Michelle Sterling, Global Image Group:
"Within the first three seconds of a new encounter, people evaluate you… even if it is just a glance.
People appraise your visual and behavioral appearance from head to toe. They observe your demeanor, mannerisms, and body language and even assess your grooming and accessories – watch, handbag, briefcase. Within only three seconds, you make an indelible impression. You may intrigue some and disenchant others.
This first impression process occurs in every new situation. Within the first few seconds, people pass judgment on you – looking for common surface clues. Once the first impression is made, it is virtually irreversible."
Religion’s impressions on society are widespread and varied. Christianity is among those that leave first impressions. Young people/adults in our post-modern world embrace any and all religions that speak to where they are in life. Christianity as the only way is a foreign concept and certainly not an acceptable philosophy among youth. George Barna (survey guru) conducted a survey among teens regarding teen spirituality. This is what he found:
“Teens these days are highly ‘spiritual,’ but they are not very religious, nor are they naturally inclined to embrace Christianity as their faith of choice. They are, after all, the first generation of Americans (same can be said of Canadians) to be raised without the culturally established assumption that they would start their religious explorations with Christianity…the belief system maintained by most teenagers is a…customized religious smorgasbord…Christianity is of some importance though certainly not of central significance.”
Christianity turns heads which is not always a compliment because often people wonder if we’re from another planet - and so we are in one sense because we are no longer "aliens from the commonwealth of God"! (Ephesians 2:12, KJV) "This world is not my home, I’m just a-passin’ through!" A word of caution is needful however. Failing to relate to people, meet them on their terms, or walk their turf creates a huge gulf between ‘them’ and ‘us’.
Not a new challenge – quite historical as seen in our key verse in Matthew 21:10---
Kids are asking this today. Society is asking this today. And I believe the same answers are coming back to people now as were given centuries ago. Sometimes followers of Jesus are not sure of the answer in some respects as Christians were not in Jesus’ day.
“Who is this?”
1. JESUS: A Nobody
Donkey-riding was a sign of kingship, one on a mission of peace, not war; it was a fulfillment of Prophecy (Zec. 9:9). Some shouted, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” but five days later the same people shouted with the same passion “Crucify him!” They were only following the nostalgia of the moment rather than any conviction that was borne in their hearts. As Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey emotions were stirred and the heightened activity created a cacophony of sound, shouts and excitement.
In the midst of all the rush and rise of feelings, when the donkey-riding would have been clearly understood that the rider was declaring himself a king, some ventured to ask, “Who is this?” The people of Jesus day knew the name “Pilate”, they knew the name “Caesar”, and they knew who the “High Priest” was. But this donkey-riding Galilean was a stranger so that many asked, “Who is this?”
- Video clip “Who was Jesus?” (sermonspice.com)
- People walking past KCC don’t know who Jesus is; there are people in line at Tim’s or Starbucks who don’t know who Jesus is; the blank-faced clerk at the grocery check-out line may not know who Jesus is.
Some people of Jesus’ day had some idea of who he was. We see him presented as:
2. JESUS: A Prophet
Verses 10-11…
To be a prophet is an honorable title, though being from Galilee his credibility was suspect. Case in point: John 1 – Jesus found Philip and called him to be His disciple. “44Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown. 45Philip went off to look for Nathanael and told him, "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." 46"Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good come from there?""
Jesus’ heritage created obstacles for him. Another example is Matthew 27, where Peter denied Jesus and on round three, before the knockout, when Peter was challenged about being with Jesus someone said to him (Contemporary English Version), “We know that you are one of them. We can tell it because you talk like someone from Galilee.” The Galilean. It was Galilean peasants, his own countrymen, who announced him. What credibility is there in that? He was merely a face in the crowd.
So here’s the picture. We have a Galilean, a person whose speech is noticeably different, a prophet from Galilee, taking the stance of a King by riding a donkey, a symbol of peace; a fanatic; a face in the crowd.
With the odds against him Jesus vies for the topmost place, in the company of millions of celebrating pilgrims. He previously ordered silence on many occasions but now He is openly defiant, forcing leaders to take action. It would soon lead to people choosing to follow or walk away.
I pray to him, make my requests of him, unload my problems to him; why, I even sing glorious songs and raise my hands in his name. But is there a chance that I still don’t know the full extent of this Person and the Power that he wants to display in my life for His glory? Do I merely know him as an object of my affection and pleasure, the answer to my wants and wishes? He is the King, high and lifted up and the train of his robe fills the temple! I can hardly imagine that never mind grasping the full weight of what it means for his glory to fill this space! That knowledge would crush me!
When the flames of adversity set in, will I be ashamed to identify myself as one who walks with Him?
Who do we say Jesus is in the traffic of our lives? Is he unknown in your world? Is he a face in the crowd? Do we follow at a distance being careful not to get too close?
3. JESUS: The Cleanser
Verses 12-13…
Important language and activity that we need to understand. It is a key point in the events of these few days.
Moneychangers – temple tax to be paid. The religious leaders used a particular coin. No chipped, inferior alloy coins but only coins of the highest quality – high-grade silver. However, any currency was good enough for use in Palestine for general purposes. The Moneychangers duty was to exchange unsuitable currency for the “proper” currency, or the high-grade silver. The problem? They were overcharging on the inferior currency, adding additional charges on the exchange. The exchange-rate was atrocious!
Sellers of doves – Many people equate this with selling tapes on Sunday at the Corps or selling tickets for “the Corps Dinner coming up next week” sort of thing. We can’t equate those activities with this one as you’ll see in a moment.
Offerings were needed and essential. E.g. if a woman came for purification after childbirth, she needed a dove to offer as a sacrifice, or a leper brought similar offerings for certifying his cleansed condition (Leviticus 12:8; 14:22; 15:14, 29).
Travellers from distant communities would come prepared to buy their animals for sacrifices, rather than transport them great distances to Jerusalem. Those who brought animals would often have blemished animals removed by the temple inspectors. This practice was acceptable as outlined in the Law of Moses. The problem however was, in the process, the inspectors rejected all animals bought outside the temple even if those animals that didn’t have any blemishes. This forced the people to buy the animals inside the temple, which the merchants sold for terribly large sums of money. Often times they turned the poor away and denied them the privilege of worshipping God because they couldn’t pay the price as a result of this cheating and criminal activity. (Do you see how this is not the same as selling dinner tickets on Sunday?)
Not all those in the temple were criminals mind you. Some truly came to worship and seek God. But there was a very real problem with exploitation.
Wiersbe (theologian): “What had begun as a service and convenience for visitors from other lands soon turned into a lucrative business.”
God’s anger is inflamed when humanity exploits itself but more especially in the name of religion. God will hold accountable, people who make worship a burdensome thing.
We must guard ourselves from robbing people of God’s presence. Help us Lord not to make coming to the “temple” a burdensome and practically impossible thing to do. How many people I wonder have been away from the Lord and the Army for years because of harsh words, false accusations, or even because they had truly erred but never received Christian love and forgiveness? Are there bitterness, arguments, and division, among other things, that makes worship impossible? Have some been demanding and controlling with their perceived ‘rights’ and ‘privileges’; have procedure and protocol about “how we do things around here” stifled worship? Have people manipulated or intimidated people so that they hold back? God is not amused.
Yeah, there’s a lot of pain in our church. There’s hurt. There’s deception. There’s disloyalty. There’s – an endless list of “stuff” in all our churches. But I’ve got some wonderful news! In today’s text see:
4. JESUS – The Healer
Verse 14…
Newmarket – Mall security apprehended a shoplifter at the Zeller’s exit on Valentine’s Day for trying to steal his love’s gift chocolate! We were watching with great interest but were sure to keep some distance away for fear of getting too close.
Can you imagine what it must have been like in the temple that day – IN THE TEMPLE – when Jesus, with justified rage, tipped tables over, pushed people aside, and get this – lashed them with a whip! I would have tailed it out of there like a cat on fire!
Well, maybe I wouldn’t have. We notice here that the lame and blind were not frightened away. Why? A: Only the unrepentant-guilty fled. The repentant-guilty remained behind. As God’s anger always burns against injustice and wrong, He embraces and loves the sincere heart that recognizes its need of forgiveness and grace.
None of us is worthy. But He receives us if we come in repentance! That decision – to come in repentance or not – affects the next picture of Jesus:
5. JESUS – The Controversial King!
Verse 13…
Jesus lays claim to his rightful place as GOD. “God’s house shall be called” versus “MY house”! Continues to apply pressure they society decide what it will do with him – embrace him as God or reject him as a fanatic.
It seems that the only people that saw Jesus for who he was were the blind and lame - people who had no resources of their own but needed a higher power to deliver them. Those who had most to lose in position, power or politics were the ones who rejected the message. Verse 15…
Andrew Chan (pastor of Richmond Chinese Evangelical Free Church) – Scott D. Campbell writing in The Globe and Mail (2/26/04) had this to say: I have been following the controversy over Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ with interest, so I was anxious to read Rick Groen’s review of the film (The Greatest Gory Ever Told -- Feb. 25). Mr. Gibson’s stated goal was to provide an accurate film depiction of the last days of Christ’s life based on the Biblical account. That is why Mr. Groen’s criticisms of the film seem so strange.
Most of the things on Mr. Groen’s "wish list" didn’t happen according to the Biblical account. He faults Mr. Gibson for the manner in which he depicts Jesus as being divine -- which is how the Bible portrays Him. He faults Mr. Gibson for portraying Christ’s beatings and Crucifixion as violent and gory -- which is no doubt accurate. He faults Mr. Gibson for not portraying Christ as weak and vacillating and struggling with His identity -- which is not the Christ of the Bible.
After reading the review, I came to the conclusion that, as with most works of literature adapted to the big screen, if you don’t like the book you probably won’t like the movie either.”
Jesus will always create controversy.
WRAP
Who is Jesus – to you?
- A prophet of history?
- A good man?
- A fictional character?
- Someone who heals your hurts
- Someone who forgives your sins
Who is Jesus – to you?
- May he be seen as the King of all kings
- The Lord of all lords
- Your Majesty to whom you bow in worship
