Sermon Index
Lent 3, March 15, 2009
John 2:13-22
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus clears the Temple in Jerusalem. Let's picture what the Temple in Jerusalem was like. Maybe it was similar to some large Japanese shrines and temples. The actual Temple building was in the middle of a large courtyard. It was surrounded by walls and porches and walk ways. It was not like a church where people come inside the building to pray. Rather, people would stand outside and face the temple when they prayed or worshiped. Only the priest would enter. In this respect, it was much like many Japanese shires and temples. In the courtyard there were many activities. There were groups that met in the porches and taught the Word of God. There was a place where people could make contributions to the temple. And there was a place where people could give sacrifices to God. At religious festival times, there were booths set up where people could buy things for the festival. If people had come from far away, they could easily find what they needed. There were sheep and doves for sacrifices sold in the temple courtyard. And if people had come from a foreign country, there were booths that would exchange their money into the money used in the temple so that they could buy an animal for sacrifice, etc. It was convenient for the travelers, and it made a profit for the venders. Click here for a diagram of the Temple
But when Jesus came up to Jerusalem and entered the Temple at the Passover time, he was deeply disturbed. He came into the Temple courtyard and saw that it looked like a circus sideshow, it was like a big flea market, it was so crowded and noisy that the real business of the Temple could not be done. The real business was prayer and worship and sacrifice. It upset Jesus so much that he made a whip out of cords and drove all the merchants from the temple, and their sheep and cattle, and he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" The business activity took away from the real meaning of the Temple. The work of Jesus was to turn people back to the true worship of God. All this activity made people forget about the real meaning of the Temple. The Temple was the place where God forgave sin through the sacrifices that were performed there. With all that other activity, people could think that the Temple was only a place to make money or to have a good time. And so Jesus cleansed the Temple.
We read this Gospel passage during Lent, and we have to think about our own church/"temple." Does our church have activates that hinder the worship of God? Of course flea markets and bingo games and other things could disrupt worship if they were on Sunday mornings. If we think that the best thing on Sunday morning is the coffee hour or seeing our friends, then we have missed the point. I mean, ten years from now when we have spiritual problems, what will sustain us? "Oh, bowling with the Youth Group was so much fun! Cherry blossom viewing was so great! Because of that, now I can handle my problems!" Or, "Oh, I remember how we studied the book of Mark and saw the miracles and love of Jesus. Surely he can hear my prayers and help me now! I remember how the water of Baptism washed me of my sin. Surely Jesus will forgive me my sins and help me though this burden of guilt I have now." Church should be fun, because we are with Jesus and with our friends, but as Jesus cleansed the Temple, he cleanses our church/temple today and helps us understand that the most important thing is his love and forgiveness which he showed on the cross. In this way our church will not let other things keep us from really doing the work of God.
There was one "Temple" that did not need to be cleaned. That is the Temple of Jesus' body. Jesus said, John 2:19-22, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." 20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 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. Jesus was the Temple of God in a very special way. The definition of the word "temple" is the "place where God dwells." It is the home or house of God. The Temple in Jerusalem was the place where God Almighty met with His people and heard their prayers. Jesus was the Son of God, he was God, so of course his body was a temple! Colossians 1:19 says, "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him." But yet, there was a time when the holy temple of Jesus' body needed to be cleansed. When he was on the cross, he took upon himself all our uncleanness, all our sin and rebellion. But he cleansed it in his death and resurrection when he forgave our sin and gave us eternal life!
There is one more "temple" that we need to talk about. That temple is the temple of our bodies. Jesus is in our hearts, so we are his dwelling place, his temple. First Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "19 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; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Sometimes we think that we are our own masters and that we can do with our bodies whatever we want to. But no, we are not. Our bodies are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has come into our hearts and made us holy through faith and the forgiveness of sin. Through baptism, and the faith that we have in that baptism, God cleanses the temples of our hearts. Not just once, but daily. God does that so that things will not distract us from the proper use of these temples. That proper use of our temple/hearts is for the worship of God. It is for doing the work of God. It is for showing the love of God. It is for receiving the forgiveness of sins.
Today we pray that God will clear out the disturbances from our hearts that distract us from him, so that we can pray and worship and live in his love. We have fears and worries, we have diseases and handicaps, we have bigotry and stubbornness, and many more hindrances. Today we pray that God will clear our hearts of all these distractions. We pray that the Holy Spirit will make us holy!
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church