Sunday's Sermon: Looking for a Sign
John 2:13-22
March 8, 2015 [1]
I invite you to take yourself
back to 9/11. Remember the horror of the
World Trade Center buildings crumbling to the ground. As horrible as that scene was, let’s make it
worse. Imagine now that not just the
World Trade Center, but the entire City of New York was completely leveled and
destroyed. Destruction so devastating,
that the city still lay in ruins 20 to 30 years later. If you can imagine that, then you might have
a sense of the emotions that Jewish Christians had about Jerusalem at the time
the Gospel of John was written. Most
scholars date the writing of John’s Gospel from A.D. 90, at the earliest, to
A.D. 125, at the latest, with most choosing a date around the turn of the
century[2]. With that sort of devastation in mind, those
first readers of John’s Gospel had a specific perspective that affected the way
they heard Jesus’ words in verse 19:
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
Of course, Jesus was not
referring literally to the physical Temple that had been reconstructed by Herod
the Great; He was referring to “the temple of his body” (verse 21). But the reference
to the destruction of the Temple, that symbol of what it meant to be Jewish,
made the metaphor used by Jesus all the more poignant.
This story of Jesus
overturning the tables at the Temple is contained in all four Gospels,
underlining how important it was in the eyes of the early Christians. I have heard it suggested that this incident might
have been the so-called “tipping point” that led religious leaders to conclude
that they had to get rid of Jesus.
John is unique in the way he
remembers the story and where he positions this story in his Gospel. Matthew, Mark and Luke all put this story
within the chronology of events of Holy Week.
John relates this story early—in the second chapter of his Gospel.
Why does this story appear so
early in John? I have heard some people
suggest that maybe Jesus overturned the tables twice—once at the beginning of
His ministry and once during that final week.
Although I suppose that is possible, I lean towards the view that John
put this story early in His Gospel to make a theological point about who Jesus
was.
John frequently refers to
“signs” of who Jesus was. The first
“sign” that John reports is the miracle that Jesus performed at a wedding in
Cana, turning the water of purification into wine; John is very clear in
calling this miracle “the first of his signs” in which Jesus “revealed his
glory.” As a result, “his disciples
believed in him.” (John 2:11). At the end of chapter four, John describes
the second “sign”—the healing of the son of a Royal Official. Once again, John clearly spells out that “this
was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.” (John
4:54). Today’s lesson is a sign that
John tells “between the signs.”
Why does John emphasize
“signs” in his Gospel? It almost seems
as though Jesus gets frustrated with people’s habit of looking for signs. When the royal official comes to Jesus in Chapter
Four and asks Jesus to come back to Capernaum and heal his son, Jesus replies
with words that almost sound curt:
“Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” (John
4:48).
I suspect that our culture is
no different. We are products of the Age
of Enlightenment. We are accustomed to
the scientific method, in which discoveries can be tested empirically,
measured, quantified, and repeated.
Authority is derived from a recognized source, properly delegated and
evidenced by the appropriate paperwork.
That same principle applies to our legal and academic worlds. We are expected to document our work with
footnotes, bibliographies and citations, backing up our statements. As a result, we have developed a skeptical,
but usually appropriate, attitude that says “show me” to just about
everything. It’s tough, though, to apply
that same “show me” attitude to the life of the Spirit.
Jesus is filled with
righteous anger at the desecration that has taken place in the Temple, and He
acts to “cleanse” it. His behavior
shocks those who witness it, and so they ask Jesus “What sign can you show us
for doing this?” (John 2:18). I suspect that
many of us still have trouble with this story today. It’s not that we question whether or not a
good house cleaning was long overdue; it just doesn’t sound like the “Gentle
Jesus” that we find in the pictures our kids bring home from Sunday
School. So we join with the witnesses
that day in saying, “show us a sign” to back up your authority. What
gives you the right to do this?
Jesus responds with words
about “destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John
2:19). The religious leaders don’t
understand. They connect Jesus’ words
about destroying the temple with his conduct in cleaning house; but they had
the wrong temple in mind.
Jesus was pointing to his own
crucifixion and resurrection as the ultimate sign of who He was. That ultimate sign of Jesus’ authority was
not visible at the time; but it would be apparent before too long. The crucified and risen Lord is the sign of
His own authority. Not evident to the
Temple merchants; not even evident to the disciples at the time; but evident
only after the resurrection, after the disciples had the time to connect the
dots.
We are midway through this
Season of Lent, this time of preparing our hearts to celebrate the
resurrection. I suspect that most of us
need a bit of house cleaning inside. It
can be disruptive. It can change the way
we live. Old ways of living are hard to
discard. Jesus invites us to submit to
the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit to change our ways. Sometimes, it can be painful. But it is the road that leads to life.
It all begins, though, with
submitting to the authority of Jesus himself.
Of giving the One who is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25) the last word in our
lives.
On this day of Holy
Communion, when we come to the Table to receive the bread and the wine, we are
invited to recognize that we, too, need some serious house-cleaning. We don’t have to wait until we have reached
the point of perfection in our own lives to receive the bread and cup. We only have to submit to the authority of
the Crucified and Risen Jesus and allow Him to search us, and know our hearts. To test us and know our thoughts. To see if there is any wicked way in us, to
clean house, and to lead us in the way everlasting. (Psalm
139:23-24).
May it be so! Amen!
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