How to make sure there’s room for Jesus to walk around with you

By Dean Collins

Have you noticed Jesus walking around lately?

In the Garden, in the beginning, God would walk in the cool of the evening with his beloved creation. It must have been amazing to have access to the Creator of the universe and ask him anything. “Why did you give a giraffe such a long neck?” “What were you thinking when you created the platypus?” “What is the purpose of the other planets, and can we ever visit them?” It’s pleasant to imagine casual walks with no agenda but the warmth of God’s presence and the ability to tap into his imagination and wisdom.

But one day when God came for his evening walk, Adam and Eve tried to hide. His presence became suddenly painful. Sin had disrupted the peace they had enjoyed. In later centuries, God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle where his presence would dwell. Clouds and fire surrounded this temporary worship space, reminding God’s people that he was present and active in the wilderness journey.

A permanent dwelling

Eventually David wanted to build a more permanent dwelling for God, but God chose Solomon to fulfill this dream. When the construction was complete, Solomon prayed and dedicated the temple, and the glory of God filled the magnificent new space. This temple would be destroyed and rebuilt before Jesus arrived. And in Mark 11 we read of Jesus entering the temple in disgust. The place of worship and prayer had been violated. Convenience had overcome conscience. Sacrifice was made easy for those who traveled to make their offerings, and the money changers were rich with profits while taking advantage of the poor. And all of this was allowed by the rulers of the day.

Jesus walked in and cleared the temple of all the cheaters and thieves doing business there. It wasn’t that commerce was bad, but taking advantage of the poor in the name of God was wrong. It had to be corrected so that worship and prayer would be possible. Jesus had taught pretty clearly that you can’t worship God and money.

The struggle for power

The chief priests and scribes and the elders came to Jesus and asked about his authority. They hoped they could trap the one who challenged their standing. But Jesus didn’t take the bait. He told them he would answer, but they would first need to answer his question. Jesus asked about the baptism of John the Baptist and whether it was from God or just a human idea. There were a lot of folks listening, and fearing the reaction of the crowd, the religious leaders stayed silent. So did Jesus.

The religious leaders were afraid of what others would think. Their power was suddenly threatened, and their silence exposed them for what they were, cowards and deceivers. The silence of Jesus, however, meant something different. He didn’t need to defend himself. His whole ministry and teaching tour was about vulnerability, mercy, grace, and freedom. This very week he would not resist the powerful and their structures. He would, instead, lay down his life on a cross to pay for the sins of every person and therefore once for all expose the inadequacy of anyone but God to set humanity free.

An examination of self

So back to my question: Have you seen Jesus walking around lately? Paul and other Scripture writers tell us that we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit where God is always present. Always accessible. Always ready and willing to offer his help. But is there room in the temple of our hearts to take a walk with Jesus? Is it possible that we have allowed the temple to become cluttered again with wrong desire for money and the things of this world? Is our heart so full with our own concerns that we’ve pushed Jesus into a corner and silenced him? Is there a battle for control in the temple of our hearts that we refuse to acknowledge?

Maybe we should humbly allow Jesus to clean away ungodly motives and preoccupations, freeing him to walk with us. A walk with Jesus is abundantly more productive than madly trying to do things our way and by ourselves.

Your time with God’s Word
Genesis 3:8; ‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:15-19‬, 27-33 ESV

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