A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, Given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, March 15, 2009
Exodus 20: 1 – 17; Psalm 19: 7 - 14; Romans 7: 13 – 25; John 2: 13 – 22
If Lent must be that time when we confess our sins, may I confess one of mine to you this morning: I am a procrastinator! Sometimes, I can be absolutely stubborn to a fault in putting off something I ought to get done. Usually, this put-off task is a very simple one, a task that could be taken care of in a matter of minutes. But, for some reason or another, I’d much rather think about tackling that chore time and again, rather than to spend a whole lot less time actually doing it.
People are funny that way, aren’t they? (Can you relate to this state of affairs?)
With me, the task that gets shoved further and further back on my “do list” often involves taking care of a stack of papers that tend to accumulate, sitting on my desk, or on a file cabinet, reaching higher and higher into the room.
But, suddenly, I manage to find some motivation, and I will dive into that pile of accumulated documents. In the process, I get some “spring cleaning” done, putting things away so that they can be found later on, and often – in the process – throwing some things into the recycling pile. As I chuck things into the recycling bin, I sometimes wonder two things:
- Why did I save some of these things, for they clearly no longer serve any purpose?
- Why is it that that pile of paperwork takes on a life of its own, often crowding out more important things that I could be doing (if I didn’t put off taking care of my “spring cleaning” chores)?
Today’s gospel reading, John’s account of the Cleansing of the Temple, involves some “spring cleaning.” [1]
Here, we see Jesus “cleaning house” in His Father’s house, the Temple in Jerusalem.
Before we take a closer look at this passage and event, it’s especially important that we notice the context of this event as it is placed in John’s gospel account:
Notice, to begin with, that John places the Cleansing of the Temple at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Only the miracle at the wedding in Cana precedes this event. Jesus, John tells us, has made His way to Jerusalem to take part in the great feast of Passover. [2]
Jesus’ actions in cleaning out the impure aspects of Temple life and activity – the selling of animals which would be used in Temple sacrifices – set the stage for a confrontation with the Jewish establishment[3] that would culminate in that same establishment’s decision to get rid of Jesus.[4]
I think it’s safe to say that John wants us to understand some things by his deliberate placing within his gospel account of this event:[5]
- Jesus works within the religious system of His day (He was, after all, an observant Jew). That is His purpose in attending each of the three Passovers that John records. Moreover, Jesus refers to the Temple as “my Father’s house”, thereby confirming His appreciation of it as a proper place for worship.
- Jesus comes to purify the people of God (the Jews),
- Jesus also comes to establish a new relationship with God, one that is not dependent on worship at a particular place.
The momentum begun with the raising of the whip of cords that Jesus’ holds extends throughout the Fourth Gospel. In chapter four, Jesus will sit with the woman of Samaria at Jacob’s Well. In the course of their conversation, the woman asks Jesus about a burning question, which has become the source of deep contention between the Jews and the Samaritans, saying, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,[6] but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”[7]
In response, Jesus begins to establish a new way of relating to God. He says to the woman, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem…..a time is coming, and has now come, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.”[8]
And so, Jesus drives to the heart of the matter of worship:
- The Temple (and the holy mountain associated with it) is absolutely unimportant when it comes to worshipping God.
- Jesus affirms that purity of heart is the key to proper worship of the Father.
But what about that magnificent Temple in Jerusalem, which was – at the time that Jesus upset the tables of the money changers – still unfinished[9] ? What about that center of worship and Jewish identity?
Apparently, it had taken on an importance of its own.
It had become an end in itself.
Like the piles of papers in my opening illustration, papers which had taken on a focus that wasn’t properly there to be the center of my attention, the Temple’s magnificence, and its deep connection with Jewish national identity and pride, had become an end in itself, a focal point by itself.
Regarded properly, the Temple should have pointed beyond itself to God.
But, apparently it didn’t.
The Temple had become a place of business, in which the coinage of the Roman Empire was changed into acceptable local currency so that the images on the coins would not enter the holiest portions of the Temple grounds (in violation of the second commandment[10] of the Ten Commandments). In the process, the Temple priests’ families made a good living off the business transactions that took place as Roman coins were collected and exchanged for Temple currency.
In truth, we have to admit that human beings don’t change much down through the centuries. (The unchanging realities of human nature form the basis upon which Holy Scripture has authority to speak to us, for we face the same challenges as the peoples of ancient days did.)
For, just as the Jews of Jesus’ day focused on the Temple’s magnificence, and on its position as a “rallying point” for Jewish national identity and hope, so can we focus on any number of things that are associated with the Church, to the exclusion of a proper focus on God. Let me cite some examples to illustrate the point:
- Church buildings: Can become the definition of what the Church is. Often, when people say the word “church”, they are thinking of the buildings that are used by a local congregation.
- Liturgy: Can become the focal point of Sunday morning worship, and especially proper liturgical form,[11] etc.
But the purpose of our church buildings, and especially with the beauty of them, is meant to point beyond themselves to God, who is the hidden reality behind the unique architecture of a church building and the distinctive character of its furnishings.
The purpose of our liturgical worship is to point beyond the beauty and style of our wonderful Anglican worship to the God who is properly to be the focus of that worship.
Perhaps some “spring cleaning” is in order!
Maybe we should use today’s gospel reading to prompt our own reflection into our attitudes toward the tools which are meant to be used to appreciate and worship God.
For the “true worshippers must worship the Father in spirit and in truth.”
AMEN.
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[1] Quite literally, for Jesus’ Cleansing of the Temple took place during the Feast of Passover, which occurs annually in March – April.
[2] John narrates three Passover events that took Jesus to Jerusalem. It is from these three Passovers, as they are found in John’s gospel, that cause scholars to believe that Jesus’ ministry was three years’ long. Put together with Luke’s comment that Jesus’ public ministry began when He was about 30 years old, scholars then have come to the conclusion that Jesus was about 33 years old when He was crucified and resurrected.
[3] We must be clear that, when John uses the term “The Jews” in his gospel account, he is referring to the leadership of the Jewish people, and not to the people themselves.
[4] See John, chapters 18 – 19.
[5] The three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) place the Cleansing in Holy Week, and they assign a connection between this event and the decision – made by the ruling elite – to get rid of Jesus. John’s cause for Jesus’ death (see Chapter 11) is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It is not impossible to think that Jesus may have driven the money changers and the animals out of the Temple on more than one occasion, though the Gospels to not shed any light on such an idea. If He did take such drastic action more than once, no doubt the Temple authorities would have been on the watch for Him. (This last is pure speculation on my part.)
[6] Mount Gerizim, located southwest of the city of Sychar, where this conversation took place.
[7] John 4: 20
[8] John 4: 21, 23
[9] The Temple was not completed for another 20 or so years after Jesus’ resurrection.
[10] The prohibition against “graven images”
[11] For example: Things that might capture our focus and interest could be: 1. Is the priest doing the proper movements during worship; 2. Do people observe the rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer; 3. What version of the Prayer Book is being used, or what Rite is being used; 4. What music is being used to support the worship, e.g.
