Let's Count - Census Day Sunday 21st March - we will be doing some work about what a census is during this week.

                              Friday 19th March 2021

RE

Tell the story of Jesus cleansing the temple (John 2:14-16), or watch a short video of this story on Youtube

- eg: www.youtube.com/watch?v=geferlpn_5A

Discuss

Mops, brooms, sponges, a dust cloth... what do we use these things for? We use them when we clean our houses. Do you ever help your mum with the cleaning around your house?

Today we are going to learn about a time when Jesus did some house cleaning. It was time for the annual Passover celebration, so Jesus travelled to Jerusalem and went to the temple. He couldn't believe what he saw. The Temple was a special place where people could go to pray and worship God - but that was not what Jesus saw. Right there in the temple area he saw people who were selling cattle, sheep, and doves to be used as sacrifices in the temple. There were even tables set up where men were changing money so that people could pay their temple taxes. It looked more like a market place than a house of worship.

Jesus did not like what he saw. He was so angry that picked up a piece of rope, made a whip, and drove the cattle, sheep, and those who were selling them out of the temple.

Next, he went to the money changers and turned their tables over, scattering coins all over the temple floor. To the ones who were selling the doves he said, "Get out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market." I would say that Jesus did some serious house cleaning in the temple that day!

As we think about Jesus cleansing the temple, we should also be reminded that there is some other cleaning that needs to be done. The Bible says that people are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in them. (1 Cor. 3:16)

Christians believe that the season of Lent is a good time for them to look inside themselves and see if there is anything in us that needs to be cleansed. Perhaps there are some areas of your life where you need to do some house cleaning? I know there are in mine!

PLENARY: Why did Jesus "clean out" the temple?