Lent 3 (4)
Notes
Transcript
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
As you may know, I do enjoy viewing, photography, exploring, and even drawing and painting pictures of . . . old barns. In my office I have over 25 photos of old barns and more framed prints upstairs. My digital prints of barns numbers in the hundreds. I purchased a custom printed book of barn pictures I have taken. Driving around this part of the state we can see dozens of older barns or the remaining foundations of them without have to drive too far or too long. I belong to several Facebook pages emphasizing the topic.
One thread that is common when posting barns that are no longer used and are on the verge of collapse is the lament by some of how the owners should do all they can to restore them and even receive financial aid to so so. Most people realize that even by doing that, the restored barn will not be returned to its original purpose but may be converted to a home, apartments, a wedding venue, a bar, a storage unit etc.
What I have said about old barns can also be said about churches. What do you do with a church building that is no longer being used as it was to worship and praise God and to celebrate important religious moments in a person’s life such as baptism, confirmation, wedding, and funeral?
Tear it down.
Let it deteriorate.
Re-purpose it.
Like many buildings, barn and churches that were once constructed for a specific purpose, may be at times repurposed. But what happens when a church or other religious center still has an active congregation but the leaders and members are more concerned about using it for other purposes than for its original intent? (Fish fries and entertainment).
This is the crux of the matter in our sermon text today. It involves one of the most magnificent structures built in ancient times. It involves that Jewish temple in Jerusalem.
Why was it built? Central place of worship for the Lord. When the ark of the covenant was still around, the Lord’s presence was there.
Why was it destroyed? A judgment of God on his unfaithful people (587BC) Spoils of war in 70 AD.
Why was it rebuilt? Reintroduce the central place of worship after the Babylonian captivity.
Why did Herod remodel it? Over the next four hundred years, a series of Gentile rulers alternatingly built up and defiled the second temple. The cycle culminated in a 39 BC battle in which King Herod took control of the temple, slaughtering many of the priests and defenders in the process, but also keeping the Roman soldiers from entering the sanctuary. Herod proposed to renovate the temple in 20—19 BC, his reason being the post-exilic temple was sixty cubits shorter than Solomon’s original. Despite the Jews’ fears that he meant to tear it down and never rebuild, the main work on the temple was completed in one-and-a-half years, and the outer courtyard in eight years. Finishing touches continued until AD 63. Herod’s temple, then, was a restoration and expansion of Zerubbabel’s second temple.
How was it being used at the time of Jesus?
It was still being used as a place of worship.
But to make worshiping the Lord more convenient and to make a profit, sacrificial animals were sold at a high price in the court of the Gentiles and currency was exchanged at a high rate into the temple shekel.
This lack of integrity on the part of the religious leaders so incensed Jesus that for one of the few times in his ministry, he turned violent. We are not told he hurt anyone or any of the animals but he sure did cause quite a stir.
Was this a one time thing recorded in chronologically different times or did Jesus do this twice?
Would Jesus Really Do This Twice?
Would Jesus Really Do This Twice?
Some may wonder at the plausibility of Jesus cleansing the temple on two occasions, but there is no reason to doubt that He would do this. Remember, Jesus often confronted the religious leaders and challenged their hypocrisy. In this case, the money changers were guilty of turning worship into a matter of convenience while stealing from the people by charging exorbitant prices for substandard sacrificial animals. Instead of following God’s command to offer pure, spotless lambs from their own flocks at Passover (Exodus 12:5), many Jews were guilty of commercializing this process. They simply traveled to Jerusalem and purchased animals from the market at the temple. This is not what the Lord commanded.
Jesus challenged these ungodly practices and urged the people to obey God rather than convenience. In doing so, He also angered Caiaphas, the high priest, whose family was in charge of the money changing in the temple. Not only did the Lord’s actions challenge the authority of Caiaphas, they also hurt his family’s financial holdings since they had grown rich from the sale of sacrificial animals.1
Just as the Old Testament revealed that God was zealous for true worship from His people, Jesus demonstrated that obedience is better than sacrifice. Since Annas and Caiaphas refused to shape up following the first temple-cleansing in John 2, Jesus took another opportunity to remind the people of the importance of true worship.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The solution to this supposed Bible contradiction is rather straightforward. Jesus cleansed the temple on at least two occasions: once at the beginning and again at the end of His earthly ministry. This should not surprise us since God repeatedly stressed in His Word that it is more important to obey Him than it is to perform empty rituals, especially when those rituals are done for convenience or personal gain.
By cleansing the temple,Jesus fulfilled the prophecy, “Zeal for my Father’s house consumed me?”
Specific Sin. A take it or leave it attitude when it comes to worshiping God. Sometimes evidenced by a person’s involvement and support of the church their congregation has for this purpose.
It is well known that many established congregations struggle to maintain membership size and as a result financial support of those involved in serving in the congregation and upkeep of the building (s). How often don’t faithful aging members remark about how things were in the past and demonstrated concern for the present and the future of their congregation. Those who lament this continue to worship regularly and serve the Lord at the congregation they have been at their entire lives but note the absence of their children, grand children, and the fact that even though more people live in the area, a much smaller percentage are members or even visit their congregation. The demise of the congregation cannot always be explained by the fact that many people move away but that many people have found “better things to do than to worship the Lord and support the local congregation.”
Instead of agreeing with the Psalmist who said, Psalm 122:1 (NIV84)
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
And Hebrews 10:25 (NIV84)
25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
We find people acting out the question I asked my Uncle and Aunt when I was about five years old, “Do I have to go to church . . . again?”
Another indicator of a lack of zeal is when people do not consider the value of regular worship but excuse themselves by saying “At least I was there for a monumental event . . . or a church dinner fund raiser.”
And yet, we do rejoice that there are people who truly love their local church and show support of it.
Positive: Commitment people have to be there, upkeep of the church, improvements, regret of not being able to be there anymore.
We know the zeal Jesus had for the temple. We also know how purposeful he was in attending the local synagogue and about his pray life between Saturdays and his awareness of God at all times. That must be why it so incensed him with God’s people looked at worship not as a way to confess and be forgiven and to sacrifice to God but as a money making venture and a place of convenience.
Real issue is worship not what a building is used for. Jesus teaches this to the Samaritan woman, “The is coming . . . “
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
And the worship of the true God continues even though Herod’s temple has destroyed almost 2000 years ago and has not been rebuilt.
Jesus’ actions certainly got the attention of the officials. They demanded to know what right he had to do this. What followed was a prophecy of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
18 Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
As those who have witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus, may his zeal inspire us to be zealous in our own worship of God. Amen