondering why their teacher was suddenly so focused on some rope? After getting the livestock moving, Jesus flips the tables and coins crash to the ground and scatter everywhere – I’m picturing salesmen yelling and scrambling around frantically trying to collect their coins. But in the midst of all the chaos, Jesus pauses and commands that the doves in their cages be removed. He doesn’t throw the cages to the ground, which would hurt the doves. A touching moment that shows Jesus is fully in control of his anger and that this is not just some over-the-top emotional outburst that should be seen as “bad.”
It’s okay to fully feel your emotions. Even Jesus himself felt anger and sadness and the whole range of human emotion. Instead of labeling certain feelings as “good” or “bad,” I’ve started to sit with the emotion and just let it be. Sometimes it’s okay to feel angry about something. Sometimes it’s okay to feel sadness. We have a God who completely understands (after all, he did create emotions in the first place), and we can even read in scripture how Jesus experienced all of these feelings right along with us. Embrace your emotions, feel what you need to feel, and remember that you can always turn to a loving, understanding God in all situations.
By Parker Patton
Recent
Inside Voice - Week Three Discussion Guide
September 23rd, 2023
Inside Voice - Week Two Discussion Guide
September 16th, 2023
17 Memorable Moments at The Gathering // M-Note 9.16.23
September 15th, 2023
Inside Voice - Week One Discussion Guide
September 9th, 2023
The Gathering's Golden Birthday (17 on the 17th) // M-Note 9.8.23
September 8th, 2023
Archive
2023
January
February
Explore - Week 1Explore - Week 2Explore - Week 3Explore - Week 4God is Leading Us Forward // M-Note 2.3.23SENT: Week 1 Discussion GuideSomething To Try This Weekend // M-Note 2.10.23SENT: Week 2 Discussion GuideWe're Doing Something Big! // M-Note 2.17.23SENT: Week 3 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 1Lent Devotional Day 2Lent Devotional Day 3SENT: Week 4 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 4Lent Devotional Day 5Lent Devotional Day 6Lent Devotional Day 7
March
Lent Devotional Day 8Lent Devotional Day 9Celebrating BEYOND // M-Note 3.3.2023Who Is Jesus: BONUS Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 10Lent Devotional Day 11Lent Devotional Day 12Who Is Jesus: Week 1 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 13Lent Devotional Day 14Lent Devotional Day 15Lent Devotional Day 16Lent Devotional Day 17The Evening Service is BACK!!! // M-Note 3.10.23Lent Devotional Day 18Lent Devotional Day 19Who Is Jesus: Week 2 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 20Lent Devotional Day 21Lent Devotional Day 22Lent Devotional Day 23The Most Important Sunday of the Year // M-Note 3.17.23Who Is Jesus: Week 3 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 24Lent Devotional Day 25Lent Devotional Day 26Lent Devotional Day 27Lent Devotional Day 28Lent Devotional Day 29Lent Devotional Day 30The Power of Easter and Invitation // M-Note 3.24.23Lent Devotional Day 31Who Is Jesus: Week 4 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 32Lent Devotional Day 33Lent Devotional Day 34Lent Devotional Day 35Lent Devotional Day 36Lent Devotional Day 37You Can't Miss This Part // M-Note 4.1.23Lent Devotional Day 38
April
Lent Devotional Day 39Lent Devotional Day 40Who Is Jesus: Week 5 Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 41Lent Devotional Day 42Lent Devotional Day 43Gathering Easter Top 10 List // M-Note 4.6.23Lent Devotional Day 44Lent Devotional Day 45Easter Sunday: Discussion GuideLent Devotional Day 46Feeling Burned Out? // M-Note 4.14.23Burnout: Week 1 Discussion GuideBurnout: Week 2 Discussion GuideIntersection of Policies & Prayers // M-Note 4.22.23Do More Of This To Avoid Burnout // M-Note 4.28.23Burnout: Week 3 Discussion Guide
May
July
August
Categories
Tags
1 Kings 3
1 Kings
1 Timothy
2 Corinthians 9:5-7
2 Timothy
Belden Lane
Beyond Simple
Celebrate
Change
Christ
Commit
Confidence
Denee Bowers
Devotional
Discussion Guides
Distractions
Divine Love
Doubt
Easter
Ephesians
Equity
Evangelism
Explore
Five Shared Practices
Focus
Frederick Buechner
Fresh Take
Friends
Generosity
God
Gratitude
Hebrews
Holy Ambiguity
Holy Spirit
Hope
Humanity
Identity
Inside Voice
Isaiah
Jesus
John 21
John
Joy
Kids
King Solomon
Lectio Divina
Lent
Life
Limitations
Longing
M-Note
Matt Miofsky
Matthew
Nadia Bolz-Weber
No Filter
Open
Parables
Parenting
Patience
Paula D'Arcy
Paula D\'Arcy
Paula D\\\'Arcy
Paula D\\\\\\\'Arcy
Paul
Privilege
Proverbs 1
Proverbs
Psalms
Purpose
Questions
Redeem
Rejoice
Righteousness
Sabra Engelbrecht
Second Chance
Self-Love
Struggle
Success
The Bible
The Church
The Gathering
Timothy
Uncertainty
Untethered
Vision
Weird
acts
adulting
advice
challenge
commitment
creation
deconstruction
deconstruct
faith
finances
fitness
forgiveness
forgiving
foundation
freedom
give
growth
kelley weber
love
meister eckhart
money
mystery
new life
opportunity
reconstruction
reconstruct
redemption
relationships
responsibility
simplify
sin
social
thomas merton
transition
truth
willingness
willpower
will
young adult
No Comments