The Rev. Neale L. Miller

Sermon for March 15, 2009 (third Sunday in Lent, B)

Texts: Exodus 20:1-17/John 2:13-22

Title: “House Cleaning”

              Pity the poor people who became the target of Jesus’ rage during that Passover season so many centuries ago.  They were not bad people.  To the contrary, they were performing a necessary function. The sacrifice of birds and animals in the temple was a well established religious practice. By offering the cattle, sheep, and doves for sale the persons engaged in that trade were providing a valued service, a service validated by long established custom.  Likewise the moneychangers. The moneychanger’s job was to convert the Roman currency used on the street, a currency imprinted with the emperor’s seal and thereby deemed tainted for religious purposes, into a currency that would not contaminate the temple treasury.

              Pity the poor people who became the target of Jesus’ rage.  But, then, Jesus’ anger was not directed at them specifically.  His anger was directed at what temple commerce in the form of sheep, doves, and money changing represented.  And what did it represent?  It represented a peoples’ attempt to set their own terms of engagement with God.

              Mind you, sacrifice per se was a well-established practice among the Jews and other religious traditions of the ancient world. Through that means the Jews paid homage to God.  Through that means they expressed contrition for their sins.  Sacrifices marked rites of passage in a peoples’ life under God, celebrating victories on the field of battle, the consecration of high priests and kings, and the construction of the great temple in Jerusalem.

              Sacrifice was not, then, some new religious fad. Nor was it an abuse of religious custom, or an offense against religious heritage. Jesus and his contemporaries were reared in a culture where sacrifice was as well-established as any practice carried out in the synagogue. Moreover there was nothing in the Holy Scriptures upon which Jesus would have been nurtured that condemned the practice.

              Yet the facts are the facts, not only John, but the other three gospels as well, report the dramatic encounter in the temple where the wrath of Jesus is displayed. But what were Jesus’ motives in venting?  Perhaps he had no motives.  After all, everyone is entitled to a bad day. Jesus may have been tired. Or, his rage may have its origins elsewhere, in something his disciples did or failed to do. Or perhaps he was responding to something a temple official said or did to provoke him.

              We can assign the precipitating cause of Jesus’ actions to many things, however, one fact cannot be denied. By taking action where he did, and when he did, in the Jerusalem temple during Passover, Jesus was making the boldest step he would make during his earthly ministry.  In fact, the cleansing of the temple is for the other three gospels the final provocation that set in motion the events that would see Jesus arrested as an insurrectionist, see him tried for treason, and crucified.

              Though the cleansing of the temple appears much earlier in John’s Gospel than the other three, John assigns far reaching and dramatic significance to Jesus’ action. The Jews, you will recall from our lesson, demanded a sign, some demonstration of power and authority to validate his action. Recall his response: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”  The authorities, of course, scoffed.  It had, after all, taken forty-six years to build the temple. Jesus of course was speaking metaphorically. The temple to which he referred was his body.

              Whether the cleansing of the temple occurred late in Jesus’ career, setting in motion the Jews’ plot to silence him, or early, as John reports, the significance of the act cannot be overstated.  Jesus was taking a swipe at well established tradition and custom, and by that means taking a swipe at all those who had a vested interest in keeping tradition and custom unblemished. 

              While we might assign the cause of Jesus’ rage against the moneychangers and the bird and animal tenders to factors such as fatigue, a falling our with his disciples or some official in the temple, the more likely possibility is that Jesus’ rage was provoked by something more substantial. The candidate I have in mind is idolatry.  Briefly defined, idolatry is the practice whereby we elevate lesser things to the status of God. 

              We know that idolatry has been around for a good long while. One of the most glaring examples, of course, is well known even the children in our midst. I am referring to the incident where the Israelites growing impatient, and unable to endure Moses’ extended absence when he climbed the mountain to meet with God, convinced his brother Aaron to remedy the situation. While he could do nothing about his brother’s absence, nor apparently reassure them that God had not deserted them, he could at least appease them. The appeasement, of course, took the form of a calf molded out of gold.

              The idolatry that Jesus faced in his day was by no means as blatant as that which Moses faced. Jesus faced an idolatry that in all its visible aspects could never be compared to the idolatry that earned the Israelites’ condemnation.  The idolatry he faced was more insidious, concealed as it was in the assumptions and practices upon which the temple functioned.

              The sale of birds and animals, and the money changing, were merely the outward expressions of a belief system that was tainted. God had been displaced as the object of worship by people whose allegiance was no longer God centered, but means centered. Their allegiance was to the means by which God could be approached, the temple and its protocols, rather than God himself, the rightful object of the religious quest.

              A good illustration of this practice can be found in the gospel of Mark where Jesus, addressing the Jewish elders, declares, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!  For Moses said, “Honor your father and mother; and “Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die. But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, “Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban (that is, an offering to God) then you no longer permit doing anything for your mother or father, thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on.” 

            Surely the elders Jesus addressed did not set out to “[make] void the word of God.”  It just so happened, however, that they began to interpret the word in self-serving ways.  Ultimately their interpretation became so fixed over the course of time that the true meaning of the word of God was no longer retrievable. An exception was made to the commandment to “Honor your father and mother,” whereby one could function within the laws of the tradition, while disregarding the laws of God.  In another place in Mark’s Gospel Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah on this issue of tradition, “In vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.”

             Yes, there was much at stake in Jesus’ encounter with the moneychangers and animal tenders in the temple.  Jesus’ wrath was directed at a system of religious practice that had turned in on itself.  The distinctions had faded between traditions surrounding God and God himself. Idols had displaced God.

              Centuries later the Protestant Reformers would create their own version of Jesus’ expulsion of the moneychangers and animal tenders from the temple.  The Reformers looked on as the church in Rome under its popes, in effect, wrote new rules governing their conduct as servants of God.  The church vied with emperors and other monarchs for the idols of political and economic power, using whatever pretext they could find to justify their actions. 

            In time there arose men of conscience, among them Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and others, who felt compelled to act.  It was time to expel the moneychangers from the temple. They boldly preached the word of God, challenging the church bureaucracy to defend itself against charges of corruption. Impressed that their efforts were getting them nowhere, the Reformers left the corrupt temple, ultimately establishing their own church, a church that, even in outward appearance, bore little resemblance to the church they were leaving behind. Out went the statuary dedicated to the saints, the bells, incenses, and elaborate ritual. 

            Their new temple, the “reformed church” frowned on ostentation, the sanctuary’s only adornment a cross, the worship service conducted in the vernacular, with Holy Scripture and its interpretation having primary billing. Nothing was to be introduced into the sanctuary, no banners, musical instruments, or other items that might in any way distract the people from the purpose for which they had gathered, the worship of God.

                 The Reformers were on guard lest idols in the form of traditions and objects of veneration corrupt those who had come to worship God. From my past I recall a reformer in a little church I attended as a kid who was particularly vigilant on the topic of idols. While I no longer remember how it got there, one Sunday there appeared on one of the walls of the sanctuary a large Salmen depiction of Jesus. It’s Jesus with long flowing brown hair and full beard.  [You know the one I am talking about.]  Ralph Tribbe, a faithful member of that congregation, and a true lover of Jesus, immediately objected that the portrait had no place in the sanctuary, objecting that the portrait would become an idol worshiped for its own sake.

                 Efforts like those of the Reformers and Ralph Tribbe have been mounted repeatedly throughout history.  Though undertaken in the spirit of Jesus, some may well  have gone too far. That said, we do well to consider the idols we ourselves have allowed to displace God. Has our worship and overall congregation life become so ritualized that we are unwilling to surrender the predictability and comfort of our rituals to follow where the Spirit might be leading us?  Have our particular preferences become our idols? No, don’t touch my music. Don’t disturb us by sermonizing on topics we want to avoid. Don’t change our seating arrangement. Don’t change the order of worship. Don’t speak out politically. Don’t do anything that might challenge the way I think.  Don’t do anything that might make feel uncomfortable.

                 The idols we create give us a sense of control.  The Israelites couldn’t control Moses’ coming and going, but they could control the idol they created.  The Jews in the temple could not control God whom the temple was meant to glorify, but they could control the means through which their God was glorified. They converted their rituals and traditions into idols.

                 For the people of his day who wished to maintain control, who revered their idols, Jesus represented a grave threat.  On whose authority did he come, anyway? They would have ignored him if they could, only he refused to be ignored, even when his life hung in the balance.

                The Jews wanted religion that accommodated their needs.  And are we any different than they? A prophet of old asked, “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high”  Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?  Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 

                 If only it were as easy as that.  If only there was some set price, some list of obligations we could fulfill, that would earn us good standing with God. 

                No, we really don’t want to hear what the Lord requires, do we?  He might force us to give up control.  He might force us to question our motives and ambitions. He might make excessive demands.  “Love God with all your heart, mind, and strength.” “Take up your cross and follow me”?   No, that’s not what we had in mind. Now the good news:  we can change. AMEN.    

                PRAYER

                O God, our heavenly father, as spring once again unfolds its wonders, we marvel at the spectacle we behold. The budding plants and trees, the scent of new life emerging from the earth, and the creatures who make their homes in the trees and the fields, boldly broadcast your glory. Even as our senses drink in the display, we pause to give you thanks and praise, praying that our preoccupations with our daily affairs not so overwhelm us as to dull our senses to our surroundings and the creatures with whom we share the earth.

               Lord of hope, by your Holy Spirit lead us more deeply into communion with you. Unseal our hearts that your word may have a place to lodge. Unstop our mouths that we may witness to your grace.  Unbind our imaginations that we may place the many gifts you have granted us at your disposal.  Undo the knots that sin uses to enslave us. In freedom, O God, may we live our lives, and may our actions commend your gospel, good news, to the world.         

              O Christ, you came to purge the world of sin, to open our minds to the truth that would set us free. Yet we continue to embrace lies, allowing idols to command our loyalty. We seek fulfillment through the money we spend, the vacations we plan, the status we accrue.  We follow tight schedules that involve us in many things, many of them worthy things, yet we remain unfulfilled while days, months and years pass. Help us, O Christ, to risk another approach to life, one that begins with a renewed commitment to place you at the center.

              Bring light to those who live in despair today.  There is much suffering across the globe as people mourn the death of loved ones in war and other tragedies, as parents struggle to provide food and shelter for their families, as many others are victimized by injustice. There is much suffering as street crime takes its toll, and the list of crime victims mounts. Lord, in your mercy, grant consolation to those who grieve today, those who are so borne down by the weight of burdens that living itself is a burden.

               We pray for those who make economic policy, our President and his advisors, that the decisions they make may have positive results. Grant them wisdom, a willingness to consult broadly, even with those with whom they disagree, that all responsible voices may be heard in deliberating a course of action.

Grant strength and courage to those who bear the weight of debt, who are losing their homes, who have lost their jobs. We pray for entrepreneurs and other business leaders that they may continue to risk and innovate to create new products and services. We continue to pray that the stimulus money thus far allocated will have its intended impact on our economy.

                  Grant courage to your church, that its voice may faithfully proclaim the message of salvation. Bring reconciliation where conflict undermines and morale is sinking. Sustain church leaders who preach and teach from the heart of the gospel, and may their example serve as an inspiration to others.

Prosper, O God, all that we do that brings glory to your name, and discourage all unworthy ambitions. Open our imaginations to new possibilities, and grant us the persistence to achieve the goals we set.

            Abide with all who have gathered here today.  In this moment of silence we individually lift that one special petition that lies on our hearts…

               Lord, once again we bring special petitions on behalf of friends and loved ones…