BUILDING PROJECT

#1 · April 10, 2006, 8:01 am

Quote from Forum Archives on April 10, 2006, 8:01 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
BUILDING PROJECT

April 9, 2006

TEXT: John 2:13-25

Last Sunday, the Scriptures taught us that Jesus had a clear vision about his mission. Specifically, Jesus taught his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16:21) Even though he meant well, Peter ended up being on the wrong side of Jesus when he tried to persuade him that such things would never happen to Jesus. Peter was told in no uncertain terms that he could not stand in the way of Jesus. Jesus was not about to allow his vision to become unfocused by anyone else, not even his closest friends.

As a result, Jesus and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem, where they quickly became entangled in confrontations with the religious leadership. After about three years of public ministry, it was clear that the Pharisees, Sadducees, teachers of the law, and others were on the opposite end of the spiritual spectrum from Jesus. On the one hand, Jesus commended them for their zealousness to serve God. They did have a deep desire for obedient Godliness. On the other hand, Jesus rebuked them harshly because their zeal most often worked out to be burdensome to the very people God intended to reach. So the confrontation that has become known as the cleansing, or clearing, of the temple is not a big surprise to informed believers.

Before turning our attention to the specific verses in John 2, I need to point out the context of this encounter in general. All four of the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - include an account of the cleansing of the temple. Matthew, Mark, and Luke make it clear that this encounter took place after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. John, however, includes the encounter very early in his account of Jesus ministry and does not mention it when he writes about those final days. As a result, this has become one of those places in the Bible where skeptics cry, Aha! There are errors in the Bible! See, you really cant trust it; its just a made-up story after all. I have plans to address at greater length some of those accusations about the unreliability of the Bible in a few weeks, especially in light of the popularity of a fiction novel and a movie coming out about it (i.e., The DaVinci Code), so for now, I will make some quick observations about this.

First, it is possible, and some scholars have held to this, that Jesus cleared the temple more than once. If so, then the difference between John and the other three authors is not significant. There are problems with this thought, though. Driving the money changers from the temple is considered such a significant event that scholars believe that it is one of the reasons why the religious officials sought to put Jesus to death. If Jesus had done this at an earlier time, why would they not have seized him then? Nevertheless, it could be possible that Jesus drove out the sellers and money changers more than once.

Second, there was no requirement for the Gospel writers to record Jesus life and ministry in chronological order. In fact, each author wrote about something in Jesus life that does not chronologically match the same event in another Gospel. They tended, rather, to place events or teachings where it fit into the context of their thought. This is not indicative of Biblical error or conflict. This is a literary style and device that has been used by authors for centuries. In fact, while Johns Gospel places Jesus in Jerusalem on occasions prior to his final visit, Mark records only his last visit to Jerusalem. Marks account of Jesus driving out money changers and others could only logically be placed after the triumphal entry. At any rate, I am placing todays text in the context of Jesus final trip to Jerusalem prior to the crucifixion.

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. In accordance with the system of sacrifices established by God, the people of Israel were to bring from their own flocks the best animals for the sacrifice. Quite clearly, those instructions were given to a community of people who were not spread out. After the release from Egypt, when the tribes of Israel were established, including the priesthood, the people lived and traveled in one large community. And they raised flocks of sheep, cattle, and other livestock. They also built altars for the sacrifice at the locations they were at. The sacrifice they were to make, then, was very personal.

Over the years, however, they became a dispersed people. There had also been erected the Temple in Jerusalem, that centralized place of worship. The sacrificial system became more complex, and with complexity came human ingenuity to solve problems for God. Since not everyone raised livestock, and since worshipers had to travel such great distances to reach Jerusalem, then their animal sacrifice could be purchased at the source. Likewise, they could exchange their common currency for the money accepted at the Temple. Those were probably well-intended services in the beginning. As the Life Application Bible Commentary states, what had begun as an informal farmers market along the road coming into Jerusalem had gradually become institutionalized until it took up the very place of worship Besides that, they had set up shop in the Court of the Gentiles, making it so full of merchants that foreigners found it difficult to worshipand worship was the main purpose for visiting the temple. With all the merchandising taking place in the area allotted for the Gentiles, how could they spend time with God in prayer? (John, Life Application Bible Commentary, Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1993, Electronic Edition STEP Files, Findex.com, Inc., 2002)

History also teaches that the merchants and money changers were dishonest. They charged much more than the animals were worth and much higher rates for exchanging foreign currency into the approved currency. But devoted followers of God had to have these items, so what else could they do? And the very spiritual leaders charged with caring for Gods people allowed and encouraged these improper business practices to take place in the very courts of the Temple! No wonder Jesus made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area. No wonder Jesus says, Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Fathers house into a market! Clogging up worship space with greedy vendors was certainly not what God had in mind for His Temple.

Yet, before we run off and make sure that we do not engage in commerce in our church and dust off our hands and say, There, weve kept ourselves pure, we need to read the rest of this account. Then the Jews demanded of him, What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this? Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days. That would be some miraculous sign, indeed! No wonder the Jews were incredulous.

Let us not miss the point like the Jews did. True, Jesus cleansed the temple of the merchants and money changers, but he was not embarking on a reformation project. He was not merely trying to return temple worship to some lost good old days. Jesus was embarking on a building project. Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.

Yes, those to whom he spoke were confused by this. Yes, they scoffed at him. Their temple was a beautiful structure. Even though it was more than five hundred years old, remodeling had been begun forty-six years ago by Herod the Great. It was bigger and greater than ever. Rebuild it in three days? It was improbable that anyone could even tear it down in three days!

The advantage we have is called hindsight. A lot of things are made clear after the fact. Jesus was not referring to the physical temple in which they stood. In fact, Jesus was not interested in that temple at all. At least not for spiritual purposes. He was not reforming temple worship. He was replacing it all with a new building. And that new building was, of course, his very body. Jesus did not just drive out the sellers of livestock and money changers; he drove out corrupt worship practices; he drove out hypocrisy; he drove out the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the teachers of the law who replaced Gods compassion for his people with man-made regulations; he drove out the priests; he tore the curtain in two so that every man, woman, and child - Jew and Gentile - could personally bow before the throne of God to beg for and receive Gods mercy. That was - and is - Jesus building project.

So the point is not whether we refrain from having occasional rummage sales or fund raiser dinners or auctions or any other commerce activity in our church today; the point is that we recognize that Jesus is not interested with us replacing the temple with some other building. Dont get me wrong. Like you, I love my church building. I love being kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I love the facilities we have added to enhance our worship experiences. I love my office, even though I need to clean it up a bit. I know that all of you who have been members here for decades have poured a lot of your personal time, effort, and money into this church building. But the building and the church are two separate, distinct things. Jesus came to replace the temple, not reform or rebuild the temple. But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. Paul wrote this after instructing believers to avoid the specific sin of sexual immorality, but it also applies to broader aspects of our life. We know this because Jesus replaced the temple with his very body. No Christian has ever had to go to the Jerusalem temple in order to complete some form of sacrifice. No Christian has ever had to go to the Jerusalem temple in order to submit himself or herself completely to the priest. No Christian has ever had to go to the Jerusalem temple in order to complete any part of the faith in order to completely activate Gods saving mercy. No Christian has ever had to do any of this because Jesus building project was complete, once and for all. The temple has been replaced by Jesus himself. >From that, and from that alone, it follows that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit; we are the church!

What does that mean, then? I am certain that many of you already know. When we are here, we are at church - in a church building. When we are home, we are at church - in our home. When we are at work, we are at church - in our workplace. Wherever we are, we are at church. And, as if that is not overwhelming enough, whatever we do, we are at church. If we are feeding the poor, we are at church. If we are cheating someone out of money, we are at church. If we are lying to the boss, or our parents, we are at church. If we are sharing a personal testimony of faith, we are at church. Are we getting the picture here? We - you and I - healthy or unhealthy, wealthy or poor, happy or depressed, active or inactive are at church. We are the church!

As amazing and as mind-boggling as Jesus response was to the Jews seeking a miraculous sign - Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days - imagine how much more amazing and mind-boggling it would have been had they known the whole story! No wonder Jesus was opposed. No wonder they sought ways to get rid of him. No wonder they hauled him into their contrived court to falsely accuse and convict him. No wonder they incited the crowds to yell, Crucify him! Jesus - innocent, righteous Jesus - was destroying their world and their work with his building project. And they could not have that. What they did not know, though, was that they could not stop him. But thats best left for another day: next Sunday, to be exact.

Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days. The Jews replied, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days? But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana
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Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

BUILDING PROJECT

April 9, 2006

TEXT: John 2:13-25

Last Sunday, the Scriptures taught us that Jesus had a clear vision about his mission. Specifically, Jesus taught his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16:21) Even though he meant well, Peter ended up being on the wrong side of Jesus when he tried to persuade him that such things would never happen to Jesus. Peter was told in no uncertain terms that he could not stand in the way of Jesus. Jesus was not about to allow his vision to become unfocused by anyone else, not even his closest friends.

As a result, Jesus and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem, where they quickly became entangled in confrontations with the religious leadership. After about three years of public ministry, it was clear that the Pharisees, Sadducees, teachers of the law, and others were on the opposite end of the spiritual spectrum from Jesus. On the one hand, Jesus commended them for their zealousness to serve God. They did have a deep desire for obedient Godliness. On the other hand, Jesus rebuked them harshly because their zeal most often worked out to be burdensome to the very people God intended to reach. So the confrontation that has become known as the cleansing, or clearing, of the temple is not a big surprise to informed believers.

Before turning our attention to the specific verses in John 2, I need to point out the context of this encounter in general. All four of the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - include an account of the cleansing of the temple. Matthew, Mark, and Luke make it clear that this encounter took place after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. John, however, includes the encounter very early in his account of Jesus ministry and does not mention it when he writes about those final days. As a result, this has become one of those places in the Bible where skeptics cry, Aha! There are errors in the Bible! See, you really cant trust it; its just a made-up story after all. I have plans to address at greater length some of those accusations about the unreliability of the Bible in a few weeks, especially in light of the popularity of a fiction novel and a movie coming out about it (i.e., The DaVinci Code), so for now, I will make some quick observations about this.

First, it is possible, and some scholars have held to this, that Jesus cleared the temple more than once. If so, then the difference between John and the other three authors is not significant. There are problems with this thought, though. Driving the money changers from the temple is considered such a significant event that scholars believe that it is one of the reasons why the religious officials sought to put Jesus to death. If Jesus had done this at an earlier time, why would they not have seized him then? Nevertheless, it could be possible that Jesus drove out the sellers and money changers more than once.

Second, there was no requirement for the Gospel writers to record Jesus life and ministry in chronological order. In fact, each author wrote about something in Jesus life that does not chronologically match the same event in another Gospel. They tended, rather, to place events or teachings where it fit into the context of their thought. This is not indicative of Biblical error or conflict. This is a literary style and device that has been used by authors for centuries. In fact, while Johns Gospel places Jesus in Jerusalem on occasions prior to his final visit, Mark records only his last visit to Jerusalem. Marks account of Jesus driving out money changers and others could only logically be placed after the triumphal entry. At any rate, I am placing todays text in the context of Jesus final trip to Jerusalem prior to the crucifixion.

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. In accordance with the system of sacrifices established by God, the people of Israel were to bring from their own flocks the best animals for the sacrifice. Quite clearly, those instructions were given to a community of people who were not spread out. After the release from Egypt, when the tribes of Israel were established, including the priesthood, the people lived and traveled in one large community. And they raised flocks of sheep, cattle, and other livestock. They also built altars for the sacrifice at the locations they were at. The sacrifice they were to make, then, was very personal.

Over the years, however, they became a dispersed people. There had also been erected the Temple in Jerusalem, that centralized place of worship. The sacrificial system became more complex, and with complexity came human ingenuity to solve problems for God. Since not everyone raised livestock, and since worshipers had to travel such great distances to reach Jerusalem, then their animal sacrifice could be purchased at the source. Likewise, they could exchange their common currency for the money accepted at the Temple. Those were probably well-intended services in the beginning. As the Life Application Bible Commentary states, what had begun as an informal farmers market along the road coming into Jerusalem had gradually become institutionalized until it took up the very place of worship Besides that, they had set up shop in the Court of the Gentiles, making it so full of merchants that foreigners found it difficult to worshipand worship was the main purpose for visiting the temple. With all the merchandising taking place in the area allotted for the Gentiles, how could they spend time with God in prayer? (John, Life Application Bible Commentary, Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1993, Electronic Edition STEP Files, Findex.com, Inc., 2002)

History also teaches that the merchants and money changers were dishonest. They charged much more than the animals were worth and much higher rates for exchanging foreign currency into the approved currency. But devoted followers of God had to have these items, so what else could they do? And the very spiritual leaders charged with caring for Gods people allowed and encouraged these improper business practices to take place in the very courts of the Temple! No wonder Jesus made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area. No wonder Jesus says, Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Fathers house into a market! Clogging up worship space with greedy vendors was certainly not what God had in mind for His Temple.

Yet, before we run off and make sure that we do not engage in commerce in our church and dust off our hands and say, There, weve kept ourselves pure, we need to read the rest of this account. Then the Jews demanded of him, What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this? Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days. That would be some miraculous sign, indeed! No wonder the Jews were incredulous.

Let us not miss the point like the Jews did. True, Jesus cleansed the temple of the merchants and money changers, but he was not embarking on a reformation project. He was not merely trying to return temple worship to some lost good old days. Jesus was embarking on a building project. Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.

Yes, those to whom he spoke were confused by this. Yes, they scoffed at him. Their temple was a beautiful structure. Even though it was more than five hundred years old, remodeling had been begun forty-six years ago by Herod the Great. It was bigger and greater than ever. Rebuild it in three days? It was improbable that anyone could even tear it down in three days!

The advantage we have is called hindsight. A lot of things are made clear after the fact. Jesus was not referring to the physical temple in which they stood. In fact, Jesus was not interested in that temple at all. At least not for spiritual purposes. He was not reforming temple worship. He was replacing it all with a new building. And that new building was, of course, his very body. Jesus did not just drive out the sellers of livestock and money changers; he drove out corrupt worship practices; he drove out hypocrisy; he drove out the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the teachers of the law who replaced Gods compassion for his people with man-made regulations; he drove out the priests; he tore the curtain in two so that every man, woman, and child - Jew and Gentile - could personally bow before the throne of God to beg for and receive Gods mercy. That was - and is - Jesus building project.

So the point is not whether we refrain from having occasional rummage sales or fund raiser dinners or auctions or any other commerce activity in our church today; the point is that we recognize that Jesus is not interested with us replacing the temple with some other building. Dont get me wrong. Like you, I love my church building. I love being kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I love the facilities we have added to enhance our worship experiences. I love my office, even though I need to clean it up a bit. I know that all of you who have been members here for decades have poured a lot of your personal time, effort, and money into this church building. But the building and the church are two separate, distinct things. Jesus came to replace the temple, not reform or rebuild the temple. But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. Paul wrote this after instructing believers to avoid the specific sin of sexual immorality, but it also applies to broader aspects of our life. We know this because Jesus replaced the temple with his very body. No Christian has ever had to go to the Jerusalem temple in order to complete some form of sacrifice. No Christian has ever had to go to the Jerusalem temple in order to submit himself or herself completely to the priest. No Christian has ever had to go to the Jerusalem temple in order to complete any part of the faith in order to completely activate Gods saving mercy. No Christian has ever had to do any of this because Jesus building project was complete, once and for all. The temple has been replaced by Jesus himself. >From that, and from that alone, it follows that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit; we are the church!

What does that mean, then? I am certain that many of you already know. When we are here, we are at church - in a church building. When we are home, we are at church - in our home. When we are at work, we are at church - in our workplace. Wherever we are, we are at church. And, as if that is not overwhelming enough, whatever we do, we are at church. If we are feeding the poor, we are at church. If we are cheating someone out of money, we are at church. If we are lying to the boss, or our parents, we are at church. If we are sharing a personal testimony of faith, we are at church. Are we getting the picture here? We - you and I - healthy or unhealthy, wealthy or poor, happy or depressed, active or inactive are at church. We are the church!

As amazing and as mind-boggling as Jesus response was to the Jews seeking a miraculous sign - Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days - imagine how much more amazing and mind-boggling it would have been had they known the whole story! No wonder Jesus was opposed. No wonder they sought ways to get rid of him. No wonder they hauled him into their contrived court to falsely accuse and convict him. No wonder they incited the crowds to yell, Crucify him! Jesus - innocent, righteous Jesus - was destroying their world and their work with his building project. And they could not have that. What they did not know, though, was that they could not stop him. But thats best left for another day: next Sunday, to be exact.

Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days. The Jews replied, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days? But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Rev. Charles A. Layne
First Baptist Church
Bunker Hill, Indiana

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