Are You Wearing A Mask?

Doxology:

This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!

Scripture Reference: John 2:13-22

Context

The message from God that is before us today, is one of great difficulty. Its difficulty is not one of doctrinal understanding. I do not find this passage difficult to unpack or understand. Its difficulty rather comes from the challenge it presents.

This passage places across from one another the two great rivals. They stand in opposition to one another. One is of God. The other masks itself with godliness but is of the world, and therefore is the greatest threat to that which is truly of God. It is a ruse of Satan.

The two opposing forces are righteousness and religion.

Righteousness speaks of that which is right. Not right with man, but right with God. To be righteous is to agree with God on a given matter and then walk in that belief. It is to uphold His Word. It is to be in His will.

Religion, on the other hand, is nothing more than a vague attempt to appear righteous, without actually obtaining it. It is a costume that is worn so that one might pretend to be something or someone that they are not. It is a worldly attempt to seem spiritual.

In the culture of our current day, it seems as if outright rebellion against God and Godly things is the norm, but there was a point in history, the point in which many of you grew up in, that I would argue religion sent more people to hell than outright rebellion.

2 Timothy 3:5 NKJV

5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Paul tells us not to keep company with such people. Why would he say that? Because it is dangerous. It is a trap, a scheme of Satan. It is an attempt to take one’s focus away from their relationship with God, and place it rather on their relationship to man. It is an attempt to get one to worry more about how they are presented to others than how they are presented to God. It is an attempt of Satan to get you to wear a mask, to pretend, to live a lie simply so that others may perceive you as what you wished you were.

Do you know what the worst part is? If those who fall into this trap would put as much energy into actually walking by faith, as they do in pretending that they already do, they would actually be what they are pretending to be. They would not have to wear a mask anymore. They would not have to pretend anymore. They would not have to live a life that is contrary to their inner self. This is the truth that Satan knows, but wants to keep you from.

In this text, we will be challenged to let go of our religiousness, so that we might obtain righteousness. Let’s see what the Bible says:

John 2:13–22 NKJV

13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” 18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” 19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

Content

His Purpose

John 2:13 NKJV

13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

In verse 13, we see the reason for Christ’ journey to Jerusalem. It was time for the Passover. The Passover feast was commanded by God and was the most attended of all the feasts. It was a celebration. It was a time when the descendants of God’s people were to look back and celebrate the mighty hand of God upon them. It was a time to celebrate their heritage. Out of all the nations in the world, God had chosen their ancestors to be the ones who would commune with Him, be led by Him, and be protected by Him. It was their Easter. We celebrate Easter Sunday because that is when deliverance was accomplished. Passover is when God delivered them from oppression.

I find it interesting that Jesus attends this feast. From a logical standpoint, He should have been there. As a Jew, His heritage demanded it. The law of God demanded it.

But as the Son of God, this celebration was actually His own. Though the Jews did not understand it, Passover looked forward to Christ. It looked forward to Easter. God spared them through the blood of the lamb that was placed upon their doorposts. Those lambs were symbolic of the Lamb that was to come, the Lamb that would take away the sin of the world.

This Lamb would be a perfect a lamb, a lamb so perfect that another lamb would never be needed. This Lamb would serve as the Atonement for all sin, forever. This Lamb’s blood would be priceless in value and powerful beyond measure. Those who would take of the blood and apply it to themselves would escape the penalty of sin. Not for a night, nor a year, but for eternity. They would be forever cleansed. They would be forever safe. This Lamb was Jesus. John the Baptist foretold it:

John 1:29 NKJV

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

All of these people gathered to celebrate, failing to realize that the very thing they came to celebrate walked amongst them. Can you imagine what it must have been like for Jesus, knowing the truth of what was taking place and yet seeing the spiritual ignorance within them all? They had no idea what had truly happened. They were oblivious of what was to come.

But there He was regardless, right there amongst them. Watching. Listening. Observing. Waiting. His time would come, but it was not yet.

Though He is the Lamb of God, yet He attends the festival in obedience to God.

His Pain

John 2:14 NKJV

14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.

At some point, Jesus makes His way to the temple. The text seems to imply that this is where He goes first, but when He gets there, He finds that the temple has been turned into a barnyard and a bank.

Many people had to travel great distances to come to this Passover celebration. It would have made things way to difficult for them to drag many sacrifices with them on such a journey. The idea of selling animals in Jerusalem was originally meant to be a help for those people, but through the years, it had become a means of profit for the local farmers. They were selling these animals at very inflated prices and were walking away with a hefty sum of money.

These moneychangers were also there to make profit. Remember that Rome has taken over Jerusalem. When an individual paid taxes or used money in certain markets controlled by the Roman officials, they had to use money recognized by the Romans. It would usually have the face of the current emperor on it, much like our coins today have faces on them.

But when they came to the Passover feast, it was mandatory of every male, 20 years old and older, to pay a half-shekel levee for the maintenance of the temple. This money could not be Roman coinage. No coin bearing the mark of the emperor or any other heathen image could be used. They had to use Jewish coins. These moneychangers would take Roman money and exchange it for Jewish money so that these Jewish men could pay there temple tax, if you will.

Unfortunately, this too had become a means to secure profit and these moneychangers were not trading money dollar for dollar. They were charging for their service and charging rather inflated prices.

All of these services were needed, at least to some extent, so that these Jewish men travelling great distances could still adhere to God’s commandments. But in their search for religion, they lost all sense of righteousness. That is what happens. You lose the meaning behind the action when the action itself becomes the goal. These people were going through the motions of obedience, but their actions were merely outward.

They spent so much time appearing to be faithful that they actually forgot what being faithful was all about. They were giving their money to God. They were making animal sacrifices to God. They were travelling long distances to do both. But they were so far from God in their hearts that when God actually showed up, they didn’t even recognize Him.

Here was Jesus, God in the flesh, the incarnate Son of God, Immanuel, God with us, standing in their presence, and they couldn’t rationalize it.

Their pursuit of religious activity had caused their heart to be so far removed from God that they are literally distorting and perverting every aspect of this designated Holy event, and they don’t even realize it.

They are supposed to be offering sacrifices that were personal to them, so that it meant something. It was supposed to hurt. Death is supposed to sting a little bit. The Bible tells us the sting of death is sin. The penalty of our sin is supposed to be a wake-up call. When you raise that little lamb for months, carry it, feed it, name it, play with it, and then you have to sacrifice it, it hurts. Sin is supposed to hurt. It was meant to be a reality check. It was meant to remind us of our sinfulness. Our sin is so ugly, so unrighteous, and so foul that in order for it to be forgiven, blood has to be shed. That little lamb was to take our place on the altar. But they had lost all sight of that. It became nothing more than ritual unto them. They showed up, paid a price, brought it to the temple for sacrifice, cooked it, smeared the blood, ate the food, slept well in a warm, dry place, and went on about their business.

They were so removed from God that they had taken a once sacred moment and turned it into an opportunity for profit. It was profit that drove them instead of profession of their sin.

And to top it all off, they were doing all of this right inside the temple. Jesus sees this and becomes absolutely upset by it. They had profaned the most holy place on Earth. They had brought worldliness into a sacred place and defiled the Holy grounds of God. This building was about worship not wealth. It was about praise, not profit. It was supposed to be sacred, but had become sacrilegious.

Notice how Jesus responds:

John 2:15 NKJV

15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.

Instant pandemonium. Remember the host of people that would have been present. There could have been hundreds of people in the temple at this time. All of a sudden, the cows are stampeding, the lambs are running frantic, money is all over the floor; Those who brought the money, as well as those who need the money are all on hands and knees trying to pick it up; People are screaming, running, tripping over those who are knelt on the ground, running after animals. It was instant chaos.

And here is the thing, Jesus did it all. Jesus walked into this temple and by Himself purged it of all sacrilegious activity within moments. Jesus cleansed the temple all by Himself, and He did so with force. He cleaned the place out.

He goes a step further when running out those who sold doves:

John 2:16 NKJV

16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

Wow! Talking about an attention-getter. There are two very important things to understand in what Jesus just said.

He claims deity.

Last year, we did a series on the “I AM” statements of Christ. In that series, we broke down how that Jesus was claiming to be God when He called God His Father.

Up to this point in history, God had been called many names by man, but never Father. Father was a personal term. To be a Son meant that you were of the same lineage, same material, same genetic make-up. For Jesus to call God His Father, meant that He was claiming royalty.

This type of behavior will not be tolerated in God’s House.

God’s house is the place where He dwells. It is the place where He conducts business. It is the place dedicated for the praise and worship of His name. It is the place where you come into the presence of God. It is a place to be reverenced above all other places. It is a place of truth and righteousness.

He is cleansing this temple of religious activity so that righteousness can take hold. Now remember, His cleansing of the temple was a forceful thing. He drove them out with whips. Can you imagine the look on His face when this took place. It was a look of brokenness and anger all at the same time.

He is broken over what He sees and refuses to see it continue. He responds in righteous anger. Did you notice that it was Jesus against the mob and Jesus won. Their were hundreds of them, maybe thousands, and not a single one of them stopped Him. He ran through every booth, every person, untied every animal, and was whipping the whole way through. He was not tackled to the ground. He was not opposed by the crowd. No one stood in His way.

He moved with Godly power and authority in doing so.

John 2:18 NKJV

18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”

In other words, they asked, “By whose authority do you do these things? Prove to us through a sign that you are who you say you are.”

They didn’t challenge what He did. They didn’t even challenge why He did it. They challenged His authority to do it. The priests thought they had a monopoly on the temple. They were supposed to be in charge of the festivities. They were supposed to be the ones who decided what went on and didn’t go on inside the temple. Yet here is Jesus telling them that this is not gonna happen.

When they stared at Jesus with that whip in His hand, I can’t help but to wonder the feeling of conviction that rushed over them. They knew He was right. The way He moved in power and authority settled the matter. As He stared at them, it was as if He was staring past all of the fancy robes; He was staring past all of the money; He was staring past all of the positions of authority; He was staring past all of the religious stuff and gazing straight into their souls. He was crushing their system and bringing everyone to ground level. He was acting....like God.

This is what it is like when Jesus begins to work in your heart. He shows up, sees all of the religiousness in our lives and starts a whipping. Conviction sets in. He looks past all of the fancy clothes; He looks past all of the fancy houses and cars; He looks past all of the fancy Bible covers and hair dos; He looks past the money in the plate; He looks past positions and prestige.

He stares straight into our souls and begins to set things right. He begins to put things into the proper priority. He begins to dig beneath the surface.

Religion has no place in the house of God. Religion has no place in our hearts.

1 Corinthians 6:19 NKJV

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

When you chose to follow Christ, the Holy Spirit of God came to live inside of you. He is there to lead you into all truth. He is there to hold you accountable. He is there to make sure you never forget the why of what you are doing. He is there to make sure you remember the day the deity died so that your sins could be forgiven. He is there to bring conviction upon you every time religion tries to set up shop in your heart.

Listen to me, if you are no longer feeling the conviction of God in your life, it is because you have walked for too long ignoring the leadership of the Holy Spirit inside of you. God lives in you. Let Him have His perfect work. Let Him have control of your life. The only way for you save your life is to lose it. It is to give up the control of yourself to Him, so that He can lead into paths of righteousness. He will get you out of this rut if you let Him, but you gotta want it.

It pains God to see all of this religiousness in His people.....in His church.

His Prediction

John 2:18–22 NKJV

18 So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” 19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

Jesus spoke many times in parables, and when He did so, a lot of people did not understand the meaning of His teachings, if He didn’t explain it that is.

This is one of those times. Verse 22 said the disciples didn’t even understand it until He had risen from the dead. It took them 3 years to grasp it.

These religious leaders sure didn’t understand it. They thought he was speaking of the physical temple. You know the one that a couple hundred people just got beat in like they stole something.

They did not perceive that He was teaching about His own body, but that is what He was saying. That is the sign you will receive. You will kill this temple, my body, but three days later I will raise it up again.

Last week, we looked at the first miracle. In that miracle he showed us what He came to do. He came to bring transformation. He came to turn the natural into the supernatural. In this first public act of His ministry, He shows us how He is going to accomplish that. He is going to die, but three days later He will rise again to defeat death and the grave, paving the way to heaven for all of those who would believe. As we get into Chapter 3, Jesus is going to break down through detail on how all of this possible. In His conversation with Nicodemus, he will speak to the fact that men must be born again.

Commitment

Has coming to church become this monotonous thing for you? Do you get anything out of it?

Has your serving within the church become boring and dull? Have you lost the joy of serving God?

The answer is not quitting church, no more than it makes sense to walk out on a relationship just because you have lost the fire that was once there. You have to figure out what went wrong and put in time and effort and regain what was once there. This is no different.

Psalm 51:10–12 NKJV

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

The answer is crying out to God in truth and honesty. It is to fall on your knees before a Holy Righteous God and beg for restoration.

Right now is the time to do that.