The Messiah had finally come. He was going to deliver Israel from their oppressors. But then this happened.

When he got to Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. (Mark 11:15)

He walked past the Roman soldiers in the streets. He didn’t address the corrupt, anti-god government that ruled the city. He went straight to the temple and cleansed it.

He didn’t seem nearly as bothered by the sin around him as he was with the sin in the lives of his own people. I have to admit, I don’t like that. I wish he would deal with “them” and leave me alone.

“Look at all the bad stuff ‘they’ are doing Lord. Sure, there are things in my heart that could use a little polishing up but I’m not nearly as bad as ‘them.’ Why don’t you start with ‘them’ and once ‘they’ are all straight, then we can work on the things in my life.”

But the Lord is laser-focused on cleaning me up and sometimes seems only mildly interested in what “they” are doing. I, on the other hand, tend to be more focused on “their” sins and shortcomings and, to be honest, sometimes can use their wrong actions and attitudes to justify mine.

Looks like I have a couple of choices. I either have to start focusing on what the Lord focuses on or continually be out of step with his priorities.

Dang it! That means I have to be more aware of my sin than theirs. I have to focus on the “log” in my eye and not the splinter in theirs – even though it seems to me that I have the splinter and they have the log. (Oooops. There I go again.)

This isn’t going to be easy because, like in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus, there really are evil people in power, there really is injustice and wickedness seems to be in charge. But Jesus focused on the temple, his people – our sin, our failures. Setting up merchant’s booths in the outer courts, where the Gentiles were to have access to God, had blocked others from coming to God.

Perhaps, in fact, most surely, that is the greatest evil of all: by my sin and un-grace-filled attitudes, to keep others from approaching God.

Lord, I pray my actions and reactions to evil may not keep others from wanting to meet you. Instead, may I focus on cleansing my own heart, and projecting to others the same love, acceptance and forgiveness that you lavish on me continually.
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Luke 18:10-14
A Pharisee and a tax collector went to the Temple to pray. One prayed: ‘Thank you, God, that I am not like other people, not like that tax collector!  I fast and I tithe.’ The tax collector beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.
This sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God.
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.