Wednesday, 10 March 2021

Spring cleaning the faith community

 


Reflection Sunday 7th March 2021 – Third Sunday of Lent

 

We are thinking this morning about the passage in John 2: 13 – 22. A passage we all think we know well, where Jesus takes up his whip and drives the money changers out of the temple. It is a story found in all four Gospels, although unlike in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) John includes his version at the start of Jesus’ ministry, whereas the others include it during Holy Week.

It is a story those of us with a heart for social justice and Christian action relish. Here is Jesus rolling his sleeves up and getting stuck in. Showing us how we should deal with injustice. And Jesus’ actions place him squarely in the great tradition of the Old Testament prophets, whose words and visions thrill and empower us when the weak are exploited by the powerful. It’s no coincidence that during the protests that took place in the City of London in October 2011, with protestors camped outside St Paul’s cathedral, this passage of scripture was often cited as a way of dealing with greedy bankers.

When we think of the story in this way it is a real temptation to go searching in the cupboards for our whips, join a protest march and to storm the barricades!

These actions can all have a place and I do believe that it is right at times for Christians to be prepared to stand up and be counted. But today I want us to look at the story from a different angle.

In the story Jesus drives out the money lenders and those selling sheep, cattle, and doves. These traders hadn’t set up business within the Temple courts on their own initiative, they had been permitted to do this, in fact positively encouraged to do this, by the Temple authorities. As you probably know, worship in the Temple required various kinds of sacrifices to be made and for certain payments to be made. What better thing to do than offer animals available for sacrifice and provide a way of exchanging everyday money for the special coinage used inside the Temple.

Jesus is a complete outsider to the power structure of the Temple. He is not a priest. Yet he issues a challenge to the authority of the Temple that quite literally shakes its foundations. Jesus throws the mechanics of temple worship into chaos, disrupting the Temple system during one of the most significant feasts of the year (Passover). By driving out the money changers and the animal sellers neither sacrifices nor tithes could be offered that day. No wonder Jesus was asked

‘What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’ John 2:18

Of course, Jesus has the authority to challenge the Temple authorities because he has God’s power. Jesus is God’s presence on earth. And Jesus is making the point that as such Jesus should be the focus of people’s attention not the Temple.

Jesus’ anger was not directed at the traders – though they may well have exploited their position. Jesus’ anger was at the authorities who had allowed this to happen and who should have known better. It was not something that happened overnight. It had been allowed to develop over time by those who made a career of studying the word of God and no doubt these things were allowed initially with the best of intentions. After all the Jewish scriptures spoke of sacrifice as part of worship. But Jesus identified that the authorities had allowed things to get out of hand and move from the good intentions as set out in Jewish scripture.

It’s worth remembering that Jesus is not being “anti-Jewish”. Jesus is challenging the authorities because they have developed customs and practices and rules that are no longer open to a fresh revelation from God. A temptation that exists for contemporary Christianity as well as for the Judaism of Jesus’ day.

This is what has spoken to me in preparing this Reflection. What would Jesus’ reaction be to the way the Church universal, or the Methodist Church or indeed our own church, does things now? Has the Church, the Methodist Church, our church become complacent, cosy and comfortable rather than really proclaiming the Gospel, making new disciples, developing existing disciples and watching for signs of God at work and following Him?

Christian faith communities must be willing to ask where and when the status quo of religious practices and institutions have become absolute; that is free from a willingness to be changed or challenged. Closed to the possibility of reformation, change and renewal. In other words, where the “we’ve always done it this way” mindset rules.

At the time of writing this Reflection (23rd February) we’ve just received Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” for bringing us out of lockdown. So far there has been nothing specific about opening churches. I anticipate in the next couple of weeks I will receive some guidance about this and will share it. It will be good to be able to worship together once again of course.

But I believe that Covid has provided a wakeup call to Churches, church leaders and church members. God has been speaking through Covid and challenging us. God has been asking us all to look at what we’ve been doing before Covid and to consider whether what we were doing before will work after.

These are big issues to consider. And I wouldn’t claim to know the answers. But I do feel that as a church leader God is prompting me to voice these thoughts. And God is telling me to say to all of you to pray and think about this yourselves.

When Jesus entered the temple that day, he found a faith that was stale and downright dirty. People were taking advantage of others and ritual had become more important than the condition of the heart. What Jesus did, I believe, was challenge a smug, hypocritical religious system that desperately needed to change. Therefore, a little demolition was necessary, not to mention an all-out assault to clean things up.

The faith community at that time was so wrapped up in rules and ritual the fresh revelation of God could not get through. It was impossible for them to "see" because they were blinded by obstacles that hindered their ability.

In this story we get an image of Jesus as a one-man wrecking crew, swinging a sledgehammer. There is no way to make improvements in an old house without making a mess. There is plaster dust, dirt, nails, and smelly carpet. It is hard work.  It is impossible to paint without getting paint on yourself. I am sure that Jesus absorbed a few skinned knuckles that day, not to mention getting his garment dirty.

The faith community needed a good spring clean and Jesus took it upon himself to do just that with zeal and determination.

Is that what the faith community of 21st century needs? A good spring clean? Do we see it or are we blinded by obstacles that hindered our ability?

Lord of Lent, come to your Church and ask us your hard questions. Are we faithfully proclaiming your gospel? Are we demonstrating in our life together the justice of your Kingdom? Have we welcomed the weak and given prominence to the poor? Come to your Church to spring clean our ways of life, our structures, our priorities. Point out to us the cobwebs, the dirt, the extravagance, and the waste. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. John Pritchard Intercessions Handbook © SPCK 1997


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