Jesus Disrupts Our Sinful Lives For Our Good based on John 2:13-22

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

Grace to your and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Things that disrupt. Winter storms can disrupt travel plans. Especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas, winter storms can cancel lots of flights. People that want to fly to other states to visit relatives can end up changing their plans due to cancelled flights. Cancelled flights can cause a lot of problems for people. Hurricanes and tornadoes can disrupt things. Protestors can disrupt meetings. Children can be disruptive in school. Times of illness and suffering can disrupt our lives as well.

II. Jesus disrupts in John 2:14-15. In our Gospel lesson in John 2 Jesus seems to be disrupting things. John 2:14-15 tells us, “In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 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.” Today we see a different side of Jesus. We are used to thinking of Jesus as calm and under control. We sing about the birth of Jesus being away in a manger and no crying He makes. We hear about Jesus being in the temple asking impressive questions of the religious leaders when He was 12 years old. We think of Jesus as the One who changed water into wine at a wedding reception. We think of Jesus amazing people with the parables He told and the way He answered trick questions.

III. A different side of Jesus is shown. Today we hear about Jesus making a scene in the temple area. He took His time to make a whip wrapping cord around cord. Jesus did not ask politely for the men selling oxen and sheep and pigeons to leave the temple area. Jesus drove them all out of the temple area with their animals and birds. Jesus knocked over their tables and coins were scattered over the floor. This is not the way we usually think of Jesus.

IV. What about loving enemies? You might be thinking that Jesus was not behaving well here. We are supposed to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, right? We are supposed to speak the truth in love. We are supposed to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Yes, all those things are true.

V. Not a different Jesus. Yet this is not a different Jesus. This is the same Jesus who acted out of love and mercy throughout His earthly ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing. This is the same Jesus who came to save those lost in their sins.

VI. This is our disruptive Jesus. He came to show love to sinners and wrongdoers by disrupting their lives. He came to love His enemies by disrupting their lives. He came to point out the problems that arise when people sin and do wrong without thinking about what they are doing. This is the same Jesus that disrupts our lives, so that we see how serious our sins and wrongs are in God’s sight.

VII. Why did Jesus do what He did in the temple area? John 2:15-16 tells us, “And he told those who sold the pigeons, 'Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.' His disciples remembered that it was written, 'Zeal for your house will consume me.’” Zeal for His Heavenly Father’s house consumed Jesus. He had human emotions like we do. His love for His Heavenly Father and the temple built to honor His Father caused Him to clear the temple area. Jesus did not want the house of His Father to be known as a house of trade. The people in the temple area who sold animals and birds for sacrifices were cheating the people by overcharging them. Jesus could not allow that to continue.

VIII. Read John 2:18-20 and comment. The men at the temple area did not like what Jesus was doing. John 2:18-20 continues, “So the Jews said to him, 'What sign do you show us for doing these things?' Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' The Jews then said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?’”

They did not understand what Jesus meant about destroying the temple. They thought Jesus was talking about someone destroying the building of the temple and that he would rebuild the temple in three days.

IX. Read John 2:21-22 and comment. John 2:21-22 tells us the true meaning of Jesus’ words, “But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 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.”

Jesus was referring to the heart of the Gospel message. Jesus was pointing to the main reason He came into the world. Jesus knew that the only way to fix the problem of sin and wrong in the world was to allow Himself to be nailed to a wooden cross for the sins and wrongs of all people. Jesus came to offer up His body on the cross as a once-for-all sacrifice for the sins and wrongs of all people. Jesus also knew that His body would be placed in a tomb, but on the third day His body would be raised in victory over sin, wrongdoing, death, and the devil. Jesus came to disrupt things in our lives for our good. He wants us to be with Him in heaven one day. He wants us to live for Him and not for ourselves.

X. Read 1 Corinthians 1:21-25 and comment about how Jesus continues to disrupt our sinful lives today. Our Epistle lesson in 1 Corinthians 1:21-25 lets us know, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Jesus continues to disrupt our sinful lives today. He wants us to know that sin and wrongdoing is not good for us. He wants us to repent in sorrow over our many sins and wrongs. He wants us to believe that we are saved through trusting in Christ crucified for us. He wants us to tell others the Gospel good news that they too can be saved through trusting in Christ crucified as well. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.