The LORD brings us out from the place of slavery in Egypt. He leads us out by way of his cross and resurrection, by way of our baptism, to a place of freedom from sin.
He leads us out from Egypt but our hearts stay in Egypt. He gives us freedom but we are so accustomed to slavery that we don't embrace it. God is infinitely higher than creatures. In him is the only possible source of freedom. Yet we turn from him to choose creatures and creation over him. When we do this we choose to squander our freedom. To prevent this God gives us the law. The law is not antithetical to freedom. It is rather the minimum conditions necessary for freedom.
I, the LORD, am your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.
Jesus understands how essential it is that first things be first.
"Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
If we insist on serving idols we end up with less and less freedom. We become slaves of the flesh. But God intends for us to have the freedom of the Spirit (see Second Corinthians 3:17), the glorious liberty of the children of God (see Romans 8:21). On our own we find that we can't comply with even the most basic requirements of freedom. The law reveals to us our weakness and shows us our need for a savior. Unless we welcome Jesus into the temples of our own hearts and allow him to chase out the idols we end up worshipping things which are less than God and surrendering our freedom to them. Only Jesus has sufficient zeal for the Father's house. But he is more than willing to use it in our hearts for the sake of our freedom.
It is counterintuitive, even paradoxical, that we only find freedom in service and that we only find life when we take up our cross. But this is true wisdom.
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Let us welcome Jesus into the temples of our hearts. Let us ask and pray that he sets our hearts in proper order to offering fitting worship to the God who longs to set us free.
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