John 2:13-22Today’s gospel is filled with alevel of drama that today, one may only find on reality TV. The commotion Our Lord created that day in theJerusalem Temple would rival that of any good AMC television series. Imagine what the voice-over announcement for what that episode might sound like: “There are only two episodesleft of AMC’s new drama “The Walking Temple.” This week, watch the young rabbi turn the tables on money exchangers andlivestock dealers. Was it his anger thatdrove him to his actions, or was it the ultimate expression of his authority,and an affirmation that the locus of God self was manifested in Jesus? Tune in next week and see what happens.”
The scandal of the templecleansing is one of the most intriguing scenes in Jesus’ ministry. The event occurs during Passover when the Templeand city of Jerusalem were crowded with folks, who were making a pilgrimagefrom all points of the empire. Duringthis era, the cultic worship of The Temple centered on the sacrifice of animals. For most of the people, they had to travelgreat distances to make this great festival, so they could not bring theiroffering with them and thus, had to buy their cattle or sheep upon arrival inJerusalem.
In addition, people who came toworship at the temple were required to pay a temple tax, but they could not usethe empire’s legal tender because it had the image of the emperor on it, andthus, its use would have considered defilement to the temple. To resolve this dilemma, the Temple leadersallowed money exchangers to be on hand whose job was to convert the Roman coinsto temple coins. These exchange agentsdid not offer their services for free though, they charged a fee, some werefair, others took advantage of the situation. What once was a place of prayer, a place wherepeople came to experience the presence of God, where people came to betransformed and renewed, devolved into what for us today might look like the retaildrama of the local mall or a flea market. No wonder Our Lord pulled out a whip. Through word and deed, Jesus was saying something new in a culture thatwas not ready to hear it.
In John’s version of the Cleansing of thetemple, Jesus demands that the people "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!” In Matthew’s version, Jesus says, “My house shallbe called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.” The whipJesus used to drive out the money changers was symbolic of his passioniatedemand that the Temple of God, was not a place for economic transactions, but aplace for prayer.
Prayer is a time when we engagein a spiritual conversation with God. Prayerrefocuses our hearts away from the hectic noise of life, and toward thepresence of God. In prayer, we directour thoughts, our desires, and our longings toward the One, who draws us towardthe One’s self. When we offer praise,intercession, adoration, petition, thanksgiving, and confession to God, we arein essence worshipping God. Althouth theTemple was intended to be a center for all of these types of prayer yet, it devolvedinto something completely different.
The cultic offering ofsacrifices, although strange and almost revolting for us today, it wasestablished in the early culture of Israel and influenced by local pagancustoms. The sacrificial system served as a way for the people to commune withGod, but over time, something changed. Whatonce was a ritual in which people participated bringing them into a place ofprayer, devolved into a commercial enterprise, an exchange of goods andservices, and an empty social obligation. No wonder Our Lord pulled out a whip.
“Destroy this temple and inthree days I will raise it up.” Jesuswas not touting his divine power to perform a feat of physical demolition andreconstruction related to buildings of brick and mortar. No, he was foretellinghis own fate, and the authority, which came with it. Jesus was conveying that his authority tocleanse the temple, to overthrow the system that thwarted the original purposeof the temple, lie in his death and resurrection, which was also a play onwords as well. The Temple in Jerusalemwas defined by it being the dwelling place of God on earth.
In reference to his own bodybeing crucified and resurrected, Jesus was saying that he himself was the dwellingplace of God on earth. Despite thereligious and political leader’s attempt to redefine his purpose through the punishmentof the cross, Jesus’ mission would not be overcome. Jesus in the turning of tables and driving outof the dealers and exchangers was showing that God was present in Him. Jesus acted as God would act as he clearedout the temple of its distractions, which hindered rather than supported prayerand worship. Jesus vividly taughtthrough his actions that God’s desire is our hearts and love, not oursacrifices.
“The mission of the church is tobring all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” Throughout herhistory, the church has succumbed to things that have distracted her from hermission. Such trappings for some havebecome so comfortable, so routine, and so unchangeable that like the livestocksellers and moneychangers in the Temple, we no longer see how these accessoriesintrude on our mission. During a recent leadershipteleconference in which I participated, one of the speakers shared a story she called,“The Parable of the Lifesaving Station.” As I listened to the story, I was deeply challenged and it has becomefor me, a warning of how in the 21st Century, some practices,attitudes, and traditions in the Christian community and for each individualChristian, can either support or interfere with our purpose in the world.
“Ona dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur there was once a crude littlelifesaving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat,but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with nothought for themselves, they went out day or night tirelessly searching for thelost. Many lives were saved by thiswonderful little station, so that it became famous. Some of those who weresaved, and various others in the surrounding areas, wanted to become associatedwith the station and give of their time and money and effort for the support ofits work. New boats were bought and new crews were trained. The littlelifesaving station grew. Some of the newmembers of the lifesaving station were unhappy that the building was so crudeand so poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of thosesaved from the sea. They placed theemergency cots with beds and put better furniture in an enlarged building. Nowthe lifesaving station became a popular gathering place for its members, andthey redecorated it beautifully and furnished it as a sort of club. Less of the members were now interested ingoing to sea on lifesaving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do thiswork. The mission of lifesaving wasstill given lip service but most was too busy or lacked the necessarycommitment to take part in the lifesaving activities personally. About this time, a large ship was wrecked offthe coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of old, wet andhalf-drowned people. They were dirty andsick, some had skin of a different color, some spoke a strange language, and the beautifulnew club was considerably messed up. Therefore, the property committee immediately had a shower house builtoutside the club where victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside. At the next meeting, there was a split in theclub membership. Most of the memberswanted to stop the club's lifesaving activities as being unpleasant and a hindranceto the normal pattern of the club. Butsome members insisted that lifesaving was their primary purpose and pointed outthat they were still called a lifesaving station. But they were finally voted down and toldthat if they wanted to save the life of all various kinds of people who wereshipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own lifesaving station downthe coast. They did. As the years wentby, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old.They evolved into a club and yet another lifesaving station was founded. If you visit the seacoast today you will finda number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are still frequent inthose waters, but now most of the people drown! Taken from Personal Evangelism 101,by Brent Hunter @ Florida College http://www.intervarsity.org/slj/article/4249/
Is it possible that like theTemple cult system in Jerusalem, we too have transformed into something otherthan our original purpose; bringing people to God, creating space for prayerand worship. The little parable we justheard is a warning to us the Church, that in all we do, we should exercisecaution with some of the things we hold so dear. It may be possible that some things will no longersupport spiritual growth and a deepening commitment and love of Our Lord JesusChrist.
Lent is a particularly essential time for thisexercise of introspection and prayerful discernment. Each of us in our own spiritual journey inLent is challenged to reflect and work on areas of our lives that deter us frombeing the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. We the Body of Christ corporate, as well must recognizethat despite our best efforts, there is the brokenness of pride in ourendeavors, both in our failures and in our successes. Reinhold Niebuhr a renowned 20thcentury theologian commented on the issue of pride in the midst of our missionand ministry. He said, “One such issuehas to do with the realization of human sinfulness in all we do. There is as much sinfulness in our greatestaccomplishments as in our worst failures. The sin of pride pervades all that we do. Therefore, a spirit of humility is alwaysnecessary in those actions that we take in the name of God.” Wood, William Pape. "John 2:13-22." Interpretation45.1 (1991): 59-63. ATLASerials, Religion Collection. Web. 5 Mar. 2012
The leaders of the Temple wereproud of their work and the system that brought so many people to the city forthe festival, yet they lost sight of their the mission. For the Church, she too must wrestle with areal possibility that pride has the potential to pervade our endeavors. How do we avoid this dilemma? We begin by asking ourselves a couple ofquestions: 1) “Are we building up the kingdom of God in allthat we do?” (2) “Are those who come tothis community growing in their love and commitment to Jesus Christ?” If our answer is anything but a resounding“Yes,” then our work has merely begun. We are charged to be a lighthouse that draws others to the safety of theshore of God’s love and grace. So, if webut trust Our Master, who with whip in hand, used this instrument of correctionto turned upside down a system gone awry, and if we follow his lead in all thatwe do, we will not lose sight of the prize, which is the glorious lifesaving adventureset before us.
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