THROWBACK: Holy Monday From the Pandemic Perspective

Who are today's money changers?

Holy Monday is an interesting day. Jesus was hailed as King of the Jews on Sunday and on Monday, He invented righteous indignation by throwing the money changers out of the Temple. Of course, this has had me thinking all day about the things that should make us indignant. What battles do we choose and what would Jesus think of them? For me, I become furious when the things of God are treated as common, when heresy prevails, and when those who claim Christ don't resemble Him.

Setting up a literal marketplace at church? Seriously? That's what got Jesus upset. Not only were they selling sacrificial animals, they were overcharging and being deceitful about it. Taking advantage of the goodhearted as they came to worship is pretty appalling. Today, though, every church has a coffee bar, meals are sold to raise funds in the foyer, and the preacher is dressed for a round of golf. None of these things is "wrong" so long as the coffee is free and creates an opportunity to build relationships. Selling meals to fund a mission trip is fine, but is the foyer the right venue? What the ministers wear is irrelevant, but I do think extreme casualness in church can send a very confusing message. Does the worship band really need to break into Peaceful Easy Feeling immediately after service?

I recently saw an ad for miracle spring water a televangelist wanted to send me to release prosperity in my life. Show me that in the Bible please? As believers, we have faith in the miraculous. But, "name it and claim it" theology misleads people. God is not an ATM or a genie in a bottle and He does not require miracle spring water. When He chooses to move miraculously, we praise Him for it. When He chooses to move through modern medicine, to God be the glory! Whether we are embracing sin through our silence or twisting Scripture, the church must be careful to be accurate when "speaking" for God. He pretty much said it all already, we're just his vessels on earth.

Another recent event was the apparent conversion of Kanye West. For some reason this sent ripples through churches everywhere. Should we not be excited and rejoicing when we gain a new brother or sister in Christ? Haven't we all sinned and made poor choices? No one can know the heart of another human being. But, I pray for Kanye. I hope his conversion sparks revival in the land. The time will come for judging his fruit, but anyone or anything that draws people to Jesus deserves to be treated fairly. Politics, entertainment, and sports often bring out the worst in all of us. Social media makes it easy to pick people apart with a keyboard. What would Jesus do?

****In 2025, we have examined the fruit. Sadly, it appears Kanye's conversion was short lived, at best.

To honor what Holy Monday represents, we should reflect on those areas in our life where we have become too casual with God. Is our prayer life consistent? Does it include our leaders and our enemies? Also, introspection should be applied to our own legalistic ideas. Are we checking our "beliefs" with the Bible? Finally, let's encourage one another. Let's be love and light and salt. Let's give social media a rest and speak the truth instead of ranting it. There most certainly is a time to be indignant, so long as we do not sin. May you and yours be drawn closer to God this week.