“Get Passionate“, by Rev. Mike Holly
Sermon Series: Path to the Empty Tomb
John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus just before Jesus cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem, he graced the wedding at Cana with his presence and power. While at the wedding, he performed his first miracle, or sign, as he turned the water into wine. He was in Galilee at that point, but then it was time for the holy season of Passover. John’s Gospel says that he went “up” to Jerusalem even though he was traveling south. This is because it is uphill to Jerusalem as well as supporting the idea that “all roads lead to Jerusalem.”
Jesus became angry at the scene he discovered in the Temple. We make a lot out of his righteous anger, using it to justify the anger we have towards injustice. We normally frown upon anger being demonstrated publicly like this. However, Jesus was so full of love for God and the Temple — of what it was supposed to be — that his passion turned to acts of justice.
You have to understand that the money changers were not simply changing Roman coins into Jewish shekels. They were making a profit off of the mandate for faithful Jews to come and worship with Jewish coinage by playing with the exchange rate. Jesus sees the Temple establishment taking advantage of God’s people and takes action.
Where is our passion today? Have we lost passion for worship, church and ministry?
~Mike Holly
The Word
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After 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.
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