Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Reading: John 2:12-25
We see here a picture of Jesus that is strikingly different than many people areaccustomed to witnessing. Many think of Jesus as an amazing teacher whose wisdomconfounds the so-called wise of the world. Others see Jesus as a miracle worker whocame to rid the world of disease and pain. Some see Him as the gentle shepherd wholovingly leads His flock to green pastures. However, the idea that Jesus makes a whipand actually drives people out of the house of God, rather than welcoming them intothe house of God, seems confusing to such people. How could this gentle, wise, lovingshepherd act in such a way? Well, according to John, Jesus’ actions are dictated bya “zeal for God’s house that consumes Him.” Let’s take a look at that phrase for amoment.
The English word zeal carries with it the ideas of enthusiasm, passion, and eagernessthat borders on fanaticism. A person with zeal is one whose passion and enthusiasmcause them not only to pursue something with eagerness, but actually to the point wheremany people would consider them to be obsessed by it. So we see here a picture of Jesuswhose passion and eagerness drive him into a frenzied level of activity. In fact, he isso driven that the bible says he is “consumed.” Thus, his passion eats at him…burningwithin him in such a way that He craves for it like a starving man seeks a meal. Finally,we see that the object of His great consuming passion is not wealth, popularity, positionor power. What consumes Jesus is the house of God.
Now, according to the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, the house of God is symbolicfor both the presence and mission of God in the world. If this is true, then what drivesJesus is God’s mission to be present with His people. Jesus is consumed by the idea ofbringing the people of God into the presence of God in a way that fulfills the mission ofGod. In fact, it is this driving passion that will cause him one day to return to Jerusalemto give His life to make that mission possible. I wonder, is that what drives me in life?Do I have such a passion to connect people to their God that it eats away at me? Am I socommitted to God’s mission of reconciliation that the inner burning passion to see thathappen drives me to remove anything that prevents that from happening? Or, am I soconfused and/or distracted by the cares of this world that things like career advancement,paying for the kids college, preparing for retirement or electing the right political leadersconsume me. If I want to be a follower of Jesus, I may need to adjust my passions andrefocus my priorities. I can no longer be casual about my involvement in kingdom work.Rather, I need to be “zealously consumed” by the idea of advancing God’s kingdom.
What does "zeal" look like? It's interesting this was the topic today because I was thinking back to this past weekend and my experience at the Royals FanFest. It's no secret that our family REALLY enjoys and follows the Royals (true fans stay loyal to their team, even when they're really bad :)). At FanFest I was among other Royals fans, all decked out in Royals gear. Many were autograph seekers waiting hours in lines with their memorabilia; others were there hoping to get a brush with "greatness" (i.e., Mike Sweeney and George Brett according to our family); there were games for kids, Royals and Hall of Fame history, plus awards, shows, and activities...all designed to spur us on to support and cheer for our team. It was a FanFest, after all!
ReplyDeleteFan comes from "fanatic". We were enthusiastic and it was a lot of fun. Zealous, though? When I read of Jesus' zeal for the house of God, that is a whole new level of passion and enthusiasm - he was consumed with God's mission. One mission - and he calls me to be part of his mission as well.
I had a good time at Royals FanFest, but hopefully it's more than baseball that drives me. Jesus could have basked in his growing popularity, but that wasn't what drove him - his desire was to do the will of the Father (even it it meant making a mess in the temple because the house of God was being misused)... Oh, may the will of the Father be my primary desire/priority as well!
My favorite part of FanFest was a young ballplayer named Buddy Bauman from the Single A Blue Rocks minor league team - he had won the Mike Sweeney award for service in his community. He started his acceptance speech like this: "According to scripture, our life is but a vapor...it's following Christ that really matters, not what happens on a ballfield. Make your life count for something - each of us were made for a purpose." Those words from a young pitcher few fans had heard of may have felt a bit like a whip to some of those in the crowd (including former and current players and fans), but they were true! And that was something to get really excited and zealous about!!
I think it is pretty significant that Jesus' first public act was cleansing the temple(changing water to wine was only know to a few people). How am I suppose to make a difference in other's lives if I haven't first allowed Christ, through the Holy Spirit, to cleanse my temple - my body and my mind?
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a Derek Webb song called, "Nobody Loves Me":
ReplyDeleteI can always tell a liar
And I always know a thief
I know them like my family
Because brother I'm the chief.
I'm a dangerous crusader
Because I need to tell the truth
So I'm turning over tables
In my own living room...