I know it is long but I think you will see it is worth the read. Ask any bible scholar the reason Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple and you will get an answer like one of the ones I got from Google (paraphrased): “Exploitation: Merchants charged unfair, inflated prices. Desecration of Holy Space: Commerce took place in the Court of the Gentiles—the only area in the temple complex where non-Jews were allowed to gather and pray. Filling this sacred space with animals, noise, and trading made prayer and worship impossible for outsiders. Corrupt Leadership: The high priests and religious authorities permitted and profited from this corruption” But what if there was more to it than that? When Jesus entered the temple, He had full knowledge that the reason He came to be with us and teach us how to live with one another was to end with Him becoming the sacrifice that would end all need for more sacrifice. When he was looking around and seeing how trivial we make something as important as the sacrifice that cleanses our souls and makes us worthy of entering into eternity with Him, did He see that many would see His sacrifice in the same trivial way? Did it hurt Him to know that many would accept His sacrifice in a similar trivial manner and turn away, time and time again, at the slightest temptation? Will we end up being driven from the temple on the day of judgement because of our exploitation, our desecration of the Holy Sacrifice, our corrupt handling and trivializing of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf, once and for all? I guess this is a call to really consider the importance of the price Jesus paid. Let's honor His sacrifice by making it more than a trivial moment in our lives. Let’s not consider in our hearts that we can just return to the temple and make another payment for our own sins. Let’s turn with commitment to the one who paid for our sins with His very life and suffering and never make it a trivial thing by turning back to the sins that we have asked Him to free us from.

The video is put here for posterity and as a place to keep a copy in case it is needed. If you are new to the community, first of all thank you for joining with us to study how... "To Know Him". Secondly, please introduce yourself in a comment to this feed and let us know: - whether or not you have accepted the salvation of Jesus the Christ, - how long you have been a Christian, - how old you are, - family status (married or not, and how many children or grandchildren), - where you are from, - if you were raised in a church or religious atmospher, and what denomination or faith it was, and - what denomination to which you now adhere (no judgement will be brought due to this).

And I only had to spend one night in the hospital. They corrected one blockage with a medicated baloon but did not place a stent this time.

I am going in to have an Angiogram by way of catherization so they can see what state my heart is in. This will be on Friday morning Arizona time 8:30 am. I have been through this proceedure many times but it is always under some risk. I only ended up in ICU one time as a result. Please pray for me. Thank you.

I met @Jason Strickland through his community "The Art of Poetry". He is truely one of the best poets I have ever come across I will let him share his story with you all but I am so pleased that he has joined us. Please welcome him to the community. Jason feel free to share here and introduce yourself.