When Jesus drove the moneychangers from the Temple, he was honoring the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Jesus was defending the worship of God alone, rejecting the profit-making idols that can become our gods. Paul also witnesses to the power of God in the cross of Jesus, which continues to reveal God’s strength in weakness and God’s wisdom in foolishness. In looking to the cross, we honor the God who calls us by name in Holy Baptism. Dying and rising with Christ, we are freed from sin to live out God’s justice and mercy in our church, community, and the world.
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