Zeal For Your House Will Consume Me:

God's House is Holy, a House of Prayer

            What's in a name?  Hmm…a very interesting and important question, indeed!  When I originally put forward the idea of creating this blog series and asked people what they were interested in reading about, I was asked to write about the meaning and significance of the "profile name" that I go by here on MySpace: "Zeal for Your house will consume Me."  What does it mean?  What is its significance?  Where does it come from?  Why did I choose it?  These are all very good questions.  Ultimately, the name signifies the obvious: Zeal for God's house.  Furthermore, this designation is not so much about a name, as such, as it is about an attitude and a frame of mind, a quality of being and a personal character ideal.  The name identifies and says something about the person behind the name.

            Where does the name come from?  First of all, it's not a "name" at all but really a Scripture verse.  Its origin is Psalm 69:10.  However, the New Testament usage is probably more significant, found in the event of the Cleansing of the Temple by Our Lord in John 2:13-23, specifically in v. 17.  In this passage, Our Lord is angered (righteously, I might add) by the sale of oxen, sheep, doves, as well as the presence of the money-changers in the Temple area.  After having made a whip out of cords and driving the merchants out of the Temple area, Our Lord cries out, "Take these out of here, and stop making My Father's house a marketplace" (cf. v. 15-16).  Jesus is zealous for the Temple of God and its holiness; it is a place of prayer, a place in which to offer sacrifice, a place to encounter the presence of the Holy One of Israel, the Lord, God the Most High.  It is written in Scripture, "My house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples." (cf. Isaiah 56:7).  Jesus is filled with righteous indignation and with zeal for His Father's house; what the merchants were doing did not align itself with God's intention for His holy temple, His house of prayer. 

            What exactly is meant by the word "zeal"?  The word "zeal" captures something of a notion of "fire" and "passion" or perhaps "ardor" and "fervor."  Zeal is a matter of personal character or temperament.  As the Son of God, the zeal of Christ is perfect, holy, righteous, awesome, and powerful.  Undoubtedly, it is also still more beyond our telling.  The Letter to the Hebrews says, "Our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29).  Those who draw close to God experience His fire, His zeal deep within them, animating them and making them courageous.  St. Paul writes to the young Bishop Timothy, "…I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.  For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control." (2 Tim. 1:7).  To be filled with zeal is to experience that "stirring into flame" of the Spirit given to us by God- a Spirit of power, love, and self-control.  To be filled with zeal is to grow in courage, in "holy boldness" for the glory of God's name and the great dignity of His works.

            Just as Our Blessed Lord was filled with zeal for the holy Temple, God's house of prayer, just so the Cleansing of the Temple is a clarion call to ignite within ourselves the flame of zeal for the dignity and glory of "the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth." (cf. 1 Tim. 3:15).  For me, the Scripture passage, "zeal for Your house will consume me," is a reminder that I am a member of the Body of Christ, the one Church of Christ, God's holy temple.  Ultimately, this "zeal" is grounded in the recognition of the greatness of God and of the magnificence of His work, particularly of His dwelling- the heart of every member, individually and collectively, of the Body of Christ, the one Church of Christ.

            But let's get to the heart of the matter: I choose the Scripture, "Zeal for Your house will consume Me," because I, myself, am filled with zeal for the Lord's house.  The Lord God, who is "a consuming fire," has ignited the fire within me.  I am passionate about the house of the Lord, on fire for its glory and dignity, filled with ardor for its perpetuation, and animated by fervor for its mission.  I chose the verse as my "profile name" because it's Biblical basis disrupts much of what we consider to be "normal" behavior for the Son of God.  Jesus was not a push-over; neither, then, should we be. Let us not tolerate atrocities in the house of the Lord; let us cast out every obstacle that places itself in-between us and the true worship of God.  However, zeal must ultimately be tempered by love.  Zeal without love does much violence, and love without zeal can tend towards laxity.  True zeal effects positive change, renewal, and greater life.  Ultimately, we all need a little zeal in our life.  Otherwise, we may hear the words of the Lord spoken to us: "I know your works; I wish that you were either hot or cold, but because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." (Rev. 3:15-16).  Where's the zeal in your life?  Give it all to God, for His glory.  In love, let your life be consumed with zeal for the house of the Lord.