Marlys and I had a wonderful time last weekend visiting the very first church that we served in our ministry.  I was privileged to speak during the Sunday school hour on "The Biblical Roots for the Middle East Conflict" and then I preached at their Annual Homecoming Celebration that afternoon.  It was fun getting to meet old friends...get caught up on what God was doing in their lives.  Then we spent a leisurely day coming home on Monday, driving along the Mississippi River and seeing the wonderful colors.  Next weekend, we will be down in Texas spending some time with Greg and Beth and their two boys.  So, it continues to be a busy fall. 

The world continues to be a very interesting place.  The presidential primary campaigns are in full swing...just a few weeks until the first caucuses and primary elections.  The rhetoric gets stronger.  The ads become more intense.  The debates become more acerbic.  Then, what with the continued crisis in the Middle East...and these get to be very interesting times.  Today, October 12, was the date that Iranian President Ahmadinejad said would begin the final assault against the Jews.  But, so far it has been quiet...at least from that nation.  He is a dangerous man.  At times I think he likes to play the game of "crying wolf."  At least twice in this past year he has made a radical statement saying that the end of the world would happen on such and such day...but it has not.  Perhaps he merely wants us to be lulled to thinking that it will never happen.  But, whatever the case, tensions continue to increase in that part of the world.  Just yesterday, President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority said that Israel must relinquish the claims to the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall, as that is part of the Al-aqsa mosque.  Basically, they do not want just Jerusalem...but they want the control of all the religious sites in Jerusalem.  Friends, I do not believe that this can continue much longer.  If Israel gives into their demands for a peace that will be promised but never delivered, then Israel will not be a safe place any longer.  So, much hinges on the upcoming Peace Summit to be held in November.  I will keep you posted.

But, let's get into the Word for a few moments.  Take your Bibles and turn to John 2.  Our study this week will focus upon verses 13-25, the familiar story of Jesus casting out the money-changers from the Temple in Jerusalem.  The time is the Passover.  This is the first of three Passovers mentioned in the Gospel of John.  The others are found in John 6:14 and 11:55.  Now we need to ask ourselves, "Why were there people selling sheep and cattle and exchanging money in the temple area?"  The answer is: for the convenience of those who had traveled a long distance to come to Jerusalem for the feast.  (You might remember from your study of the Old Testament that Passover was one of three feasts where Jewish males were required to travel to Jerusalem).  And people came from all over the world.  Now it is hard to bring a sheep along with you.  So, places were provided where you could purchase a sheep for the sacrifice.  And such places were in the Temple Courtyard.  Here was the problem:  The Jewish authorities were so strict about what could be offered as a sacrifice that no ordinary lamb would do.  So, instead of purchasing from a vendor outside the Temple area, you were forced to buy one from the authorities...and, of course, they would charge much more.  One Bible scholar said that the price could be 2 to 3 times higher.  It was thievery on a grand scale.  And the money-changers also charged an extravagant fee in order to provide the proper coinage for the annual Temple tax. 

Jesus came into the Temple Court and noticed what was being done.  John records that He made a whip out of cords and drove out the sellers of cattle and sheep and turn over the tables of the money-changers.  Now, what picture do you have of Jesus in this situation?  It is one of the few moments when anger exudes from His being.  It was not that Jesus was angry with the practices that were taking place...He knew those needed to be done in order to provide for the Temple upkeep and for the proper sacrifices.  But His anger was kindled because of the location of such acts...in the very place, and the only place, where the Gentiles could come and worship God. 

What does this act mean for us today?  Jesus say the place of worship reduced to a place of merchandising.  The spiritual and the material had become indistinguishable.  Jesus is concerned about the attitudes with which we enter into worship.  What is foremost in your mind as you enter into worship?  It is that football game on the television that afternoon?  Is it your dinner which is in the oven and might be burning?  Is it an outing you might be having with your friends in the afternoon?  Or is it focused exclusively on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ?  I have often wondered this: If Jesus were to walk into any sanctuary with a braided cord in His hand, whom would He drive out because of unworshipful attitudes? 

The last part of this passage is the record of Jesus answering a question: What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?  Jesus' response was "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."  Immediately this caused difficulties for the Jews who heard Him.  You see, the Temple had been under construction for several decades and still was not completely finished.  So, how could one man rebuild it in three days?  But, we know that Jesus was not talking about a physical Temple, but of His body.  The Apostle Paul would later write to the Corinthians that their bodies were the temples of the Holy Spirit, therefore they were to be treated differently because they were the dwelling places of God. 

This is a rich section, showing us Jesus in a setting that, at times, we are uncomfortable with.  Yet, Jesus did get angry...but angry about the right things.  Perhaps it is time that we sit down and discern what we should be angry with.  If we get angry enough...perhaps it will lead us to cause somethings to be changed. 

In our next study, we will be introduced to a man named Nicodemus.  What an interesting fellow he is!  Until next time...God bless you all!