John's account of the cleansing of the temple, which he places
near the
beginning of Jesus' ministry, shows us a man of action who is
full of
self-assurance. No "gentle Jesus, meek and mild" here!
Of the four Gospel
writers, John alone tells us that an angry Jesus made a whip of
cords with
which he drove-out the animals. Next, eyes blazing, Jesus seizes
the bags of
the money changers' coins and dumps them out, overturns the
tables at which
they sat, and chastises the merchants for having turned his
Father's house
into a marketplace. The scene is scandalous in the eyes of the
temple
authorities since Jesus attacks them on their home territory,
asserting his
authority over theirs.
The scene before us this morning was in the outer court, called
the Court of
the Gentiles. It was called the "Court of the
Gentiles" because this was the
only place in the Temple where non-Jews were allowed. And, while
we can only
speculate about the reasons for the heightened degree of Jesus'
anger, it is
reasonable to conclude that it was very upsetting for Jesus to
discover that
the sole place for Gentile prayer was being desecrated by all
that buying and
selling and, with the permission of the "temple
establishment."
Understood in this context, Jesus is not simply attacking bad
people for
doing wrong. He is going after "temple folk" who
believe they are just doing
their job. Thus, while "temple cleansing," in
any age, might have something
to do with putting a stop to blatant abuses in the conduct of
bazaars, bingo
and the like, a true cleansing" has far more to do with
ensuring that all
worshipers are able to focus on the "Holy!"
And, while Christ would certainly agree that "form,"
"function," and
everything else about worship are important, he would want us to
be less
concerned about "style" than about
"content." In fact, I believe that Jesus
would insist that anyone who would elevate "style"
above "content" in a way
that prevents them from even respecting, let alone appreciating,
another's
"style of worship" --- must themselves be cleansed.
Those of us who have long been involved in addressing the needs
of the
"institutional church," know all too well how
destructive it is when
"structure" or "style" replaces
"spirituality" in order of importance.
During my tenure at St. James, I have served vacant North Shore
parishes as
vice-pastor a total of four times; once in Wilmette, twice in
Deerfield, and
once in Mundeline. I can tell you from first hand experience
just how
entrenched congregations can become in their "way" of
doing things. And
usually, their way of doing things is the way
"pastor-so-and-so" did things.
And, would you believe that the pastor of whom they speak in
such glowing
terms may not even be the pastor that served them last but
instead, the
pastor who served the congregation 10, 15, even 20 years before.
Call a new minister whose ideas and dedication are just right
for the
congregation, but who vests a little differently, or who intones
the liturgy
a little faster or slower, or who preaches a little longer or
shorter---and
people will stop coming---even member-clergy stop coming!
Rearrange the
sanctuary too much or revise worship even slightly and there
will be outrage
expressed as people go out the door.
Have you been following the open warfare between advocates of
"traditional"
and "contemporary" worship reported in The Lutheran
magazine? It appears from
all that has been written that "purists" on both sides
want to do away with
most, if not all, practices that are different from their
own---immediately!
In the "Letters Section" of the latest issue of The
Lutheran, Ronald Weber, a
traditionalist from La Grange, Texas objected to an earlier
inference, by a
proponent of "contemporary worship," namely that
"liturgists are more
militant than terrorists."
Jesus would want to cleanse the church of the temptation to
become
self-righteous and self-centered about worship---any attitude
that prevents
worshipers from growing their faith, together.
I have attended ecumenical worship services that included the
broadest
possible examples of liturgical diversity, all blending together
incredibly
well. Suddenly, this dynamic of "joy in God's
presence" is interrupted by a
participating clergyman who is so full of himself that, through
dramatic
gestures that are either blatantly "liturgical" or
blatantly
"non-liturgical," he draws the worshippers' attention
away from "the holy
moment" and toward his own silly presence!
There were laity and clergy present in the temple that day long
ago who had
great sympathy for what Jesus did. They wanted to know more
about this fiery
prophet who was willing to fight corruption and complacency.
"What sign can you show us after all this commotion?"
they asked.
"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise
it up!" he answered.
The temple authorities 'don't get it.' Jesus is, of course,
predicting "The
Passion" and suggesting that indeed he is the new
"Temple,"
---but they just don't get it! A new order, a new
understanding of worship,
a new way of living-out ones faith, a new witness to salvation
is breaking in
and they don't want any part of it!
Authentic worship, from that of the Temple in Jesus' day to that
of this
congregation in our day, involves a dying to self-interest and a
rising to
"new life in Christ!" In short, and please hear
this not as a criticism but
as a challenge:
Christ's "Cleansing of the Temple" points us toward
the cleansing we need
individually and as a congregation, continually---but especially
at times of
leadership transition---be it pastoral leadership, or leadership
of Council,
Worship and Music Committee, church choirs, Damascus Road, brass
or bells
ensembles---you name the entity!
And, just in case you need the reminder:
This "cleansing" we all need is the cleansing Christ
accomplished for us on
the cross. The cross always goes beyond the form and
function of our
worship, beyond style and structure, beyond our ritualistic
practices, and
far beyond any personal self-interest, whatever that might be.
It is a
cleansing that goes directly the heart---attaching ours to His!
AMEN.
