When His Zeal Turns Your Tables | Mark 11:15-19

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Today's shout-out goes to Craig Sawdon from Williamston, MI. Thank you for standing with us throughout Project 23. Your support helps bring clarity and conviction through God’s Word. This one’s for you.

Our text today is Mark 11:15-19:

And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city. — Mark 11:15-19

Jesus walked into the temple—the place meant for prayer—and found it transformed into a marketplace. Tables, money, livestock, exploitation. The outer courts were no longer about God. They were about gain. And Jesus didn’t walk past it quietly.

He flipped the tables. He drove out buyers and sellers. He blocked shortcuts through sacred space. He raised his voice and quoted Scripture: “My house shall be called a house of prayer… but you’ve made it a den of robbers.”

But this wasn’t rage. It was zeal. Holy passion for the glory of God.

The temple and its leaders had lost their way. What was once reverent had become routine. What was once sacred had been reduced to a sales transaction. And Jesus turned the tables to reset the focus.

But get this. Jesus still flips tables.

No, maybe not ones made of wood. But the ones within our hearts. Our routines. Our comforts. Our systems of spiritual convenience. He doesn’t flip out; he flips over what keeps us from authentic worship. Because Jesus is not okay with surface-level religion that goes through the motions.

So if Jesus starts flipping things in your life, don’t panic. Don’t push back. Let him do the work. When his zeal turns your tables, it’s not to destroy—it’s to restore you. When he flips things over, don't flip out. Look. Listen. Lean in.

Jesus, you are turning things over in my life. Help me listen, lean in, and make the needed adjustments. Amen.

#ZealForGod, #HouseOfPrayer, #Mark11

ASK THIS:

1. Why did Jesus respond with such intensity in the temple?
2. What do we learn about his heart for worship?
3. What "tables" in your life might Jesus want to flip?
4. What needs to be restored to keep your worship focused?

DO THIS:

Ask Jesus what tables he may need to flip in your life. Then permit him to do it.

PRAY THIS:

Jesus, I welcome your zeal. Flip anything in my life that’s gotten in the way of true worship. Turn over what needs to change. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

“Heart of Worship.”