What’s The Difference?
The Book of John 2:13-17
The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went
up to Jerusalem. In the temple Jesus found those who
were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the
moneychangers at their business. And making a whip
of cords, Jesus drove them all, with the sheep and oxen,
out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the
moneychangers and overturned their tables. And Jesus
told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things
away; you shall not make my Father’s house a house
of trade.” Jesus disciples remembered that it was
written, “Zeal for thy house will consume me.”
The Passover is a Holy time in the Jewish faith, a time when one is
not supposed to work, a time to remember, for in the Book of Exodus,
chapter 12, verse 7, God commands:
Then they shall take some of the blood (from an
unblemished lamb, remember in the New Testament the
lamb of God is Jesus but the lamb in the Old Testament
is an unblemished four-legged lamb, as the lamb of God,
Jesus, is perfect) Then they shall take some of the blood,
and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel (Lintel: the
horizontal beam that supports the top of a window and
or door) and the lintel of the houses in which they eat.
Exodus 12:12-15a
For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I
will smite (Smite: to kill) all the first-born in the land of
Egypt, both man and beast; (God regarded the nation of
Israel as His first-born and in return for the attacks on
His first-born God killed the first-born of Pharaoh and in
killing his livestock it hurt the economy of Egypt) and on
all the gods (gods with a little “g” which is an idol) gods
of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The
blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where
you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you,
and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I
smite the land of Egypt. This shall be for you a memorial
day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord;
throughout your generations you shall observe it as an
ordinance forever. Seven days you shall eat unleavened
bread;
And Jesus became mad at those in the temple who were not
Respecting the holiness of where they were. Not in a house of the
World, but in a house of God. A house of God where one is to be in
respect to God the Father and enter in humbleness and in focus with
God, with each other, with the Holy Sprit within themselves. As I read
this scripture I remembered, remembered that a temple is not just
something made by hands to enter into and worship.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are
not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify
God in your body.
Sometimes in life we get so caught up in our temple that we forget
that if we do not take care of our physical body as God wants us to
there may be a price to pay.
In this morning’s scripture lesson, John 2:13-17, the oxen, sheep
and pigeons may be the caged animals inside of us feeling like a
piece of meat, having no worth, and for sell, caged, with no way out
to freedom.
Our emotions are the money-changers and the business is trying to
find a way in our lives to have a purpose. A purpose that can be sold
out of the temple for an escape into an addiction that turns the tables
over, our feelings and emotions that want to fly like a pigeon for sale,
and in the process we forget. We forget that we shall not make the
Father’s house, our body and our mind, a house of trade.
For when one permits their body and mind to become a house of
trade To escape this world their body and mind become consumed
and their temple, their body, emotionally, physically, psychologically,
spiritually, destroyed.
1 Corinthians 1:18-21,
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power
of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the
wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.”
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? (Scribe: an
educated person) Where is the debater of this age?
(Debater: one who is a skilled talker in this world) For
since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God
through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly (Folly:
the message that may sound foolish to some) through
the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
One morning an atheist and a legalist were talking and the atheist told
the legalist, I’ve always wanted to try bungee jumping, The legalist
replied, I have gone bungee jumping and oh what a thrill it is once you
overcome the fear of the original fall. In fact if you want to try it I have
bungee cords in my trunk and we can go over to that tall apartment
building and you can give it a try.
With the excitement of two young children the atheist and the legalist
went to the roof of an apartment complex. The legalist tied the
bungee cords firmly around the atheist ankles. The legalist then told
the atheist how to stand and push off correctly so as not to hit the
building. On the count of three the atheist with the scream of an
excited child jumped freely into the wind and bounced back up…not
once, not twice, but four times with a smile that wrapped around the
atheists face. Then on the fifth time up the legalist noticed the
atheist's mouth was bleeding and on the sixth time the atheist nose
and forehead was bleeding. Concerned, the legalist grabbed the
atheist and demanded to know what the problem was and why aren’t
you listening to me? I told you the truth! What is the problem, what
are you hitting? I told you how to position yourself so as to not hit
the building and the rope is the perfect length. What is the problem?
Calmly the atheist asked the legalist, "what is a piñata?"
The difference between an atheist, a legalist and a Christian:
An atheist often bounces up and down, not knowing what or who they
believe in, let alone why they believe in it at the moment. Then they
wonder why they get hurt and feel suspended with no support.
A legalist wants us to do exactly as they say for everything in their
world is the right way and you are wrong unless you do it their way.
A legalist seems to have problems accepting outside influences.
After all, outside influences interfere in the legalist’s need to be in
complete control.
A Christian wants to be like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in
their actions, verbally and non-verbally.
1 Corinthians 1:22-25
For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we
preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and
folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews
and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of
God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and
the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Let us remember why we have been called by God to spread to all the
Good News of Jesus Christ. For God tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:26,
that when he called us he realized that not many of us are wise to
worldly standards, nor powerful or of a noble birth. Just the same,
God chose; are you ready for this?
1 Corinthians 1:27-29
…but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame
the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame
the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the
world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing
things that are, so that no human being might boast in
the presence of God.
We all have a part in the journey to the old wooden cross in Calvary.
Our sins are the nails that will nail our Lord & Savior to the cross
After all, 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God
made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification
(Sanctification: sanctifying grace, working toward
perfection in death) and redemption; (Redemption:
salvation) therefore as it is written, “Let him who boast,
boast of the Lord.”
On this the third Sunday of Lent what do you boast on? Are you living
in the world of the dying while dying to live in eternity? Nobody knows
their death date and everyday we live serving God is a day with the
living.
This past week the Rev. Billy Graham stated that the tragedy of New
Orleans is a reminder to all that bad things are going to happen and
nobody beats death, except for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and
all need to be ready for their eternity by having a personal relationship
with Jesus as their Lord and Savior….
John 2:18-22
The Jews then said to Jesus, “What signs have you to
show us for doing this” (Cleaning out the temple on the
Sabbath as it is a place to worship God) Jesus answered
them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise
it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years
to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three
days?” But Jesus spoke of the temple of His body.
When therefore Jesus was raised from the dead, his
disciples remembered that he has said this; and they
believed the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.
What’s the difference? It’s in the word,
They lie on the table side by side, the Holy Bible and the TV Guide.
One is well worn and cherished with pride, not the Bible, but the TV
Guide. One is used daily to help folks decide, no not the Bible, but
the TV Guide. As the pages are turned, what shall they see? Oh, what
does it matter, just turn on the TV! Then confusion reigns, they can’t
all agree on what they should watch on the old TV. So they open the
book in which they confide, no not the Bible but the TV Guide. The
Word of God is seldom read, maybe a verse as they fall asleep in bed.
Exhausted and tired as can be, not from reading the Bible but from
watching TV. So then back to the table side-by-side lie the Holy Bible
and the TV Guide. No time for prayer, no time for the Word, the plan
of salvation is seldom heard, but forgiveness of sin so full and so
free is found in the Bible, not on TV.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to
Us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Let us pray,
Father God may we remember in our lives that the difference for some
may be as they look at us and see Jesus smiling back at them, see
Jesus as they look us in our eyes, see Jesus in our verbal and
non-verbal actions. And in seeing Jesus in us may they feel
the power of God’s love come over them, God’s prevenient
grace, as he woos them to His loving arms and to know
Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior. May they come
to sing the words in their lives, OH how I love
Jesus, OH how I love Jesus because
he first loved me.
Amen
"You shall not make my Father's
House a house of trade!"
Image courtesy: Christians Unite
03/19/2006JWM
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