As the warmth of summer embraces us in its warmth, it feels like it’s right around the corner. While I was looking for songs this month a lot of great potential songs had passed my ears, but this was the one that really stood out to me. While I was looking for a song this month I was reminded that while doing things with spirituality being the reason [83 behind doing something, 1 should be cautious of people who use spirituality to make a profit. At the time I wasn’t sure what it meant, but after giving this song another listen, it was clear that the review for May should be “Turn the Tables” by Caroline Cobb.
“You exploit the ones who would worship
Use devotion to make a dime”
In the lyric music video, it starts out by explaining that the song is about Jesus turning over the tables in the temple and in our hearts. I felt that this was good to give the audience a clear understanding of the song without having the listener guess that certain parts relate to something else. It’s also important to point out that the literal scripture mentions how Jesus turns over the tables of the money changers in the temple but also how Jesus now is turning over tables that we were sent to through us.
“Jesus comes in, turning over tables
Flies into a righteous rage”
In the first verse of the song we hear that the “you” in the song is the listener, which is an interesting point-of-view, who is the one who “exploits the ones who worship” or “use devotion to make a dime”. While we like to have the point of view of being on Jesus’ side, sometimes it is us who Jesus is correcting and He’s come to flip our table.
“Turn the tables, turn the tables over
Turn the tables, turn the tables over”
The second verse goes on to mention that as people are trying to get in the temple to hear the word of God, they are unable to because of the tables and goods of salesmen which is what makes Jesus not lose control, but him go into a righteous rage and driving out all the idols for the sake of God and the people who have come to the temple to worship. The next lines play on the lines of the first verse that mention “the world trying to get in the door” and not being able to, but this time with Jesus being the open door to The House of The Lord through his Resurrection.
“Do you want to make a cut on the story
Do you want to see your name in lights”
After the chorus we go into the third verse that is telling the audience that you can’t commodify the love of God. We also find out that our hearts are the temple that Jesus is knocking on tin order to make our hearts a house for the Lord and not to allow ourselves to be overrun by society and consumerism, especially as it comes to Christ, so we can make room for the real love of Christ who is the way to eternal life.
“Don’t you know that your heart is a temple
He’s knocking down your door, so
Let him in and he’ll turnover tables
Make your heart a house for the Lord”
As summer is approaching, there will be a lot of things that we will fill our temples up with; new material things, new schedules to adapt to, and new distractions, but through it all may we all remember to make room for Jesus in our hearts.