Provoking not PC
Sermon John 2:13-22
St Augustine’s 10.30am 23rd March 2003
!!! INTRODUCTION
Politically Correct…
PC Joke
Jesus not PC –
Visiting temple – the one centre of worship for Jews.
Busy pilgrimage – Passover.
Selling animals for sacrifice.
Chases people out
Jesus isn’t PC – passionate about something
Look more at the story – then and now…
! Jesus Then
Want you to put yourself in the shoes of the disciples.
How would you feel? shouting, whip, slinging tables.
Depends what kind of person you are - Uncomfortable, embarrassed, excited.
“Why is he doing this?”
Jesus obviously seeing things from a very different perspective…
what was that perspective…?
! Knew God as a person, as his Father
v16 “Get those doves out of here, don’t make my Father’s house a market place!”
One of the most distinctive things about Jesus, called God his Father. “Our Father…”
Knew God as a person, not as some theory.
Many people today don’t recognise that. Outside the church, some people inside church too. That’s what’s on offer.
Because Jesus knew God as his Father that he got so angry.
Illustration
! Jesus and Us today
How do you feel when you read this passage?
Is Jesus someone you want to follow after reading this?
Like the disciples, a lot of us uncomfortable, embarrassed even. maybe some of us excited.
Whatever you feel, good. Glad you feel that way. The only thing I’d be worried about is if you don’t feel anything. Blank.
Why do I say that? Jesus …to provoke us. John … to provoke us.
Provoke us to think about what’s really important. central.
Sometimes we have this idea that Jesus came along to uphold the status quo, to tell people to be nice to each other.
This passage teaches us that’s totally wrong.
Jesus came to totally revolutionise people’s relationship with God. “Father”
Another bit of the story that makes that same point.
When Jewish leaders … ask Jesus to do a miracle.
Coversation about destroying the temple. 3 days. 46 years.
v21 “But Jesus was talking about his body as a temple.”
Strange
Grand scheme of things, temple isn’t that important.
There’s a way far more important than the temple. Standing here now.
Sounded like heresy at the time. (Provoke)
He was so right. 40 years after … was no temple. Jews have had no temple since then.
But Jesus is still changing people’s lives.
Jesus didn’t come to uphold the status quo. Far to passionate ‘nice’
So as Christians, as followers of Jesus we need to be willing to be provoked.
way we’ve done things in the past isn’t always appropriate
from time to time to step back and ask the question why do we do things the way we do them? services / welcome / other churches.
Clive – Challenge us to see things from a new perspective.
Think Helen will be good at that too. Willing to be provoked…
Oak Hill students. Training full of ideas about how to run a church. Some things disagree with. That’s ok, provoked to think.
!!! CONCLUSION
to finish, I want us to bring us back to Jesus.
Not way we do things, not Clive, not Helen, not Oak Hill students.
Challenge you to allow yourself to be provoked by him.
Toady, when you hear/read Bible, when you have a decision to make.
Jesus taught us about what is really central.
Doesn’t just uphold the status quo