john 2.13-22

Why do you go to church?

Do you go to church because you have always gone to church?

Do you go to church because your friends go to church?

Do you go to church because they give you a free bagel and coffee before the service begins?

Do you go to church because they have the best band, the biggest video screen and the fanciest laser light show, or, in other words, do you go to church for the show and performance?

Maybe you go to church because God’s Word, the Bible, with the good news of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins is always front and center—and you need to hear that good news time and time again to get you through the day?

Now, another question we can ask is, why don’t you go to church on a regular basis?

Do you avoid church because you think it is boring?

Do you avoid church because you think it is irrelevant?

Do you avoid church because you think Christians are hypocrites?

Do you avoid church because you think it is one of the many places in the world that abuses authority to oppress you?

Do you avoid church because your 5 year old needs to play baseball or do gymnastics so that in 13 years they may possibly have a small chance at being one the few will get a scholarship to college?

Do you avoid church because Sunday is your only time together as a family?; Maybe it is your only time as a family because you are living above your means and have to work several jobs and extra hours to pay for your 3 trips to Disney World each year and all the bills for the unnecessary possessions that keep you drowning in debt?

Or, do you avoid church because you simply do not see any need for God’s love to change your life from a life that is separated from Him forever because of Sin to a life that is connected to Him forever through forgiveness of sin.

In this morning’s Biblical text, chosen for us by the lectionary—a 3 year reading plan that let’s us hear every word of Jesus and see every deed of Jesus—we are brought to the biography of Jesus written by the disciple John.

In the book of John, which is found in the New Testament part of the Bible, we are going to see and hear Jesus talk about the meaning, purpose and importance of the church for each and everyone of us.

Let’s hear from John 2.13-22 together now.

John 2.13-22 says this:

[13] The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [14] In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. [15] And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. [16] And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” [17] His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

[18] So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” [19] Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [20] The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” [21] But he was speaking about the temple of his body. [22] When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (ESV)

Looking back on this event, the disciples of Jesus that were present could have easily sung a song that was similar to Gnarls Barkley’s 2006 hit, “Crazy.”

The disciples could have sung:

“I remember, I remember when

[Jesus] lost [his] mind.

Does that make [Him] crazy?”

So, let’s first ask the question, “Does this event where Jesus pushes the tables of the businessmen over—like he just lost a game of Monopoly—make Jesus nothing more than a crazy out of control lunatic who has lost his mind?”

The answer is, “No, Jesus is not a crazy out of control lunatic who has lost his mind.”

And, to come to that conclusion let’s answer two other questions.  Those questions being, “Why was Jesus upset when he entered the temple, or, church of his day?,” “Why did Jesus chase the businessman out of the temple?”

Jesus was upset because instead of hearing prayers, instead of hearing people’s voices singings songs of praise, and instead of smelling the sweet aroma of incense and sacrifices, Jesus heard the sound of money clanging, animals mooing and cooing, and the place of worship literally smelled like crap because the animal feces was piling up all around the businessman who were trying to sell them.

Jesus was upset because God’s house, the place where people should come to hear the Word of God (the Bible) read—which reminds them of God’s love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness—,the place where people should come to pray, the place where people should come to sing praises, and the place people should come to find support and encouragement from other like-minded believers, has been converted into a market place.  

In this country we have The Mall of America.  In this morning’s text, the temple had been converted to The Mall of Jerusalem.

According to the apostle John’s biography of Jesus, which is our Biblical text for this morning, Jesus wasn’t angry at corruption and false practices, Jesus was upset with people forgetting about God’s love for them and weren’t remembering the reason for going to the temple, or, church of Jesus’ day.

The temple, like today’s church, should always be a place where we receive and remember redemption.  The Church should be a place where we are only pointed to Jesus for hope.

However, the people in the temple were not following the two greatest commandments which are love God and love your neighbor, or, as I like to put it, love God and don’t be a jerk.  

Instead, the people were following their own commandments—love myself and forget about everyone else.

Sometimes, because of human brokenness that is called Sin by God, churches today still smell like crap.

They smell like crap when you enter them because they are more concerned about selling you a cup of Starbucks and the latest self-help book in their foyer, and then selling you the lies in their sanctuary that God promises you health and wealth all the days of your life and that you have the power within yourself to become a better person, than they are about being dead honest with you about  the fact that without faith in Jesus you are dead in your Sin which means you are dead to God and separate from Him and His Kingdom of Heaven forever.

I will sell you no lie and give you no false hope from this altar today. 

Instead, I will freely give you the good news and truth that you need.

Jesus lived, Jesus died, and Jesus rose from the grave for you so that your sins could be forgiven, so that you can be credited with his perfection, and so that you could be reconciled to God in Heaven today, tomorrow, and forever.

That is all you need to be known by God and have a place prepared for you in His eternal Kingdom.  To say it is a bit differently, there is NO OTHER WAY to be known by God and have a place prepared for you in HIs Kingdom except through faith in Jesus. 

The truth is you don’t need an expensive coffee in an expensive Stanley cup, a Joyce Meyer self-help book, and a Ted Talk.  

The truth is that you need Jesus if you are going to have hope for a saving relationship with God.

And, God’s love of you is so great that He comes to you and freely gives you Jesus Christ, His Son, even while you are living in the crap and filth of Sin, making every excuse in the book to avoid Him, the Bible, and the Church, or, going to church for the wrong reasons, misunderstanding and misusing Him, the Bible, and the Church.

Sharing this good news was the purpose of the temple in Jesus’ day, and this is the purpose of God’s Church today.

Jesus wasn’t afraid of the businessmen in the temple because of their sin-filled lives and Jesus isn’t afraid of us because of our sin filled lives.  

Jesus loves us and continues to walk into our sin-filled lives and extend his nail pierced hand to us for us to take a hold of so that He can lead us back to God our Father in Heaven.

The irony of what happened on this day that Jesus entered the Temple is this:

People were committing sin in the temple when it is was the time of year—the Passover—when the temple was celebrating God passing over and forgiving sin.

About five minutes into every single morning, I find myself catching an angry or impure thought, I find myself filled with grumbling and complaining, and through the grace of God and the working of the Holy Spirit in my life, I come to complete agreement with the apostle Paul when He says this in his letter to the Christians gathered in the city of Rome during the first Century:

[24] Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. 

[1] There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 7:24-8:1, ESV)

Here’s the thing…sin doesn’t go away once we find ourselves believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  In this flesh and bones body, every Christian, and that includes every Pastor, struggles to do what’s right every single day.  

However, we know where our hope for forgiveness is found and where our strength for the day to aim to to live up to God’s standards for life and love come from—they come from God the Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, His Only Son, the in Holy Sprit working in and through us.

In a book I read a few weeks ago, the author made this unbelievable true and comforting statement:

“Christianity isn’t tidy, and neither is the church. As long as there is a church, there will be church hurt. As long as there is a cursed creation, there will be suffering. As long as there is mystery, there will be unanswered questions. But as long as there is a risen Savior, there is hope. And that’s what I want to leave you with. I want to share a story of hope.”

In 1989, long hair and leather clad bad boy rockers, Skid Row, released a song that would quickly go on to reach #6 on Billboards Hot 100.

The song was called, I Remember You, and has the singer remembering a relationship from days past that made him feel loved and cared for.

The first verse and chorus go like this:

I paint a picture of the days gone by

When love went blind and you would make me see

I’d stare a lifetime into your eyes

So that I knew that you were there for me

Time after time you there for me

Remember yesterday, walking hand in hand

Love letters in the sand, I remember you

Through the sleepless nights through every endless day

I’d want to hear you say, I remember you

In our Biblical text for this morning, we are told that when the disciples remembered the things Jesus did and said in their presence when He was on earth caused them to remember two ultimately important things.

The first thing that the disciples remember about Jesus is that He had a zeal for God’s Church.  This means that Jesus had and continues to have a great love and enthusiasm for giving us a place and a people that will help us receive and remember the good news that forgiveness and redemption are possible for those that trust in Him.

And, the second thing that the disciples remember about Jesus is that He did what He said He would do.  He was killed and He came back to life to defeat the power of sin and death for everyone of us.

In other, words, when you stand at the gates of Heaven, you can have full confidence that Jesus will look at you with tears of joy in His eyes saying, “I remember you, welcome to Paradise.”

This morning, I am thankful that you are in church, and I invite you to make a habit of attending church, whether it is here or elsewhere—as long as it is a church that is a true church having it’s priorities right—holding out Jesus alone for forgiveness, redemption, and Heaven by always keeping God’s love for you, the Bible written for you, and the gift of Jesus Christ for you, front and center.

Receive and Remember your Redemption from this day forward.

This is the Word of God for you today.

This is the Grace of God for you today.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg V.

March 3, 2024