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Overturning tables in the temple courts isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when we think about Christ the King. But the day after Jesus makes his grand entrance into Jerusalem, he’s faced with people who have completely missed the point—they had turned an extraordinary place set apart for communion with God into something very ordinary—and overturning the tables is exactly what he does.
There are probably a lot of reasons the temple courts had turned into this marketplace that Jesus walked into—convenience, good business opportunities, or maybe people just didn’t care. But Jesus took quick action and cleared out all the clutter that didn’t belong in a place meant to connect with and worship God.
Think about the clutter in your own life and heart that might need to be cleared out as you read Matthew 21:12–17 using the OPA method for Bible Study: Observation, Principles, and Application.
Helpful tip: the more effort you put into making observations, the easier the principles and application will be to see.
OBSERVATION
Compile all the facts found in these passages. Try to make 15–20 observations about what you read.
PRINCIPLES
Draw a few principles from the observations you made. What is God trying to teach you in this passage?
APPLICATION
How will you apply these principles to your life? Be specific—a good application will tell who, what, and when.
• What are some things that have become “clutter” in your life and have gotten in the way
of your relationship with God?
• How does “clutter” creep into your life in the first place?
• How can you make room for Christ the King and clear out the “clutter” that has built up?