March 4, 2018 Text: John 2:13-22
Dear Friends in Christ,
Who likes to upset the status quo? Who of you gets involved when an injustice is done? When do we not follow the guidelines?
My last year at the seminary we were to have a banquet for those that would be graduating. We were called to a meeting of the administration that was run by the interim president. He was interim because the previous president had been let go unceremoniously and without cause. We were told at this meeting that we could invite anyone we wanted to be our banquet speaker except the former president. After the meeting my class gathered and took a vote. We overwhelmingly voted for the former president of the seminary. The administration was quite shocked. We had literally turned over tables and they didn’t like it. Ultimately the banquet was cancelled and the money saved was given to each man to use in the bookstore.
If you watched the recent Olympics you saw a female half-pipe skier who played by the rules but upset the Olympic powers that be by qualifying without really doing any tricks in her discipline. She just skied down the hill and social media was up in arms. I love things like that.
Today in our text Jesus is in the temple and things are not right. What will our Lord do? Will He take action or as some want to claim . . .
“IS JESUS A WIMP?”
Part of our society want to see Jesus as a wimp. You know how it goes. Jesus loves everyone and it doesn’t matter what kind of sick behavior you indulge in because when you die we are all going to look to the sky like you have been saved though your life never showed any kind of Christian faith. Jesus can be portrayed as mealy-mouthed and compassionate and a little wimpy. Let’s see if that description really fits.
In our text Jesus is going to the temple in Jerusalem and instead of worshippers He finds a flea market. Does He just walk away? Does he try to explain these people’s behavior away? Does he think He has to love them even if they are doing wrong? No, no, and no! He creates a scene and offends. Finding his Father’s House being misused and abused, Jesus has to burst out into action. This is no wimpy Jesus. This is the Son of God calling people out for their poor behavior and choices. “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” (v. 16b)
Where might Jesus’ anger burn today? How about with the church that built a water slide for baptisms? How about with those who are trying to change his gift of marriage? Or those killing babies for convenience. Does His heart burn for those who find excuses to stay away from His House? Would He like to overturn the tables on those who use his name as exclamation points? How about with worshippers who long for a person-centered service of good feelings rather than a God-centered one? Is He patient when our thoughts wander in worship or if the service goes a little longer than we like? Like we are doing God a favor. . when really it is the other way around.
Only God’s perfect person can meet our pitiful person. No bowing to decorum, if it means compromising God’s house. No playing it safe, blending in, even though this sort of outburst will get him killed. No greater love or mercy or humility could be shown us sinners than what we see in the person of Christ.
Jesus is no wimp. He is authentic and genuine. Unlike the money-changers and sinners like us, he offers more than a fair exchange. He exchanges our guilt for his acquittal. He exchanges our crosses of damnation for his cross of salvation. He exchanges our weaknesses for the strength of his resurrection. He exchanges the weak things of our world for the strong world of heaven. He exchanges, on the Last Day, our vile bodies for his victorious, resurrected one.
This was no weakling Christ, no coward wielding that whip. And the grossly offended powers-that-be in the temple weren’t seeing the half of it. This was almighty God! The power of Christ is unmatched and his church will prevail. Even the gates of hell cannot overcome against this lowly yet mighty body of believers. Christ’s zeal, though seemingly destroyed on the cross, was instead raised in power on Easter. And because He lives, we live forever.
Christian brother and sister today is another good reminder that we come from a long line of table turners. Jesus, Martin Luther, the early Christians in America. What are we doing about the money-changers and Scripture changers and post-modern blowhards of our day? Being a wimp is not an option. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are reminded, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation.” (Rom. 1:16) That was written by St. Paul who was transformed from a Christian hating zealot to a servant of Christ Jesus. That is the Lord’s power through the Holy Spirit. Lives can be changed and transformed but not if we just sit idly by.
Come out of the temple. The world needs to hear the Gospel message from you and I. Do we have the zeal? I pray that we do.
Amen.