Jesus – More then just a nice guy –
John 2:12-17
Speedy Morris is the coach of the basketball team at LaSalle University. He said one day he was in the upstairs bathroom shaving when his wife told him he was wanted on the phone by Sports Illustrated.
For the coach of a Division One basketball team that’s a great honor, and Speedy said he was so excited that he accidentally cut himself with his razor. He grabbed some toilet paper and pressed it to his face and rushed out of the bathroom so he could get to the phone.
I mean, LaSalle Basketball is not exactly in the ranks of KU or Missouri and for Sports Illustrated to be calling his program could be the highlight of the year. So with blood running down his cheek he descended the stairs two at a time. He did fine for the first few but then lost his balance and literally rolled down the last half of the stairs.
He wasn’t sure is he had pulled or broken anything, and limping he got to his feet and hurried the last few feet to the phone.
"Sports Illustrated" he asked." Yes, came the reply, "And for only 75 cents an issue you can
subscribe for an entire year."
It’s frustrating to think someone is interested in you only to find out differently. It’s tough to be let down.
-Let down by sports team…
-Let down by politicians…
Sometimes we get our hopes too high. And if a salesman or a politician or a sports team lets us down it can be irritating but when a person of faith does it, it can be devastating.
-Let down by preachers...
It’s devastating to be let down by a person of faith. And in our text today, Jesus is in a sense, devastated, let down, by people of faith more interested in money than in people’s lives.
Read Text – John 2:12-17
Before we get back to the text let me comment on the preceding verses – Vs. 1-11 tell the story of Jesus turning the water into wine.
- Show clip from Art Linkletter – Kid’s Say the Darndest Things – little girl recounting favorite story – Water to wine – “what does it teach us?” she says, “When you run out of wine, get down on your knees and pray.”
Not exactly the moral of that story, but it does record Jesus’ first miracle and he did turn the water into wine and I think there was a specific purpose in choosing that miracle. Certainly it came at a wedding banquet which was symbolic of his purpose – he came to be the Bride groom as we would become the bride of Christ.
But more then that, wine itself had three connotations in that culture.
-Joy – it was associated with celebration.
-Abundance – it signified those that possessed a great deal.
-Suffering – Not only is it produced by crushing, but even in the OT in Psalms 60 – drinking the bitter dregs of the wine was a form of divine suffering.
And all three of these, abundance, Joy and suffering would identify his ministry and his purpose.
Well jumping then to our text, we find a sharp contrast and also a lengthy jump in time. While Matthew and Luke spend chapters on Jesus birth and the calling of the Disciples, John jumps right to the heart of his ministry. And in our text we see Jesus entering the city and carrying out his wrath on those in the temple.
Now, if we put all of the gospel accounts together we find that this story takes place on a Monday. I find that interesting. And it’s interesting that this story takes place on a Monday because Monday in Jesus’ life was a lot like Monday in your life. We associate Monday with difficulty. The first day back to work, the first day back to school.
The weekend was great. Sunday was terrific, Worship, rest, relaxation. And so when Monday comes it usually comes as a disappointment. Now for Jesus, the disappointment in people of Faith actually began the night before.
It says over in the Gospel of Mark that Jesus entered Jerusalem for this occasion on a Sunday evening. And where’s the first place Jesus goes. It says he went to the temple. He wanted to see what his people of faith are up to.
What did Jesus see that evening? What did he take to bed with him that night? What visions were going through his mind? What angered him so much that for the first time in his recorded life we see the effects of that anger here on Monday morning?
And it was this, He was let down, he was disappointed by those claiming to be people of faith. The very ones closest to the temple were actually furthest away.
Two groups of people in particular angered him that day.
#1 was the moneychangers. Now in Israel People had to pay a temple tax. It was paid yearly during the Passover and it was paid at the temple.
And people were forced to pay that tax in local currency but since Passover would bring many visitors and foreigners the moneychangers conveniently set up tables to exchange foreign
currency for local money. But don’t get the idea that this was a service free of charge. The moneychangers were making a fortune doing it. In fact they were ripping the people off
and doing it right there in the temple.
Now a second group that angered him were those selling the animal sacrifices. Many people read this text and falsely assume that Jesus was angry that people were selling in the temple.
Jesus was not angry about that. This was normal. It was needed. People would travel for days to reach the temple, and once there a sacrifice of a perfect animal, usually a dove must be offered.
And People had to have some place to purchase these animals. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was that the people who were selling the animals were again ripping the people off. Charging enormous amounts for a dove because they knew the people had to have them.
(Like medicine) – (or joke about guy who turned one screw - $550 – know which screw)
That’s why Jesus says, you’ve made my house a den of thieves.
Now let me stop and say, Jesus did not lose his temper. When we lose our temper we lose control. Jesus did not lose control. This was a deliberate act with a specific meaning. He
turned over the tables, drove out those who were thieving and his message was this, don’t mess with my house. Don’t mess with my people. In particular, don’t do it in the name of religion.
Those who came in the name of religion were the very ones deceiving the people. And Jesus says, I will not stand for it. He was sick and tired then, and he’s sick and tired now of people who come in the name of Christ, yet do not live according to that name
.
Now lets step aside for a moment and observe another occurrence that happened Sunday evening and Monday morning in this story. It takes place over in the book of Mark, and while I won’t read the text, in Mark 11 we find that the cleansing of the temple is entwined with a
second episode that took place that day in Jesus life. And it involves a fig tree that produces no fruit.
As Jesus was going back and forth between the Temple and Bethany, twice he passes this same fig tree. It was a healthy looking tree, but upon closer inspection he found that this fig bearing tree was actually bearing nothing but leaves. There’s was no fruit.
And what He saw in the tree was a perfect illustration of what was going on in God’s house. People that carry the name of religion. People that, from a distance look as if they are representing or working for God, but their lives are devoid of fruit.
And what is the lesson for us? And it’s right here, God will not tolerate those that claim his name, but produce no service, no fruit to go along with it.
God has made it very clear that not much will anger him like coming in the name of religion, wearing the name Chrisitan, but not acting like one in our daily lives. It’s not an easy thing to make our conduct, our character match our name. But God takes it very, very seriously.
I was recently studying the seven churches in Revelation. And one of the churches that stood out to me was the church in Laodacea where Jesus said, I wish you were hot or cold, but your the worst thing, your wearing the name Christian but your deeds are lukewarm. Your not hot, your not cold, you play church, you come on Sunday, but the fruit is not there.
How about us? We gather every Sunday Morning and during that time. We sing 5 or 6 songs. And here’s a question, do we even live up to the words we sing.
Let’s Think about it. This morning we sang…..
Does our conduct match our name? Have we counted the cost of following and said, “I’m going there anyway because I believe in it. And I’ll follow no matter what the price.
I’ve mentioned several times recently the new movie coming out in February called, The Passion. We’re going to see a very brief clip, it’s an interview with James Cavaziel (kaveezal) who plays Jesus in The Passion – He was asked a question about his role in the Mel Gibson production, specifically if he had counted the cost of playing this role. Hollywood is not accepting this film and it could hold ramification on the careers of those involved. Listen to his faith.
Show clip
Did you catch that - career killer – okay with that. Ready to go down with the ship. He counted the cost and followed and it’s producing great fruit in his life now.
We say were Christians. Can we look in our lives and see the fruit, the service, the good deeds that match that name.
Someone has said that every church is made up of willing workers, 10 percent are willing to do the work and the other 90 percent are willing to let them do it. It should not be so. Listen to the words of this convicting poem.
I knelt to pray when day was done, And prayed, "Lord, please bless everyone;
Lift from each heart the pain, And let the sick be well again."
And then I woke again one day, And carelessly went on my way;
The whole day long I did not try To wipe a tear from any eye.
I did not try to share the load Of any brother on the road;
I did not even go to see the sick man just next door to me.
Yet once again when day was done, I prayed, "Lord, please bless everyone."
But as I prayed to my ear Came a voice that whispered dear,
’Pause, Christian, before you pray; Whom have you tried to bless today?
God’s sweetest blessings always go, By hands that serve Him here below.’"
And then I hid my face and cried, "Forgive me Lord, for I have lied;
Let me but live another day, And I will live the way I pray."
Is this easy to do? No. But nothing of value ever is. And wearing the name of Christ isn’t always easy but what an honor, what a privilege. But what a responsibility as well.
Jesus used the fig tree as a lesson. We don’t all have to have the same fruit. We don’t all have to produce the same amount of fruit. But each and every one of us as a Christian better be producing some fruit.
Look at our own lives this morning. What are we producing? What can people see as a result of my claiming the name of Christ.
Am I producing seeds of patience with those around me? Am I producing humility. How about honesty in business? What about love and respect in my family? Am I producing fruit of service here at church and out in the community.
God says, I don’t require you all to produce the same fruit, but I do require that you produce some fruit.
If we wear the name, the conduct needs to match. You say that’s too difficult. I can’t do it. I’ve counted the cost of following Christ and it’s too much. And I say turn that around for just a moment. Have you counted the cost for not following Christ? If you don’t make that decision it’s gonna cost you a whole lot more. It’s gonna cost a lifetime of pain, wandering, emptiness and one day it will cost you your soul.
It’s not an easy thing to take up the name of Christ, It’s not an easy thing, to live according to that name, and there are many responsibilities and God takes them very seriously, but oh the privilege, the honor, the reward for those that do so.
Let me close with one last point – we often focus, as we did this morning, on the anger or wrath that Jesus had towards those of faith who were cheating in his name. But really there’s a positive approach to this passage and it’s the one that John ends on in verse 17 because Jesus was not just passionate against those who were at fault. He was passionate for the House of God.
It says, “The zeal for your house will consume me.”
Jesus was passionate about the House of the Lord, about making sure that God received the very best. He was consumed with seeing God receiving honor and glory in the place that he was dwelling which at that time was the temple.
Today, the Bible is clear, God dwells in our hearts and in our lives. Are we consumed with a passion to present our bodies as spiritual sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord? Are we consumed with a zeal for making our house as clean and God-honoring as possible?
Well, we’re going to move into a time of decision.
And maybe your like me this morning, and you come asking God to help me be a little more patient with the people I don’t get along with.
Maybe like me this morning you come asking God to help me be a little more courageous in speaking for him.
Maybe like me this morning, you come asking God to help me be a little more concerned about the needs of others.
Maybe like me this morning, you come asking God to help me be a little more prayerful and disciplined in my daily life. To make my temple a place that is holy and pleasing to God.
What do you need to decide this morning? Do you wear the name of Christ but you need a church home, a fellowship of other Christians to help and encourage you. Whatever your need we invite to come as we stand and sing.
