TURNING TABLES…is anexpression in the restaurantworld for increasing thepatron volume duringmealtimes. More profit, moretips! My parents owned arestaurant in Franklin, TN forforty odd years. So, I am very familiar with this exercise. Once and for the first time in my life, I had amanager approach our table after approximately an hour meal. We were seated at alarge booth and we were only two people. She came to us and asked how long we were going to be since she had a large group waiting and needed to turn the table. Needless to say, we were quite astonished.
Also, it can mean changing one’s mind or decision. Oxford Dictionaries Online defines it this way. “Reverse one’s position relative to someone else, especially by turning aposition of disadvantage into one of advantage.”Politicians seem to live by this code.
One night at the Union Gospel Mission, our chapter was Matthew 21. My focus turned to verses 12-16. It deals with Jesus entering the temple in Jerusalem. Righteous anger proceeded to drive him to “overturn thetables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.” As I was preparing the Lord really spoke to my heart. He said to them, “It is written, ‘Myhouse shall be called ahouse of prayer, ‘ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Can you imagine the scene?
Jews were gathering in thecity for Passover and they knew there would be atemple tax extracted from them. Most came empty handed for their sacrifice, so the Jewish leaders would hold them hostage by charging punitive amounts for a dove or other animal for sacrifice. Of course, the poorest of them would not be able to even enter as they had nothing. But look what happened. At the moment Jesus did away with this practice, “then the blind and lame came to Him in thetemple, and He healed them.”
The poor and needy now had full access into thetemple through Christ to worship. And make a guess as to Who they started worshiping. ‘But when thechief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the son of David!” they were indignant and said to him “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise?”
Here’s what the Spirit showed me. After his death, the ‘veil’ was torn and now everyone has access to the throne room of God. And we, all believers, are the new temple of God whose Spirit dwells ineach of us. Jesus’ flesh is the ‘veil’ according to Hebrews 10.20. We enter into God’s holy presence through the veil, Jesus. That’s what the blind and lame found out. The religious leaders had set up barriers for personal gain that kept many from coming to God. Jesus had to ‘turn over the tables’ to allow the ‘outsiders’ access to his Father.
I was convicted as I was preparing the lesson. As abeliever, have I set up barriers in my life to keep people from seeing Jesus inme and from coming to Christ? Regretfully, I know theanswer. Sanctification of thebeliever is in fact God’s process of ‘turning over thetables’ in our lives, removing the barriers (sin) that stand in our way of knowing him more intimately. And from being a stumbling block to others who need the Lord for salvation, or a disciple-maker of other believers.
At times, it hurts, but there is good news in a promise we all need to examine and trust. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12.11).
Each morning, as we are setting our table for the day, let us examine what might be on it that would not be honoring to God, and would cause him to have to ‘turn over the table’ we have set. If you have invited several guests, it can be very embarrassing. Is our ‘temple’ one of prayer and praise, or a ‘thief’s den’? Confession and repentance just might be inorder. Written to Bill, about Bill, for Bill!!