Easily Distracted

Read: 

Psalm 119:9-16 and John 12:24-26 

When I travel to Memphis, which I do at least once a month, I stay with my friend, Dennis. He and I mountain bike together, we work together at a local bike shops, his dog Kodak is a best friend to my dog, Polar Bear, his house is dog friendly, and he is a hospitable guy. So, I always enjoy the visit. Typically, when I stay with Dennis, in the mornings I will wake up, make some coffee and breakfast, then watch the morning news. When I do this Dennis will typically go into his garage and clean up or work in the yard. I used to wonder why he didn’t watch the news and chat with me. A few months ago I found out why. Dennis cannot watch the news without getting mad. One morning he sat and started to watch the news and his reactions were humorous. He started yelling at the reporters! Even the meteorologist was purged into a personal fire pit with Dennis’ condemnation. He sat with me for about five minutes and waked out of the room. “I just can’t take this. I can’t watch the news without getting angry. I have things to do that make me happy.” Being that Dennis is a really good friend of mine, I laughed at him and told him that he was weird and old. However, I started doing some thinking about Dennis’ response to the news. I find myself getting angry at the news too but I don’t verbalize it. I do, however, internalize it. It is often depressing. When I watch the news and I watch television I am often distracted in regard to my plans for the day and I am often less productive.

Before the Lent Season started I did some reflecting on sacrifices that I could make. I concluded with this, rather than going into the wilderness for forty days, I am going to abstain from the wilderness. Huh? Let’s face it; “the wilderness” is a great metaphor for the world we live in today. Cat Stevens said it well when he sang, “Ooh baby, baby, It’s a wild world”. I decided to spend forty days without watching the news in the morning. I know it doesn’t seem like much to sacrifice. But when it is a large part of your daily routine it makes quite a difference when it’s not present. Since Lent is nearly over I feel that I can accurately give a summary of my experience. To easily summarize, I don’t think I am going to start watching the news again. It has been very good for me and it has given me the opportunity to focus, prioritize, learn, pray more, listen, and not be distracted by the noise from the “wilderness”.

Have you ever put much thought into the things that distract you from your relationship with God? Have you ever recognized that you were being distracted? What does it mean when we are distracted from God? I think that is the question you have to ask yourself when considering loyalty to your faith, or rather your piety. What does it mean to be distracted from God? After putting a lot of thought and reflection on this I have come to a marginal conclusion that it is when a believer starts to focus more inward than outward. I call this a marginal conclusion because there are times that a believer needs to focus on him or herself. As a matter of fact, I am a strong proponent on taking care of your self before you serve someone else because I have discovered (the hard way) that you cannot serve another person until you take care of yourself. A vessel won’t get too far if it has a hole it. A bird can’t fly if it has a broken wing. With that said, we must look inward to make sure these vessels can float the Holy Spirit into the world before we go out serving. But, think about it; when your inner self was broken down, you were not distracted from God. As a matter of fact, you were looking for someone to fix it and you knew there was refuge with the Lord.

Thus, back to the point, we become distracted from God when we look too far inward and we forget about what is going on outside of the shell. Though, the Holy Spirit lives within, the Holy Spirit’s concern is what's outside. God wants us together. God wants us to live for and love each other. In order to seek God’s desire and accomplish God’s plan we must always focus on God’s plan. I will be the first to tell you, it ain’t easy.

So, what is the problem? How do we become so distracted from our faith? What makes God’s plan so hard? Have you ever just sat and pondered that simple question? Why do we have such a hard time obeying God’s commandments? Is the fruit from the tree of life that appealing? Maybe it is not fruit that is so appealing. It might be a fat paycheck. It might be a new car, home, or some other possession. It might be a cream filled donut or a slice of pizza. I don’t know. Whatever it is, the world tells you that you need it to survive. (Why are they so convincing?) But, God tells you that you do not need it because God has already given you what you need.

So we know what distracts us from God. The next question is why can’t we just look the other way? Why can’t we just turn off the television, hide from the world, avoid people? (That is a hell of an idea!) Here is the answer: we cannot do that because that is where the mission field is. But, among this mission field we have all of these things that take our focus away from God. It’s like asking an opioid addict working in a pharmacy. Or, it’s like sending Bruce Banner into a boxing match and telling him to not let the Hulk come out. Sending a believer into the world and asking them to not be distracted from God is asking a lot. Media, the desire for wealth, anger, hate, selfishness, family issues, work problems, illness, natural disaster, war, and our culture’s persuasive rhetoric to be better than everyone else and live up to a certain standard makes living for God a hard thing to do. Is it possible to always focus on God and seek the mission of Christ during our lives here on earth? I don’t think it is. Our world has too many imperfections. However, it is possible to always try. We make never make it to the stars, but we can always reach for them. 

In Johns Gospel the writer records an interaction with Jesus speaking with a group of people. It is not certain who all was part of this group but the writer includes that there were some Greeks in this group. The Greeks were not Jesus’ people; they were not Jewish. They were mostly gentile and polytheistic. The Greeks were very attached to a certain culture that glorified by Rome. This culture was defined as Hellenistic. Wealth was paramount in this culture. You had to be a certain way and live up to a certain standard to be accepted. Sound familiar? Even the wealthier Jews were second-class to most of the Romans. So it’s odd that these people approached Jesus with the desire to meet him. They wanted to know him. Jesus says to them, “Those who love their lives will lose them, and those who hate their lives in this world will keep them forever. Whoever serves me must follow me.” Let’s break down what Jesus is implying in this message. He is not suggesting that you stop loving what God has given you and starting hating your life. That’s why it is important to look into this Greek language. Jesus is telling these folks to stop looking inward and look outward. Do not live selfishly, but rather selflessly, because that is pleasing to God. To further that request he is specific to say, “in this world”. The Greek word in the text for “world” is defined as an arrangement, constitution, order, or government. As it would seem, Jesus did not just offer a lesson; he gave them a challenge. He told them that if they wanted to please God, they had to turn away from what their culture encouraged them to do.

That is where we are at. Our culture tells us how to live. I feel that many people are distracted so far from their faith that they lose touch of it. That is the influence of the world. As I said, I don’t think it is possible to always live up to God's desire for our faith; we are too weak. But, when we make an effort we focus on the effort we are making. When we are reaching for the stars we know what we are reaching for. We find methods to this in constant prayer, actively serving our neighbors, being confident in God’s presence, and spiritual practice. Since our culture makes it so difficult, we must be intentional.

In 119^th Psalm the writer creates a prayer in poetic form. This is very congruent to a prayer that we might lift up in regard to living for God without distractions. I have interpreted it a little to help us understand the prayer:

How do we do right? By sheltering ourselves from the world?

I stray so much; is it possible to do right for you?

I try to do right so I will please you.

Teach me to do better.

I will repeat what you ask of me.

I know I can live by your laws.

I will think about you as I plan for the future.

I will be content as I live for you.

I try, I fail, I grow, I learn, and then I try again. I think this might be the vision of the psalmist. The writer knew God and what God was asking. The writer was very knowledgeable in regard to God and the Law. But the poet knew that living this life was problematic. However, he or she actively sought God’s plan.

How can you actively seek God’s plan in a world full of distractions? What distractions can you eliminate from your life? Do you need to add to or complement your faith practices? Are there activities in your life that distract you from God? Can you live without those activities? Are there certain people that you need to separate yourself from to better focus on the plan God has for you? Asking yourself these questions and genuinely wrestling with these questions is part of actively focusing on God and the mission of Christ. That is part of reaching for the goal. We may never achieve the goal but is essential to reach for it. Our Lord knows that we are weak. When do not live up to God’s commandments our gracious God picks us back up and sends us on our way. That is the Gift we have because God loves the world. Since God so loved the world, let us show God our love by making our best efforts to be focused on God’s plan.

Gentrification

Read Amos 5:18-25

Technology is not a bad thing. I love how things have been made easier due to advances in technology. But, do you ever really considered how much technology has changed in the past 50 years? 100 years? It is almost frightening. Truthfully, it is really amazing what we are able to do now due to technology. Folks, cars are driving themselves now and we will see more of it in the near future. They self-navigate when we request them to go certain places with a thing we still call a “phone”. What would Alexander Graham Bell think if he saw the iPhone? There are people born without legs that are walking as if they had legs, people born without the ability to hear or see that are gaining their senses, and cars that parallel park themselves. That's totally not fair. It took me a long time to learn how to parallel park. The day is coming when I say, “I remember back when we used to have to parallel park our own cars.” (Insert surly old man voice) 

Yes, if we think about it, it is a little frightening. But, it should be, especially when we don’t consider the potential result of it. Of course there is money to be made and saved with technology but there are also people to be detrimentally affected along with it. Technology has allowed us to shop, travel, import and export, communicate, and build unlike we ever have before. But what about the businesses that fail because of it? What about the people that lose their jobs because someone else wanted to save money? What about the people that have a gift, trade, or a talent that is no longer needed due to technology? What about the people that cannot afford to live in their homes because the price of living has increased? 

That is what Amos was so mad about. This narrative in Amos echoes through time and paints a stark reflection in our current situation. He was a concerned believer. He simply saw a problem and he had compassion for people. He was a hands-on servant of the Lord. Though, it is quite likely that he did not want to be. Amos was just a small town farmer. He was a shepherd and a fig farmer that lived about 6 miles outside of Jerusalem in the Judean wilderness. He never proclaimed himself as a prophet. As a matter of fact, he denied himself the title of professional prophet. He only did what he had to do because there were some extraordinary circumstances. He noticed some corruption and he stood up for what he knew was right by identifying the wrongs of the institutions. In his case, they were not just the political institutions but also the religious institutions. 

He was just a small town farm boy, living on the outskirts of the big city and he noticed an injustice that affected people. He showed compassion for these people even though he probably didn’t know them. Not only did he show compassion for the marginalized and poor people but he became angry enough to take action. 

So the question is, what mobilized him? What triggered him to become passionate enough to shout the echoing phrase, “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream”? What injustice did he notice that triggered his voice into action? Amos lived during the reign of King Jeroboam, who was the King of Jerusalem and King Uzziah, who was the King of Judah. These two kings were political giants. Insome ways they were good for Israel. They defeated many of their enemies and they maintained peace and prosperity for their kingdoms. They were proclaimed believers in Yahweh. They were not priests or any such title but they were Israelites nonetheless. So what was the problem? These kings developed rapid social change in their kingdoms. Since they were strong rulers and political giants they brought in loads of money and trade in Israel. They controlled trade routes and created territorial expansion into Egypt and Samaria by means of force. Basically, they developed a lot of new technology. They developed new infrastructures and extravagant homes. But, what they did not do is tend to the people that were affected negatively. These politicians that developed peace and prosperity in Israel were great for the wealthy communities and even made the wealthy communities stronger but they were hurtful to the poor people in urban settings. They created a whole new community of disenfranchised people. The rich got richer and the poor got poorer. All the while, the rich and wealthy religious people of God celebrated their expansions and celebrated their city’s growth and their new large homes and urban centers. But, they ignored the people that were left homeless from it. They ignored the people that were left to die on the streets due to malnourishment. They didn’t care about the people that were forced out of their homes due to this urban expansion. 

Amos became aware of these problems. Sometimes I wonder how he became aware since he did not live in an urban setting. He could have gone into town to sell and trade and noticed it. But, logic tells me that he came to know a lot of these people. He was on a farm 6 miles south of Jerusalem in a small town called Tekoa. Many of the people that were being disenfranchised due to economic expansion were probably showing up on his farm. I like to think he became close to them. He discovered that they were God’s people like anyone else. So begins the prophecy of Amos. 

Amos publicly speaks out to the politicians and the wealthy communities of Israel that they will be punished and they are criminals because they crush the head of the poor and push the afflicted out of the way. Speaking of God, he proclaims that a Lion has roared. He calls them cows of Bashan that get drunk and ignore the weak and the needy. They turn justice into poison and throw righteousness on the ground. So yes, “Doom to those who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light..” “Isn’t the day of the Lord darkness, not light; all dark with no brightness in it?” Amos proclaims that God has spoken these words to them, “21 I hate, I reject your festivals; I don’t enjoy your joyous assemblies. 22 If you bring me your entirely burned offerings and gifts of food—I won’t be pleased; I won’t even look at your offerings of well-fed animals. 23 Take away the noise of your songs; I won’t listen to the melody of your harps. 24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Essentially, "Because, you have ignored my people, you have done everything good for yourselves and ignored the people in need." 

Does any of this sound familiar? There is a word that is often used in regard to urban and city development called “gentrification”. It is defined as redevelopment, urban renewal, or the renovation of aging neighborhoods. We see this in a lot of major cities. A gentrified neighborhood looks great. You might see some nice restaurants, houses, art centers, urban hubs, and parks. It’s basically technology making its way through hurting neighborhoods. In some cases it is a good thing. Sounds good anyway. Some examples offer better and safer environments for kids and businesses. But, on the other side of it, it creates high property value for renters and businesses forcing them to close and/or relocate. We see this example in Nashville right now. The property value is skyrocketing and people are being forced out of their homes. Many are being forced to relocate. Some families are being split up because parents cannot afford to provide for their kids. A lot of these people receive a couple of warm burritos every Monday night before they sleep on their concrete bed. (for an explanation see UBFM.org) 

Imagine that. Someone knocks on your door and says the only way you can stay in your home is if you can pay an additional 20, 30, or 40 percent property tax. Or, if you stay here your rent will increase that much. This is exactly what Amos was angry, passionate, and vocal about. 

There is a problem and a major injustice when people are more focused on what they can get out of something with no regard to how it might affect other people. I am reminded of a movie that came out in the 80’s and maybe you have heard of it but you probably haven't. It's called Breakin. It was movie based on some break dancers. The sequel of the movie was about this group that had converted an old dilapidated building into a urban community center called Miracles. They made it a place for kids to play sports, dance, create art, and so on. But, this corporation came along and purchased the land to develop a shopping mall. The only way that the community could keep the community center was to raise twenty thousand dollars. I won’t spoil it for you. My sister and I used to love that movie. 

The bottom line is this, always be aware of how something good impacts your neighbor. Loving your neighbor as you would love yourself does include looking out for them and their well being. I get so frustrated at the attitude that says, “If it doesn’t affect me; why should I care?” 1) It most likely does affect you indirectly. 2) That is a complete contrast to a Christ-centric approach. The sin of the world did not affect God. Why should God care? What if God just gave up and moved on? But, God so loved the world that God gave the only begotten son. God also expects us to love our neighbor in the same way--whether we want to or not. 

I think a good plan of action for looking out for our neighbors is to know who and what we are supporting when we cast our votes. Do these politicians have concern for our neighbors or do they want to help themselves and an elite few. If they are going to gentrify a neighborhood do they have a plan to support the people that it affects negatively? 

The second greatest commandment that God clearly gave humanity is to love each other. Sometimes that get difficult and sometimes it requires detailed effort. But that is part of serving God. That is part of blessing God as God has blessed us.    

Repurposed Vessel

Read Genesis 17:1-7, 15,16

I can remember when I was a senior in high school, nearing the end of the year. My friends and I were so anxious for the “end”. I remember listening to Alice Cooper’s School’s Out on repeat in my truck and singing it loud with my friends. Some people such as teachers or people at work would ask me, “What are you going to do after you graduate?” My response, “There’s a really big party at Wakefield’s. Probably gonna go to that.” Then graduation came and we celebrated the idea that school was out forever. Ironically, I have been in school every since.

I think it’s funny how people, particularly young adults, think that the end of all things challenging happens upon graduation. They shortly discover that the struggle continues either with work or college. If it is college, surely the end happens upon graduating from college. Lol, No. Then other significant things happen throughout life that create this illusion that the struggle is over. Life will surely get easier and the ride will be nice and smooth from here on out. But, then intentions are crushed with new struggles. “It’s going to be nice when the kids are off to college!” Most couples will say. Or, “When I get this promotion and raise everything will get better.” “All I have to do is pay off this debt and life will be different.” “When we move to the new place, our lives will be so much better.” “When I retire I will finally be able to rest and do whatever I want.” I heard this one recently, “When the income tax check comes in we will be good to go!” Have we figured out yet that it does not really work like that? Or, is it something that we just like to tell ourselves because it creates an illusion. We are all pretty good at convincing ourselves of things that are not real. But, I want to suggest that things don’t happen the way that we think they will because we are people of faith. They don’t happen that way because that is not the will of God for God’s people. When we reach a finish line of sorts, it does not represent the end of struggle and challenge in life; it represents a new beginning. These vessels (bodies) that God uses to accomplish God’s will are simply a means for the Spirit. When one task is complete, we have a new purpose.

Abram had many purposes or repurposes for the sake of this message. It wasn’t until his late age that his greatest purpose began. It all started with a conflict that Abram and his wife Sarai created for themselves and their household. Abram was loyal to God. He was a God fearing man and he wanted no more than to serve God. God told him that his name will be blessed and many people will be blessed because of him. He knew he had a purpose. He wanted to make a great family. He wanted people to be blessed for generations because of his offspring. He wanted to create a huge family for God because God told him that he would. But there was a little bit of a problem. His wife, Sarai, could not have a baby. They lived a long time waiting for the Lord’s blessing but it would not come. They were patient for Lord. They spoke to the Lord, asking for the time to come but it didn’t.

You must understand the implications of Sarai unable to have a child. In Jewish culture your offspring means everything. Your ability to leave your mark on the world with children is your purpose. For the people in this culture, if a person was unable to bear a child they were cursed. I believe that Abram and Sarai did not see themselves as cursed because they believed in God’s timing. But, what affected them the most was how other people in their communities saw them. I can only imagine the pain they had to endure from being judged by other people. When other people saw them they might have thought, “It don’t matter how Godly you are Abram son of Terah; you and your wife are cursed by God because you cannot bear a child.” The judgment of people in their communities and people in the families they came from was probably painful. Human nature does sometimes force us to judge people unjustly even when we do not know the whole story. We do that a lot. When we see a person on the street we think to ourselves, “I wonder what they did to get there?” When we see a person struggling to get by we like to think that they must have done something to be that way. Those are the implications of the situation Abram and Sarai are in. They lived many years through this grief and pain, patiently waiting on God’s blessing. Finally, Sarai had enough. She decided that she was finished waiting on God so she and Abram took things into her own hands.

Sarai gave her servant, Hagar to Abram as a surrogate to have a child. Hagar became pregnant and of course the plan backfired. Hagar had a child but as you would guess, it created a huge family conflict. It created a conflict between Sarai and Hagar and it created a huge conflict between Abram and his wife. But, lets look at what happened. Despite what they new of God’s promise to Abram (Gen 15:4) he still did not wait. There was a lack of patience, lack of trust, and they took the matter into their own hands. The product of that was major conflict. God’s timing was right; their timing was not. Do you know how that works? You get impatient and decide you are done waiting on the right time so you make a decision and regret it. Good Lord! You hear me? I know what that’s like.

Hagar’s child was Abram’s own. But, he was a result of Abram taking matters into his own hands. Abram was at a point in his life that he had a choice to make. It had been 13 years since the birth of his son Ishmael from Hagar. He has a choice to carry on waiting with Sarai or turn toward Hagar and Ishmael. The hard part is discerning God’s will between something tangible, Hagar and Ishmael, or something based on faith, a future with Sarai. Ishmael is a temptation to trust in the fruit of his own work rather than God. Isn’t that human nature, though? Humans like to trust in what we can see rather what we believe. That idea does a heck of job manipulating our relationship and communication in God. We can’t see it; it’s not tangible. So we are attracted toward what we can see. That creates a chasm between God and us.

Just when Abram was at the point of discernment between what he could and could not see, just when the chasm between God and Abram was opening up, God appeared. God said, “I am God Almighty; walk with me and trust me. The life you have lived is not over; it has just begun with a new purpose. You are not who you were before. You will have a new name and a new purpose. People will see you differently. People will not consider you cursed. They will see you with a different purpose. The old struggle is now over and a new struggle begins. Your wife, Sarai will also have a new name and a new purpose and she will bear your child. Your offspring will be many.”

His name was now Abraham and his wife’s name was Sarah. They both had a new purpose and a new relationship with God. They made a new covenant and promise with God. God and this family belonged to each other through a promise. God ordained a new creation through Abraham. Though, there life was one way for a long time, God gave them a new purpose to live and with this purpose they had a new relationship with God.

Can you recall a time when God gave you a new purpose? Can you recall living up to that point, searching for some kind of change because you were ready for something different? You might have been thinking if I can just get past this point in my life everything will be smooth. But, then you find out that there is a whole new set of obstacles waiting in this new purpose. Some of you might be at a transition point in your life. You might be ready to move on with a new purpose. I think we can learn that God uses us in various ways at multiple times in our lives for the will of God. Sometimes we might have to live out a struggle or wait patiently like Sarai and Abram. We might even fail at waiting and take matters into our own hands. In doing this it is likely that we will cause some conflict. But, God even knows our mistakes and how to create blessings out of them. Our Lord can make good of even our failures.

When we are repurposed for the Lord we are a new creation for the Lord. We have a new purpose, a new light, we walk a new path, and everything that has happened in the past is used for the path ahead of us. When we enter that new part of our lives, that new journey or new struggle, we enter it with a refreshed relationship with God. If you live for God’s will you are a vessel for God’s plan. That is a huge responsibility but we have a promise through our Lord. We have a new covenant through Jesus Christ. We are not just a repurposed vessel; we are renewed vessel through the grace of Jesus Christ. We are the light of Christ that shines in the world and ever time we reach a milestone for the Lord, we have another ahead waiting for us.

As we know and understand, God is with us in everything we do; but I have a question to ask you, friends. Knowing that God is with you in every shadow you walk through, through every obstacle you overcome, and in each dead end the world leads you into, knowing that God is with you, are you with God? The Spirit of Christ is with you, but are you with the Spirit. Have you ever been in someone’s presence but they ignored you. It is miserable. If God is with us, how could we ignore God? We have a promise to never be alone and this promise is an unbreakable covenant. Let us always be aware of the presence of the Lord. Let us always take delight in the Lord’s presence, and always patiently trust in God’s timing. God’s timing is magnificent. If we wait for the Lord, we will be prepared for every for every step, ever journey, and ever purpose the Lord has for us.

What's Happening Inside

Read John 2:13-22

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day she was explaining to me the amount of work that she has to do at her regular job. She works in sales and she works on commission. Basically, if she doesn’t make sales, she doesn’t make money. But of course, if she doesn’t make sales, the company doesn’t make money either. Therefore, the company encourages their employees to come in to work on their days off. They encourage their employees to work even if they are sick. If they are not making sales they will eventually be removed from the company. I started thinking about the implications of that. I am always reminded of how much people sacrifice rest and Sabbath for the pursuit of money. If for some reason we were given an eighth day of the week for the purpose of rest, I feel certain most people would use it to make money. That is just one of those immoral acts that has become a cultural norm. Money has the power to do that. Give me an eighth day and I am going mountain biking!

I have learned that money has become far more influential and manipulating than any other force in this world. There are people, even people of faith, in this world that will do anything they can to rise to wealth. The great modern day empires of our world have squeezed poor people dry and made them poorer than they already were. I have to wonder if the ethical side of it ever crosses their minds. The health care industries, insurance companies, credit card companies, loan agencies, and many others thrive from taking money from people that don’t have money to pay. I see this and have to ask, what has the world come to? Many will ask, “Where is God in all of this?” I don’t think the question is, “Where is God?” God is in people that welcome God into their hearts. My question is why are people not allowing God to be present in all of this? Why are people not allowing God to do something?

When Jesus recognized the influence money had over people he did something about it. He identified the evil and rebuked it. On Passover, in the temple, he really caused a scene. You know when you are at a public event and somebody starts acting out and someone will say, “Call security; get this person out of here!” People were probably saying that about Jesus that day. He was ticked off and he was making a scene. I am reminded of this video I saw on social media recently. In a classroom full of students one young many stands up and reprimands the teacher, “Will you please teach us something?” He said. The teacher sent him to the office but before he left he carried on with his rant. “You call yourself a teacher but all you do is give out worksheets and sit at your desk and do nothing to teach us. If you want these kids to learn you’re going to have to get out of your chair, be a teacher, and teach.” You could tell that the teacher was becoming infuriated, and possibly threatened, by the student’s outburst. But, after he said what he had to say, he walked out. I am assuming he went on to the principal’s office. Part of me says this kid just got himself in a world of trouble. But, I also wish I had his courage when I was his age. People like this rogue student will make a bright difference in the world some day. It appears he was following the “Jesus influence” from Jesus’ visit to the temple on the Passover. He stood up and made a scene when he noticed something wrong. Not only was there something wrong in the temple that day, it was unethical and immoral.

Many people read this scripture and they take it as a charge to not make business at the church. It does seem that Jesus became angry at the people that were selling goods at the temple, which seems to make a clear statement that Jesus does not like for people to sell goods at the church, right? Not only that, but also this maker of peace picks up a weapon and starts swinging it around in a large crowd of religious, pious lovers of God. So, it seems that if the text has a message it would be that we should not sell stuff at church. Right? I know some of you are doing some math right now regarding the number of cookbooks we have sold in the past several years. Lol. If this is the message you took from this story, you have missed something very significant. As a matter of fact I don’t think that is the message at all. I think that is a good leap from the message in this story.

It was a busy day at the temple the day Jesus visited and made a scene. We know this because it was Passover. It was a Jewish holiday that a lot of God’s people came together for worship and faith practice. Many of God’s people traveled into Jerusalem from miles away to worship. Even the Jews that were scattered around the diaspora came to worship in the temple. So, there were many people in and out of the temple on this particular day.

When Jesus arrives at the temple the text tells us that he became angry about two things. Familiarizing ourselves with these two items of interest will change the way we look at this story. 1) There were moneychangers and 2) people selling cattle, sheep, and doves. First, who were these moneychangers? We must first remind ourselves that Israel was under the rule of the Roman Empire. The common money used in Jerusalem was Roman coin. The Roman Emperor wanted Roman coinage to be used because it was a form of propaganda. These coins depicted images of Caesar on them with inscriptions proclaiming Roman domination. They felt like these coins would influence the Jews to serve a master of money, opposed to serving Yahweh. Let us also take into account the fact that worshiping God at the temple required money. If you were unable to tithe and pay temple tax, you were not welcomed in the temple for worship. However, here is another problem for God’s people seeking to worship; the Jewish authorities in the temple did not accept Roman currency. They felt like it was an insult to God. Now, that does make sense, especially taking this culture into consideration. But, it sure made it difficult for poor people who just wanted to worship God and had no means to pay for it. So, here we have a resolution to the problem: the moneychangers. Moneychangers were people that had a wealth of Tyrian shekels, a form or currency accepted at the temple for tithing. Roman currency was worth more on the streets than the shekel but it wasn’t accepted in the temple. But wait, if I have a whole bunch of Tyrian shekels, a rare commodity needed to worship God, and it is Passover and there are a whole bunch of folks that need what I have and will give me more money for it, what do I do? Inflation. The moneychangers were selling the shekels for two, sometimes three times what they were worth. You know what its like… You have been to the movie theater and purchased popcorn and a soda. But, this was different because these people had to make this purchase to worship God. These moneychangers were taking money from poor people and using God as leverage to do it. Jesus became mad.

The story also tells us that Jesus was mad at the people for selling cattle, sheep, and doves in the temple. Why was that? Because they were making a mess on the floor? No, that’s not why. In ancient Jewish culture, to offer God a sacrifice, the believer offered an animal. The larger the animal, the greater the sacrifice. With that said, these faithful believers wanted to offer God as much as they could afford. Many of these people were very poor and they could not afford much. Let’s keep in mind that this was a huge Jewish holiday and it was a day that faithful believes wanted to offer God extra. You know how more people come to church on Christmas and Easter than the rest of the year? That is what this is like. These people wanted to offer God the greatest sacrifice because it was a special day and some of them had traveled a long way to worship at the temple on this day. So, the religious authorities sold animals to the Jewish people so they could make a sacrifice. Can you take a wild guess at what they sold them for? They sold them for so much that the people could not afford them. They forced people into debt to simply purchase a pair of doves for sacrifice. They felt like people would pay the money if they felt like they were doing it for God. The poor people would even put themselves in debt for as long as needed to please God. To make things worse, the people in charge of this whole scheme were the elders and religious leaders. Who got mad? Jesus.

In the midst of all of God’s people lifting up their best to the Lord and praising God and giving their very last cent to God a commotion broke out! Coins of all types go rolling across the temple floor, tables broken and overturned, the doves get loose and start flying around, and this madman starts snapping a whip at the people working in the temple! Call security! The authorities show up and reprimand him. “Who do you think you are doing this?!” They ask. Jesus replies, “Destroy this temple in three days and I’ll raise it up.” They didn’t get it. He was talk about himself. Imagine Jesus pointing at himself and saying, “You will destroy me in three days and I will rise.”

Hmm. This temple… This story doesn’t have anything to do with people making business in the place of worship. Though it’s very important, this story doesn’t have anything to do with what’s going on inside our churches. What this story is addressing is our “temples” and what’s happening inside. It’s addressing what is happening in our hearts and it is addressing how we are using it to help or hurt our neighbors. The story is addressing the lives we live and how we are using them for or against the will of the Spirit. The Jewish authorities were using the temple to marginalize poor people further than they already were. They were using God to hold people underfoot. They were hurting people who were already hurt and they were using God’s name to do it. Jesus became very angry because of how these people were using the temple and faith practices to weaken the people that wanted nothing more than to be loved by God. They wanted to show their love for God and receive God’s love and blessings in return. But, the world took their love and desire for God and used it for its own benefit, to make money. How can we use our temples to do the opposite? How can we show the love of Christ with these temples?

We can still find the ethic of the moneychangers in our world today. Actually, there is a lot more of it today then there ever has been. It is far more complex than ever and people have found ways to mask what it really is. Can we live ethically? Can we pursue the ethics of Christ and make a difference in the world. Can humans set their love for money aside for the sake of their neighbor? Or, will we live always trying to make a buck off of the less fortunate.

It is my hope for the world that more people will stand up and flip over tables. I hope that more people will say, “If you are going to be a teacher then get up and teach!” I hope that people will identify evil when they see it and point out wrongs when they are happening. And I hope that people will use their temples to serve their neighbors rather than using their neighbors to serve their temples. The Spirit of Christ is with us and it gives me hope. I have hope for the world. I believe the world can change. Do you?