Disturbing Worship

John places the temple cleansing early in Jesus’ ministry, but Matthew (21), Mark (11), Luke (19) place Jesus entering the temple late - after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem during his last week on earth.

Matt, Mark, Luke got chronology wrong

John got chronology wrong

Two temple cleansings

Either way, John claims “after this” to tie the two stories together, but here we have a different picture of Jesus from wedding at Cana.

First, Jesus takes the spiritually unclean and makes it clean - picture of conversion

Now, he takes the 'spiritually clean' and drives out the unclean. - Picture of cleansing

See Jesus as both Lion and Lamb — You can’t have the Lamb without the Lion

John 2:13–17 (ESV)

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.

One of three Passovers mentioned in John = Jesus’ three years of ministry

Passover was one of three annual feasts that the Jewish men were expected to celebrate in Jerusalem

‘went up’ — actually South but Jerusalem is higher in elevation

During time Jerusalem swelled by tens of thousands

Goes to temple - word used here indicates Jesus is in the area surrounding the temple - court of Gentiles. Non-Jews allowed only here.

Inside the area:

Selling oxen, sheep, pigeons

People came from far — potential damage to sacrifice needing to be pure — buy them there

money-changers

To pay temple tax money needed to be change into currency of temple.

Problem:

Not supposed to be IN temple area — outside

dirty, noisy, stinky, shady

ILLUST — one a father’s greatest fear — the local fair.

Could you think of a place you are less likely to be brought to mindset of worship?!

15 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. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Jesus has a serious passion for true worship. (13-17)

‘Consume’ = devour

Psalm 69:9 (ESV)

9 For zeal for your house has consumed me,

and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

Isaiah 59:17 (ESV)

17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate,

and a helmet of salvation on his head;

he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,

and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.

Problem of

Worship had become:

Hypocritically greedy

Man-centered

All three other Gospels, ‘You have made it a den of robbers.’

It wasn’t as much that they were selling, but that they were cheating. They were not only hindering the focus of worship on God but refocusing on self.

The question became what can I gain from worship?

Not

How is God glorified by this worship?

Religiously empty

The things meant to lead to worship became hindrances to worship.

Services for worship hindered sincere worship

Material-based

the noises, the smells, the distractions

The sacrifice had become mechanical instead of worshipful.

travel long, pick out lamb, pay too much, turn, hand it to priest, NEXT! - They had no time to focus on the sacrifice

The danger for us in the Christian life is that we become mechanical (what do I need to DO) Instead of focusing on the sacrifice (Jesus) - How do I love THAT person I'm expected to love (focus on Jesus) How do I forgive? Resist temptation? etc.

We see these 'rules' and ask How do I satisfy these demands? what are the steps? It starts with a focus on the sacrifice.

If Jesus drives the 'stuff' from the place of worship and worship stops, what REALLY were the objects of worship? Who should be the OBJECT of worship?

If Jesus has driven US from the 'stuff' of worship and worship stops, what really was the object of our worship?

We live in a time, culture, society which places high value on consumerism and the stuff being necessary for worship.

We, as pastors, are taught (implicitly, not explicitly because we know this passage, right?) to find and use the things which will attract people to the worship gathering of the church instead of seeking the things which will attract God as the object of worship.

Arrogantly- exclusive

(Kostenberger - Jesus faulted the merchants for disrupting Gentile worship in the only place it was open to them)

Exploited the poor and excluded the Gentiles

YOU are welcome to worship but YOUR worship is less valuable.

How did this happen?

Compromise

At the hands of the religious

From within

With 'good' things becoming ultimate things

Jesus was messing with their 'things' of worship

Worship should be:

House of Prayer

All three Gospels — House should be house of Prayer (Mark — for all nations)

Place of God’s Presence

Place where God has supreme center

A house of prayer … (a) Not a commercial market … (b) Reverence—not confusion … (c) Harmony—not dissension …

Jeff D. Brown, Fifty Sermon Outlines on the Way of Salvation, Sermon Outline Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 25.

Jesus had a radical commitment for God's glory in the space of worship. Do I? Do you?

How has our worship continued apart from the temple?

John 2:18–22 (ESV)

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”

The religious leaders were upset that Jesus had disrupted and threatened their means of worship (religion) when HE was the very being of worship

Notice the leaders don't stop Jesus -- they don't say he's wrong. They want to know what right he has to do it.

(I worded this way b/c if we were to locate ourselves in the story - we wouldn't be Jesus (Pharisees? Priests? Disciples? Merchant?) so there would certainly be shock before understanding.

Jesus has the right to rearrange things for His glory. (18-22)

We don't like this Jesus. we want a "fill my cup with wine Jesus" not a "drive things from my life Jesus" -- especially when WE think those things in our lives are good.

But if we don't want Jesus to do it or won't allow Jesus to do it, do we really want Jesus at all?

Jesus as the Temple has the right to rearrange the temple.

As THE object of Worship (19-21)

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then 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 about the temple of his body.

Jesus doesn't share worship

As Immanuel, he, in the flesh is the very presence of God.

He has come to replace the old covenant.

He came to replace physical location of the presence of God.

As the authority of the Church and your life. (22)

22 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.

Acts 20:28 (ESV)

28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

Colossians 1:18 (ESV)

18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. (first-place)

We must remember that this is Jesus’ church and that which is important is that which remains when the church is removed from the church - Namely, the presence of God and prayer —Word and prayer.

Jesus didn’t come so we could have neat programs, busy with stuff at church, expect to feel warm fuzzies at church, be entertained. We can do that without Jesus, without true worship - some are.

Jesus died for the church so that he would be come the cornerstone, the center, the way by which we could truly access the presence of God and have a mediator for our prayers.

Jesus died - curtain ripped.

Perhaps God has driven the noise out of the sanctuary to reveal what is really being worshipped.

Personal Questions:

Do you want true worship in your life more than anything else? (Do you want God's glory above all else?)

(Followup question) - If you can't say you want God's glory above everything else, do you really want God?

“To Christian seekers, people who are seeking, you’re saying, “Well, I’m trying to find out something about Christianity.” Look, the real difference between the first and the second, the wedding and the temple, is in the wedding Jesus is only a guest in the house, but at the temple he is the host. If you simply ask Jesus Christ occasionally for help, that’s one thing, but if you ask him into your life to live there and to dwell, here’s how you know you have.”

Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

You can't ask Jesus to have authority over the things in your life if you are not willing to give him the authority of your life. What you really want is an errand boy (Tim Keller) and not God.

Are you willing to allow Jesus to drive out whatever is necessary to make that happen?

Are you willing to drive out all distractions in your life by any means necessary in order to worship -- find God's presence through prayer?

Are you willing to let Jesus disturb your worship? To overturn things in your life until he is first?

How has your worship changed during this time that we can't meet? INO, how has the lack of the stuff of worship been on your worship -- the depth of prayer and Word.

You may rather have the Lamb with the wine, but are you willing to accept the Lion with the whip?

The person who lives in the house has a right to rearrange the furniture? (Or is Jesus simply a guest in your life?)

The picture from last week was that Jesus fills your cup; the picture this week is Jesus overturns your tables. If that bothers you, look at the sacrifice. He loves you, and has every right to disrupt your worship for His glory and your good.

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