Our understanding of who Jesus is and the sacrifice He made influences the way we see God and how His death and resurrection impacts us; this is especially important as we enter Holy Week. On the Monday following Palm Sunday, Jesus passed by the temple and, appalled by the money-exchanging process occurring on the steps, drove the sellers out. Once they were no longer there, Jesus took up teaching every day, and though the religious leaders wanted to find ways to remove Him, people intently listened to His teaching. The money-changers showed characteristics that directly contradicted His mission. People focused on the material and earthly aspect, selling and exchanging on the steps of God’s Holy dwelling place, a space designed for spiritual and eternal focus. God intended the temple to be a place where His people experienced His glory and honored Him, but instead people were completing transactions, some vendors likely taking advantage of people, and all not with the intention of honoring God. Once the money-changers were gone, Jesus represented God’s glory encountering humanity, teaching about His Father on the steps of His Father’s house and preparing Himself to become the permanent sacrifice.

I think sometimes Christians act the same as the vendors, whether it is intentional or not. How many times do we approach God without the reverence His presence calls for? We attend church and go through the motions of worshiping, listening, and consuming, but we do not actively participate. Maybe we focus on what we get out of the worship instead of listening to what God wants to do in our lives. Maybe we focus on the people we interact with or the way we present ourselves instead of offering a listening ear or using the Word to encourage someone. Our heart posture sets the stage for our response to worship, to others, and to God. If we set our attention on things aside from God, we will not be listening for God’s voice, nor will we be receptive to the things He wants to change within us.

A reverent heart posture starts with a recognition of the holiness of God. Of the attributes of God, this one arguably instills the most awe in the believer. God’s holiness is central to His character. It is central to everything He does, every motivation He has, and every way we respond. In Isaiah 6, the prophet Isaiah sees a vision of God seated on a throne surrounded by seraphim, the highest order of angels. He is in awe of the Lord and immediately expresses his feeling of uncleanliness in response to the holiness of the Lord. Nothing is hidden from the Lord because His light brings our sin out of darkness into the light. We are distinctly different from Him in every way, as the word “holiness” conveys. God is without beginning and without end. He answers to no one but Himself. He is sinless and outside of time. He is all-knowing and all-powerful. God is distinct. By recognizing God’s “otherness,” we experience immediate conviction. When we near God’s presence, it does not take long to realize that something is not right within us. We are not meant for sin. When we experience God, we experience His holiness and we also experience our “not-holiness.” He is God, and we are decidedly not.

Convictions, when exposed to light, open our heart to God’s molding. When you recognize God’s holiness, allow yourself to be humbled before Him. Let yourself be in awe that the Creator of the universe, the one who knows no sin, who knows no beginning or end, chose you to pursue and love. His holiness, while it distinctly separates Him from us, also makes us holy in His sight if we choose to humble ourselves. God’s holiness commands a certain response where we cast aside the things of this earth to worship and praise Him for sending Jesus to be the bridge between His holiness and our depravity.

At the same temple where the money-changers were, there were also sacrifices being made in atonement for sin. That very same week, Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice, a spotless lamb bleeding for the sins of all mankind. We as unholy beings constantly choose sin, yet God in His grace and love chose to make a way to bridge the separation, a way that does not involve making sacrifices each time we sin. God offers unconditional love and forgiveness, and all we must do is accept His free gift.

As the days draw closer and closer to Easter, think about the ways you are preparing yourself. Is your heart humbled to the holiness of God? Are you in awe of the fact that He sent His only, perfect, holy Son to experience temptation and suffering on earth and ultimately die for a people that reject Him? God pursues us even as we run from Him. How can you run to Him this Easter and respond to His sacrifice in reverence?