Sermon preached yesterday. Pr. Ron Rock ++++++++++ ++++++++++ " BECAUSE HE KNEW ALL PEOPLE" Lent 3, B Sun., March 15, 2009 Zion Lutheran Church, Beecher, IL Sermon Text - John 2:24-25
Old Testament Reading - Genesis 20:1-17 Epistle Reading - 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Gospel Reading - John 2:13-25 In the name of Jesus. [Amen] Today's sermon is based on the Gospel reading just read. I read two verses from it again: 24But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people 25and needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man. (John 2:24-25, ESV) Dear friends in Christ Jesus, "_That's_ the bad guy!" "No _he's_ not bad _she's_ the bad one!" If you were to sit in the living room with my wife and me, you'd hear such talk go on between us as we watch a certain TV show. You see, my wife and I are hooked on the TV program entitled 24. In that show, the hero, Jack Bauer, has one whole day 24 hours to save our United States from one or more threats to our national security. As each season goes, Agent Bauer, as he's known, comes to know of the threat and then he has to figure out who's behind the threat, you know, he has to determine who the "bad guys" are. For, there are always "bad guys" to be found and they're often found working in important places using their "inside position" in the government hierarchy as a way to make sure that they thwart Agent Bauer and accomplish their "bad guy" things! That, then is the source of the banter back and forth between Karen and me as we each guess who the "bad guy" is that is who's working on the inside trying to stop our hero, Jack Bauer, from saving our nation in this TV season just as he has in 6 prior seasons! Karen and I might have trouble figuring out who the "bad guys" are, but in the Gospel reading before us, we see that Jesus would have no problem doing that at all! As we heard [Jesus] knew all people and He needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man. (John 2:24-25, ESV) Of course, these words of St. John refer to something far more important than a television program. John's words have a true "life and death" aspect to them unlike that with which the fictitious character Jack Bauer must contend. Let's consider all this for the next few minutes In today's Gospel reading Jesus is in the early stages of His earthly ministry and since it's the time of year for the Passover celebration as a faithful Jew Jesus went to Jerusalem, as He was required. But, when He went to the temple, He was disgusted by what He found! The temple courtyard had been turned into a marketplace. Merchants had set up shop selling pigeons, oxen, and sheep to the faithful who'd come to Jerusalem from far off lands. Money changers were also there changing the foreign currency into that of the local currency, again, so the faithful could pay the temple tax of ½ shekel. To have these things available to the foreign worshippers wasn't bad for worship of the Lord demanded that the people bring sacrifices in proportion to their wealth. (Something that continues to this very day!) And it was totally impractical if not impossible for someone who'd come a long distance to bring their own sacrificial animals. Therefore, there needed to be some way for those things to be acquired in Jerusalem. But the problem was that the sellers had set up shop right in the temple itself in what's known as the Court of the Gentiles. The people had made the house of God into a stinking spectacle. Think of it the worshippers as they passed through the courtyard on their way into the temple they were probably more focused on bargaining over the cost of the animals or bickering about the exchange rate for their foreign money than being interested in singing entrance psalms preparing their hearts for worship of the Lord Most High! There's no doubt this smelly spectacle of sweaty people and the droves of animals being sold right within the house of the Lord well, as bad as that had to be the spiritual stench of the place was worse! And so, Jesus, who is INcorrectly thought by some to be weak and soft Jesus shows Himself to be a Man of strength and action. He personally and by Himself took on the whole lot of them putting even Jack Bauer to shame! He took some cords, and using them as a whip, drove the animals and merchants out of the temple thus fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would have "zeal" for the house of God. Again, for those who think of Jesus as a "softy " you gotta think again. Not only did He take them all on but according to the account before us not one not one of the merchants even dared to stand up to Him! We hear this story and say: "Good! Good for Jesus! He saw through their duplicity. He looked into their hearts and saw that they were actually 'bad guys' on the inside of the temple hierarchy and He busted them kicking them out in quick order!" And, how could Jesus do that? John tells us: " because He knew all people." Jesus knew their hearts and saw them for what they were sinners through and through more interested in making a few shekels than in honoring the Lord's house. But, before you join my wife and me on the couch self-righteously pointing out the "bad guys " consider again the words before us: " [Jesus] knew all people... for He Himself knew what was in man." The Lord Jesus knows all and sees all. And, if He knows the hearts of the money-changers and animal purveyors He also knows your heart as well! He sees your real attitude toward those 10 Commandments that were read a bit ago! Although you might not be caught bowing down to worship a "carved image " He sees your attitude toward the myriad of other things that you allow to be foremost in your life - such as your work, your money, your family, your vacation your ____ (you fill in the blank!). He sees your attitude toward sins of the flesh toward other people's property toward speaking well of your neighbor. Oh yeah He sees it all! And you just like the temple merchants are one of the "bad guys " rightly deserving to have Jesus take a whip and drive you out of His presence forever! A commentator named Ylvisaker described why it was, that Jesus rid the temple of all those "bad guys." He writes: "The uncleanness of the temple shows the corruption of the people and was an image of the impurity in their hearts. The conditions in the temple are therefore a testimony against the people. His blows (with the whip) struck at their hearts. And the cleansing is a picture of what must occur with the people to make it a holy nation acceptable to God. And what is more, this must be made to apply to the individual. The house of the heart must be cleansed if it is to be the temple of God." (The Gospels - Synopsis, Harmony, and Explanatory Notes, pp. 138-9; Johannes Ylvisaker, Augsburg Pub. House, 1922; reprinted 1977, Northwestern Pub. House) Dear people of God, we too, have a "spiritual stench " and it's far worse than largest holding pen of sheep and oxen in a closed up barn on a hot summer day! During this holy season of Lent, our Lord calls us to recognize our utter need for His cleansing of our hearts laden with sin. He calls us to allow His right and just Law show us our sins and then in repentance and faith receive Him as He reaches out to us to you with His love and mercy. He urgently desires to cleanse your heart to wash it pure with the only cleaning agent that will get the "stench" out His holy precious blood shed for you and the whole world! This He did on the blessed Cross of Calvary about three years to the day after He cleansed the temple. "Zeal" for His Father's house drove Him to cleanse the temple that fateful day and "zeal" for you "zeal" motivated by His eternal love drove Him to the cross to cleanse you so that you could be a "temple of the Holy Spirit " (1 Cor. 6:19, ESV) your body and soul washed clean and pure thereby making you to be a righteous one of His forever! You see you're no longer a "bad guy " in God's estimation. No! Through faith given to you in the washing of renewal in your Baptismal waters you're now one of His very own a forgiven child of His. Rather than chasing you out of His eternal presence with a whip He eagerly walks toward you always seeking you inviting you to dine at His table regularly here on earth and eternally with Him in heaven! Dear beloved of God, continue to walk with the Lord Christ in repentance and faith. On this day led by the Spirit of Christ vow that you'll allow the house of your heart to be and remain cleansed so that it will forever be a temple of God! [Amen.] May the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen. ____________________________________________________________ Need cash? 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