Engaging Scripture

What to do in the middle of nonstop bad news – Matthew 28, Part 5

I’m wondering if you’ve experienced an inner yearning lately for some good news. As I’m writing this, our world is in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic. Every day the news reports how many people have contracted the virus and how many people have died. This morning I watched the weekly CBS News morning show’s report on Fridays telling the life stories of five different people who passed away because of the virus. It is good to watch, and I’m very glad they’re not just focusing on celebrities. But inwardly I long for good news, especially for stories about a reduction is the number of new cases of the virus, or stories about the development of a vaccine. At this point, we have been through weeks and weeks of nearly nothing but bad news about the virus. I’ve gotten to the emotional place where I don’t want to turn on the news in the morning any more.

As we have seen this week, there are also two Easter stories, one bad and one good. One false and one true. We conclude this series of post by declaring that the resurrection of Jesus is true, and it makes a world of difference. It is hope for a new way of life, the Jesus way of life – the best way of life. Not a life of ease. When we return to the sermon series in the book of Acts, we’ll observe how Jesus’ disciples lived out his way of life as they followed his mission. They will show us how we too can make the Jesus story our story, living a life of goodness, walking in the ways of the one who modeled love, patience, kindness, sacrifice, selflessness.

Just as he said he would always be with his disciples, by his Spirit he will walk with us through our lives, and over and over and over again he tells us “do not be afraid”. Fix your eyes on him and all that he is. Remember his goodness. Remember his truth. With him there is no need to fear. We can always have hope. We can always know we are not alone.

That’s a good news story.

My family and I have really enjoyed a new YouTube show that has been created since the virus shutdown. It is called Some Good News hosted by the actor John Krasinski. It is incredibly uplifting to hear stories of so many people doing so much good during this time of crisis.

Here in Conestoga Valley I have a good news story to share. It is the story of a man staying in a local hotel who called churches in the Ministerium this past week. His wife has a serious medical condition and his work has been intermittent due to the shutdown. So he could not pay his hotel bill every day. Faith Church joined with other churches who were each paying one night for them. That’s a story of abundant life in Jesus.

Also, the Ministerium is working together to create a Go Fund Me campaign for people in need, and so far the community has raised thousands of dollars. That’s another story of Christians helping out. Christians we have some good news to share.

These good news stories are rooted in the ultimate good news story, that because Jesus is risen, there is hope. Whether life is filled with abundance, or whether is doused in pain, there is hope in Jesus. So let us choose to believe in him and follow his way of life.

If you’re wondering how to do that, I’d be glad to talk further. Just comment below, and let’s discuss it further!

What Jesus wants his followers to do – Matthew 28, Part 4

Do you ever wonder if you are doing what Jesus wants you to do? Have you felt confused or concerned that perhaps you aren’t doing the right thing? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us wonder, but often life is so busy, or we get stuck in a rut, that we don’t take the time to evaluate if we are doing what Jesus wants us to. If Jesus were to visit you, what would he tell you to do?

Our final scene change in Matthew’s account of the Easter story answers the question of what Jesus wants us to do.

After learning how Jesus rose to new life on that first Easter Sunday, we read in Matthew 28 verses 16-20 that Jesus appears to his disciples on a mountain in Galilee. What is striking about this section, first of all, is that finally the men are involved.

Just like the women followers of Jesus, as we saw in the previous post, the disciples worship Jesus, and yet some of them doubt. I appreciate how Matthew clearly depicts the humanity of the disciples. As the women had mixed emotions, joy and fear, the men are both worshiping and doubting.

Addressing their concern, Jesus starts by reassuring them, very similar to his first words to the women. To the women he said, “Do not be afraid,” and now to the disciples he says, “All authority is given to me.” With this comment about authority, Jesus reminds the men that He truly is the king. If you are ever wondering on whose authority should you live, there is only one person who truly has all authority. Jesus. It is authority, he tells the disciples, from heaven and earth. Yes, there are other authorities here on earth, but they pale in comparison. Jesus is the one true authority and if you want to know how to live, you will find the truth in him!

Notice the very next word, which starts verse 19: “therefore.” Because he has authority, he now confers upon them a new mission.

What is the new mission? Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, teaching them all Jesus taught. In other words, those 11 men are to do what Jesus did for them. For the past three years, he made them into disciples and now they are be disciple-makers as well. Jesus gives his disciples what is called the Great Commission, “Men, tell my true story to everyone. We have a world to change!”

And what is more, his final words to them, as recorded by Matthew, are that he will be will them always! We know this is true based on what we studied in Acts 2, when he sent his Spirit to live with them.

That’s what Jesus wants us to do, tell his story, helping others become his followers, thus transforming the world. How are you fulfilling the mission of Jesus in your life?

Two Easter stories: one false, one true – Matthew 28, Part 3

What is the true Easter story?

As we have been following the telling of the Easter story in Matthew 28, we’ve learned that some women who were followers of Jesus, early on the Sunday morning after Jesus died, discovered an angel waiting in front of his empty tomb. Check out the previous two posts here and here to learn more. The angel gives them instructions to go tell Jesus’ disciples this news.

The women run to tell the disciples, and in his account, Matthew describes them as afraid, yet filled with joy. I love how real that description sounds. How many times have you yourself experienced that kind of mixed emotion? Maybe you’re starting a new job, and you’re excited, and yet feeling some nerves. I feel that way with my doctoral program. I’m excited when I get to read new books, excited when I think about learning, but I also feel dread because I know it will be hard work.

Let’s take a moment to imagine the mixed emotions in the hearts and minds of these women. In a whirlwind matter of hours, the Jews and Romans conspired together and killed their dear friend Jesus. Their ecstatic joy on Palm Sunday turned to doubt and frustration and confusion and fear just a few days later on Good Friday. Saturday was empty and dark and gray. Sunday the women wake up and head the grave thinking about placing extra spices on his body. Were they also wonder if his talk about rising again might be true? Were they afraid the Romans were out looking for them now too? And then they see the angel…the angel! Talk about a roller-coaster of emotions in a week’s time!

Filled with that mix of emotion, they rush back into the city to tell the story to the disciples. Just at that moment, right there on the road back to Jerusalem, Jesus himself appears to them. I find this astounding. Jesus’ first post-resurrection appearance is not to any of the 12 men who were his disciples. He does not appear first to Peter, James or John, the three men in his inner circle, arguably his best friends. He appears to the women. We have seen this time and time again in his ministry and in the teachings of the New Testament writers, in the Kingdom of God all are equal. There is no difference. Jesus is not afraid to be counter-cultural in the way he loves and in who he includes in the Kingdom of God – it’s the heart of the person that matters.

He greets them and they fall to the ground, grabbing his feet in worship. I know you and I aren’t used to that kind of worship. We’re more accustomed to a big hug when we see a close friends, or to raising our hands in worship. Maybe clapping and cheering when we’re excited. But not falling to the ground and touching someone’s feet. To them, that was an act of joyful worship. They had finally seen the risen Lord, and the angel’s story was confirmed.

As the women kneel before him, what are Jesus’ first words after greeting them? “Do not be afraid.” That’s twice now we’ve heard that, right? First from the angel. Now from Jesus! That’s helpful to us. In the midst of earth-shaking realities, whether it is Jesus’ death and resurrection, or whether it is a world-wide pandemic, Jesus says to us too, “do not be afraid.”

He then repeats what the angel had said, the mission: “Tell the story. Head to Galilee.” But now the story includes, “And guess what??? We saw him! He is alive!”

Look at verses 11-15. At the same time as the women are running to tell the story of good news to the disciples, Matthew shifts the scene back to the guards who had fainted outside Jesus’ tomb when the angel appeared. The soldiers having revived, are running back into the city at the same time as the women. The soldiers hurry to the temple and report everything they saw to the chief priests.

It makes me curious…when they heard about an earthquake and the angel, did any of the priests give even a couple seconds to consider that the true story might be true? Or did they think the soldiers were lying? Did they send a CSI team down to the tomb to investigate the soldiers’ story, rope off the premises and look for evidence? Or were the soldiers so convincing that the priests believed them right away? It is a bizarre situation. All we know from Matthew is that the priests and leaders are dead set against Jesus and his followers, so they create a false story to de-legitimize them.

The chief priests and leaders concoct a story that Jesus’ disciples stole Jesus’ body, and the chief priests pay the soldiers a large bribe to tell that story.

Notice that what the chief priests and leaders command the soldiers is basically the same command that angel and Jesus told the women: Tell a story. Story is quite powerful. Story shapes our world. It matters what story we tell. Now we have two stories in this passage. One true story, filled with hope for the oppressed, with joy for those who mourn and a vision for a whole new world. We also have a false, devious, selfish, destructive story, preserving power for powerful, wealth for the wealthy. Two competing stories.

Matthew tells us that this false story was widely circulated even to the very day he was writing. How long after this was he writing? Scholars guess it was in the vicinity of 20-30 years after the events of the resurrection. That means the false story persisted for a long time, and we know 2000 years later, that the false story is still around today.

Thankfully, the true story is still around too! More on that in our next post.

The first mission of the church was given to women- Matthew 28, Part 2

It is Sunday morning. Early. Still dark.

In our previous post, we followed Matthew’s account of what happened after Jesus’ death on that Friday and Saturday long ago. We started at Matthew 27:50, watching as Matthew gave us short rapid camera shots, from a variety of locations around Jerusalem. Now look at Matthew 28:1. Matthew turns the camera lens on the women who wake up early to go have a look at Jesus’ tomb. Have you noticed that, with the exception of Joseph of Arimathea who wasn’t even one of the 12 disciples, that none of Jesus’ male followers are yet a part of our story? I point this out not to denigrate the men. They’ll eventually enter the story, but when it comes to Jesus’ crucifixion on Friday, which we saw in the previous post, and now early on Sunday, Matthew focuses on the women.

I bring it up to highlight the fact that Matthew is doing something quite surprising here, given the culture of the First Century. He is placing women front and center in the most important story in the history of the world. But here’s the thing. Matthew isn’t just making this up. He is telling the story of what actually happened to Jesus. This might be obvious, but it needs to be stated: the women are there because Jesus had women followers. Jesus broke with the conventions of his society and culture, and he, a religious leader, talked with women, including women in his ministry. Now at the two most important events of salvation history, those women are front and center in the story. In Jesus’ Kingdom, then, men and women are of equal value, importance and role!

Look at verses 2-4 with me. The scene is at the tomb, and I imagine what appears to be a lightning bolt from heaven as the angel lands on the earth, right at the tomb, causing an earthquake. The angel rolls the stone away and sits on it. No mention of Jesus just yet. The camera now pans over to include the detachment of soldiers guarding the tomb, and they are shaking in fear. They lock eyes with the angel, and the soldiers fall over, having fainted.

My question is when did this happen? Right in front of the women? When you read the parallel accounts in Mark, Luke and John, they answer for us, that the earthquake and events of Matthew 28:2-4 are a flashback, occurring in the night, before the women show up.

To their shock, the women arrive and there is an angel sitting on the tombstone. Just sitting there, waiting. Shining like lightning. Comatose guards out cold, littered on the ground. Can you imagine the wide-eyed women taking this all in? I don’t know if they said, “What the heck?” back then, but something like that was going through their minds. Interestingly, while the soldiers had fallen over in fear, the women do not, even when the angel starts talking. Imagine that, what does an angel sound like? Whatever the voice of an angel sounds like, the women could understand. Notice what the angel says:

“Do not be afraid.” This is the first of multiple times when people receive this reassurance. Keep note of that. More on the way in future posts this week.

Next the angel says, “You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen just as he said. Come see for yourselves.” After his words of reassurance (“do not fear”), he now gives the women words of confirmation. Everything Jesus said had come to pass. There was no body in the tomb!

At yet, I have to ask, as they peeked in the tomb, did any of them doubt? If you’re like me, it is real easy to be skeptical. Like the phrase, “I won’t believe it, until I see it.” I wonder if any of the women thought, “Yeah, but couldn’t someone have stolen the body?” In fact, we know at least one of them were curious. If you read John’s account, that’s exactly what Mary Magdalene wonders.

Frankly I don’t blame her. Try to put yourself in her shoes. Your beloved friend who you were doing life with has been tragically killed. The emotion of that alone is huge. Add to it the fear that, just as the Roman governor quickly killed Jesus, he could order the same for you, and he had a reputation for being brutal. A couple days later, in all this emotion, you go to his grave, and there’s an angel there! And the angel talks to you and shows you the empty grave! I can’t imagine what those women must have been dealing with.

No matter what they were feeling, there’s no escaping that angel sitting on the stone in front of them. And when you’re face to face with an angel, you pay attention. If I was staring at an angel, in the middle of the most messed up crazy couple days I’d ever experienced in my life, I wouldn’t have a clue what to do. Perhaps they were like the proverbial deer in the headlights. Maybe their legs weren’t working anymore. So the angel has to tell them what to do. He says, “Now quickly, go tell the disciples that Jesus has risen and is going ahead to Galilee. You’ll meet him there.”

Do you see what the angel did there? He gave them the first mission assignment of the church: “Tell the story, head to Galilee.” We heard about a similar mission a couple months ago at the beginning of our sermon series through Acts. In Acts 1:8 Jesus tells the disciples to be his witnesses, his story-tellers. Here in Matthew 28, the very first mission that anyone receives after Jesus’ resurrection is nearly the same, when the angel instructs the women to go tell the disciples the story of what they have seen.

And what a story they have to tell: The tomb was empty! Jesus had said he would rise. After the crushing defeat of his arrest, beating, and crucifixion, there is a new hope. These women who had watched him die on the cross, now had this unbelievable story to tell. They saw an angel. That alone is wild. But what’s more, the angel told them Jesus was alive!

How will the women respond? In tomorrow’s post we find out.

More importantly, how will you respond?

What happened after Jesus died – Matthew 28, Part 1

The Reconciliation Of The Cross | internetmonk.com

We will all have coronavirus stories to share for years to come. Recently my daughter said, “This will be an event that I’ll be telling my kids and grandkids about.” And she is right. There will be so many stories. The courageous health care workers working to heal those who contracted the virus, many of whom passed away, but thankfully many more who survived. We will talk about schools and churches going all online. About businesses shutting down, about workers struggling from lack of finances, but about communities coming together to help those in need. We’ll talk about empty roads and pollution clearing. Those are the general stories.

There will also be personal ones. I’ll talk about the 9 year old girl in my church family, with lots more free time, sewing her own dress for her Grammy’s burial service. I’ll talk about the wedding under a blossoming willow tree in the church back yard, as the small group of attendees practiced social distancing, standing spread out on the lawn. I’ll talk about how the shutdown made it possible for our son and daughter-in-law to have time to purchase and train a puppy, a super playful German Shepherd named Kash. I’ll talk about how they brought their two-month old puppy to our house to meet our dog Bentley, and how strong 65 pound five year old Bentley playfully tried to wrestle tiny two month old maybe 15 pound Kash, and Kash got up limping…and I thought “oh no…” Thankfully Kash was ok!

I want to share with you that I have certainly had my moments of frustration during this time, but I have also tried really hard to start each morning by listing out 5 things that I am thankful for. It has been a good practice and one that might be helpful to you during this time too. Today I am thankful for the amazing story that we’re going to study this week. Actually, what we’re going to learn is that there are two Easter stories. Two very different Easter stories.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew 28.

The context leading up to chapter 28, as Matthew writes it, is the events of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. Look at chapter 27 verse 50. Jesus cries out in a loud voice, and dies. At this point it is almost like Matthew gives us rapid-fire snapshots of what took place next, showing quick video segments all around the city of Jerusalem.

Immediately after Jesus cries out and dies, there is an earthquake and rocks split open.
The scene quickly flashes to the temple, where the curtain separating the holy place from the most holy place, is ripped in two from top to bottom.
Then scene shifts again, this time to a cemetery where tombs open up and holy people from the past are raised to life!
Now in verse 54 he cuts back to the foot of the cross, where we see Jesus dead, hanging there limp, and the soldiers nearby are terrified because of the earthquake and exclaim that Jesus must have been the Son of God.
Then the camera pans out to show that some women followers of Jesus are watching at the cross too.
Another scene change, and this time it is to Roman governor’s palace, as a wealthy disciple of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, asks permission of the Roman governor Pilate to bury Jesus’ body. Pilate agrees.
Now the scene shifts again to Joseph getting Jesus’ body, preparing it with a clean linen cloth.
The next scene is Joseph placing Jesus’ body in a tomb cut out of rock, and then rolling a big stone in front of the entrance.
Still at the tomb, now the camera pans out to show Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (of Mary, Martha & Lazarus?) sitting there watching Joseph work. We see Joseph leave, but the Marys stay there, sitting, watching.
Now verses 62-66 take us to the next day, Saturday, and the scene is once again at the Roman Governor’s palace. This time, though, the Jewish religious leaders ask Pilate for permission to place security around the tomb. They remember Jesus’ teaching that he would rise after three days, and are afraid his disciples would come steal the body and claim that Jesus rose. Pilate agrees.
So the scene cuts back to the tomb where the religious leaders seal the stone and post a detachment of soldiers to guard the tomb.

Finally the camera fades to black, bringing us to Matthew 28. The story is just beginning. In the next post we’ll see how the first Easter story unfolds!

How Jesus matters during times of crisis – Matthew 21:1-17, Part 5

When I think about this coronavirus crisis, I think about how important healthcare workers are to our well-being. I think about how I pray every day for a vaccine to be developed more rapidly than medical scientists believe is humanly possible. I think about how we need to continue social distancing, even when we’re all sick of it. Earlier this week I officiated a social distanced wedding, and tomorrow I will lead a social distanced graveside burial. In both cases everyone is wishing that more people could be present, and that we could express ourselves by hugging one another. So we think excitedly about the end of the virus. In all our longing, I wonder if Jesus comes to mind. Does he matter to our view of how to live life during the virus shutdown? Of course he does, we Christians would say. But how?

This week our posts on the blog have been reviewing Matthew 21:1-17, the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry. On that momentous first Palm Sunday, the crowds in Jerusalem, including children, clearly identify Jesus as the Messianic King, son of their great King David, who was promised in the Old Testament prophetic writings. He is the one true King of the Kingdom of God. On Palm Sunday, we declared, along with the crowds that day in Jerusalem at his Triumphal Entry, “the King has come!” Furthermore, he is a Prophet King, pointing to the truth, which he himself embodies. He is the way, the truth and life. Finally, he is Priest King, pointing us to prayer. But how does Jesus, the Prophet, Priest and King, matter to our world crisis?

In these days of shutdown and shelter in place and social distancing and a stock market crash and economic recession or depression, and of course, health crisis and ventilators and masks, and over-crowded hospitals and pandemic, we can forget that Jesus has always been and still is King. Again, that does not mean that he causes all things that happen. I do not believe that he caused this virus (sometimes we hear things like that, but I do not agree with that). Just because there is a world-wide crisis, we should not make the jump to thinking that Jesus isn’t King – a King has all authority. He is a good King – he is selfless, loving, powerful, and humble, taking the messes we make out of our own free will and working them for good.

Take a few moments and think about what moved Jesus’ heart in this story. He loved seeing people’s heart to worship and prayer, and he was upset and angry by those who were disrupting that and taking advantage of people. What that means is that his heart is moved by your heart to worship and talk with him. How beautiful is that?

Can I encourage you to take time this week to read this important story as we lead up to next week, Easter Sunday? It can be found from several different perspectives. Today we read Matthew’s perspective. But also read Mark 11:1-19. And Luke 19:28-48. Finally John 12:12-50.

Does your family know that Jesus is your king?

Do your neighbors?

What will it look like for you to depend on King Jesus in the middle of this crisis? What will it look like for you to shout your own version of “Hosanna” to the King, proclaiming the joyful hope that he gives us, even in the middle of a crisis?

We have hope of not only eternal life, but also abundant life here and now!

Jesus’ classic burn of the religious leaders – Matthew 21:1-17, Part 4

I recently watched Netflix’ series Messiah. It depicts what might happen if a christ-figure entered our contemporary world. The series was intriguing because it kept you guessing. Was he Jesus? Or an imposter? Maybe a terrorist? What were his real motivations? Were his miracles tricks or real? Were his teachings good news or were they a bit off? Would I follow him?

I wonder if my reactions to the character in the Netflix show were at all like the religious leaders in Jesus’ day.

We read what Jesus did on that first Palm Sunday, and maybe we are accustomed to his actions: Jesus cleansing the temple. Jesus healing. Jesus teaching. These are classic Jesus kinds of actions. Remember, though, that Jesus is not out on a mountainside, or in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, or inside a friend’s house. The religious leaders were watching him in all those places too, but now he is on their turf, the most important turf they had. Jesus is right in their headquarters. This is happening on what they considered the center of religious life, the temple.

Because he is on their home field, is Jesus deferring to them, asking them permission? No! He isn’t caring one lick about their opinion. Jesus has walked right into the enemy’s lair, and he is taking charge as if it is was his. Furthermore he is making changes, and as he does, he is telling them they were wrong about how they did things with their concessions stand in the Court of Gentiles. He knew they were wrong, he told them so, and he took action.

Imagine being those religious leaders hearing this from Jesus. They had a hard time when he confronted them out on the mountainside and in people’s homes. Now he’s confronting them in their house. At the end of verse 15, Matthew gives us one word to describe how the leaders felt: indignant. I think that Matthew could have probably written, “They were really, really, really, really, super, deeply, angry.”

Matthew goes on to tell us how, in their indignancy, the leaders react toward Jesus there in the temple. You’d think, with rage simmering just below the surface, they’d muster the temple guards and kick Jesus out of the temple. Surprisingly, their response is very muted. In just a few days they will arrest him, beat him, falsely accuse him, and hand him over to the Romans demanding that the Romans crucify him. For now though, right there in the temple, there is a party going on, and the leaders’ hands are tied by the fact that the people are loving Jesus, wanting to enthrone him as King. Even the kids are chanting “Hosanna to the Son of David.”

All the leaders do is ask Jesus one question, as we read in verse 16, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” The leaders are looking at this party, this almost-coronation, as if it is utterly ridiculous. In their minds, Jesus, and his UNtriumphal entry, is the furthest thing from the messianic king they expected, and the children praising him are just being children. Therefore, the leaders, when they question Jesus in verse 16, are insinuating that Jesus is off his rocker to receive the praise of the people. They would say Jesus is being heretical, blasphemous. We know from our vantage point that those kids were speaking 100% truth, and Jesus was absolutely right to allow it. Jesus truly was the king of the Kingdom of God.

How the leaders did not see this truth is hard to imagine. Just looking at the miracles Jesus did should have been more than enough. But the reality is that we can be hard of heart too, doubters, pessimistic, especially when, like those leaders, our authority and viewpoint is being called into question. To admit that Jesus was right, those leaders would have to eat some serious humble pie and make major changes to their worldview and their livelihood, perhaps giving up power. That’s asking a lot of anyone who believes they are right, and who sees things one certain way for their whole lives. Yet that is what Jesus is doing. His whole life and ministry centered on the idea that God’s Kingdom was near, and it was being revealed in a new way through him. This was too much for the leaders, blinded as they were by their selfish ambition. Of course, then, they believe him to be an imposter, and their question about the children gets at his validity and authority.

Look at verse 16 to see the astounding way that Jesus answers their question with a question of his own, “Have you never read…?” Think about this. Jesus is talking to the Bible scholars, the people who knew their Scriptures better than anyone, the people who were quite willing to let it be known that they were the religious experts. To them he is basically saying, “Hey so-called Bible guys, it seems like you haven’t read your Bibles.”

If cleansing the temple was an act of war, Jesus now launches the first assault, essentially making fun of the Bible scholars for not seeing their world through the lens of the Bible. Just as he quoted Scripture to defend his actions of cleansing the temple (see previous post), he now does so again, defending the children who were praising him. He quotes Psalm 8:2, “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise,” thus shutting down the Bible scholars, who should have applied the Bible to this situation. Jesus’ confrontation of the leaders is a classic burn. You know they are enraged, hating that they can do nothing about it.

Matthew describes no further response from the leaders. Jesus leaves the city, travels to the nearby town of Bethany (almost certainly to the home of his friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus who lived there), and spends the night there.

Might it be possible that your impression of Jesus is incorrect, like the religious leaders? If he were standing in front of you, would you know it was him? If you want to have the correct understanding of Jesus, I encourage you to start learning about him by reading the four stories of his life, the books that a traditionally called the Gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. As you read, take notes about how these four writers describe Jesus. What surprises you? What didn’t you know? Philip Yancey’s book, The Jesus I Never Knew, is also a helpful guide.

Would Jesus say Christianity is polluted or pure? – Matthew 21:1-17, Part 3

Have you ever wondered if Christianity in our day and age is polluted? Or is it pure? These are wide statements, and Christianity is so diverse that one word, like “polluted” or “pure” cannot possibly describe the whole of it. But take a look at trends in the faith. Consider the larger movements within the faith in our day. And when you do that you can apply words like “polluted” and “pure,” and a great many other words, to how we contemporary Christians practice the faith. Of course these designations will not apply to all Christians, and that is not the purpose of this thought project. Instead, I raise these questions to help us envision how Jesus might evaluate us, and if he might take action against us, like he did against the religious practitioners of his day. Why? Because the faith of his day was polluted.

This week we have been reflecting on the story of Jesus’ Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as told in Matthew 21:1-17. After arriving in the city to the cheers of the crowds who wanted to crown him king, Jesus heads to the temple, and he was not happy. Instead of a place of worship, in the temple courtyard designed for Gentiles to worship, he found a market. The leaders of the temple allowed two specific businesses to set up shop there.

The first business was Money-changing. If that seems like an odd business to set up at a temple, there was a reason. Money-changing was necessary because Jerusalem was the Jews’ holy city, precisely because the Temple was there, and Jews from all over the world would regularly make pilgrimage to worship there. On their journeys, of course they brought currencies from their homelands. At the temple, Jews all had to pay a tax to worship, but there was only one kind of currency that the priests allowed for payment of the temple tax. Jews with different currencies from their homelands had to exchange their money for temple tax money.

While money-changers operated throughout in the city, it was very convenient to set up money changers right there in the temple. In our day and age, we can use credit cards very easily internationally, but if you’ve ever had to exchange money in another country, you know how handy it can be to have an exchange right there in the airport. So on one level, the priests just wanted to make worship more accessible, except that’s not all they were doing. Scholars tell us that they were profiting off of this business, as were the money-changers. Commerce and greed infringed upon the purposes of the temple.

What about the other business at the temple, the Sellers of Doves? This, too, can be viewed as a necessary and helpful business because some people came from long distances to worship at the temple, and it would have been very inconvenient for them to bring their animal sacrifices from far away. So the priests invited merchants into the temple to sell offerings for sacrifices. Like the money-changers, these merchants were helping people worship. Sadly, this business also had a dark side. The priests and merchants were making handsome profits off people, selling animals at premium prices. Unless you go to dollar dog nights at the stadium, you know that your food and beverages are going to be astronomically priced at the stadium concessions stand, right? The same thing was happening at the temple.

The rates the money-changers offered were terrible, and the prices of sacrificial animals were way inflated. All this was happening right in the temple courtyards. Under the guise of facilitating worship, the priests had allowed commercial enterprise to fleece the people as they came to meet God.

Jesus wasn’t having it. He drove them out, over-turning their tables and benches.

This is not the normal picture of Jesus, right? He wasn’t saying, “Excuse me, sir, will you please leave the premises? Allow me to remove your items from your table top and stack them neatly on the ground here while I gently tip your table over.”

No way. One of the other gospels tell us he made a whip! We can see Jesus, filled with righteous anger, getting a bit wild.

Why does he do this? Thus far it might be obvious, but just to make sure there is no doubt about his motivation, Jesus himself declares to the people watching him the reason for his actions.

Look at verse 13 where he quotes two passages from the Old Testament prophets that explain his motivation. First, Isaiah 56:7, “My house will be a house of prayer for all the nations.” Matthew doesn’t depict Jesus as adding that last bit (which I placed in italics), but Mark does. Jesus’ use of this quote insinuates something very insightful. God’s heart desire was that the Court of Gentiles was supposed to be a place where non-Jews could worship, but the leaders of the temple had made a mockery of that. The Gentiles couldn’t worship and pray in a courtyard that had been repurposed into a noisy, concessions area.

We also learn Jesus’ motivation in his quote of Jeremiah 7:11 which even further indicts the leaders, because that prophecy refers the temple as a den of robbers. That’s exactly what the leaders had become, as they allowed the money-changers and sellers of sacrifices to rip the people off, profiting off worship in the process. Jeremiah 7:11 concludes with a warning to temple leaders: “The Lord is watching.” Jesus was watching that day in the temple, and his heart for the Lord and for the people, moves him to action.

Jesus, in other words, steps into what might be called a priestly role. He does what the priests should have done. He cleanses the temple, recapturing the essence of what the court of Gentiles was always supposed to be, a place of prayer for the nations.

By telling us this story about Jesus, Matthew is now not only declaring that Jesus is Prophet and King, but Prophet, Priest and King.

Verses 14-16 put an exclamation point on this whole episode. Right there in the temple, Jesus heals many, clearly displaying the victory of the Kingdom of Light over the Kingdom of Darkness.

Have commerce and greed corrupted our practice of faith in Jesus in our day? I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts. How would Jesus view American Christianity? Are we at all like the religious leaders, allowing consumerism to infect our discipleship to Jesus, perhaps more than realize? Maybe our practice of Christianity is polluted?

Jesus’ first kingly act? He goes to the market! – Matthew 21:1-17, Part 2

In my county, we have many farmers’ markets and bazaars, places where people can rent space, set up a stand and sell their produce or wares. The three most popular and busy are probably Central Market in the city, Green Dragon in Ephrata, and Root’s in Manheim, though there are others. They are incredibly fun places, filled with people walking the aisles of stalls, looking for meats and vegetables, and antiques, crafts, and delicious food. If you visit Lancaster County, these three markets are stops you’ll want on your intinerary.

One time Jesus visited a place like these, and it made him react in a way that was quite surprising. If you want, you can open your Bible and turn to Matthew 21, one of the chapters that tells this story. We’re studying Matthew 21 this week because, as we saw in the previous post, it describes what is traditionally called Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into the city of Jerusalem. Riding on a lowly donkey, the crowds that day proclaim Jesus as the embodiment of the messianic king, of the line of the great Israelite king David.

We read in verse 10 that news of this momentous event spread like an earthquake through the city. Everyone was talking about it.

It is interesting that in verse 11 Jesus is also identified as a prophet. God, through Moses, in Deuteronomy 18, had predicted that a great Prophet would one day come to Israel. Over the years, of course, many prophets did minister the word of the Lord in Israel, and Jesus was by far the epitome of them all. So both designations are correct, as he is Prophet and King. What would this prophet king do?

In verse 12 we read that Jesus enters the temple. The temple area Matthew refers to is an outer court that was used almost like a concessions area in a stadium. Imagine you’re going to a baseball game when the virus is finally past us. You enter the stadium and all around the field is the seating area, but underneath or behind the seating areas are concessions where you can buy food and memorabilia. It was very similar at the temple in Jerusalem.

The temple complex was massive. It had various courtyards around the main temple building, and these courtyards were restricted based on who you were. Almost like security clearances.

If you were the high priest, you had access to every part of the temple complex. If you were a regular priest you could go everywhere but the holiest place deep inside the temple building itself. If you were a Jewish male, you could go to all the courtyards. If you were a Jewish woman, you could only go to the women’s courtyard. If you were non-Jewish, you could only go to a place called the Court of Gentiles.

The heart behind all this, even though it is culturally different from the “open to all” approach of the New Testament church, was still that there would be a place for all to worship. But in that Court of Gentiles, the priests had set up a kind of concessions area, and people would come to buy and sell there. What did it look like? Think of a farmer’s market, with many different stands, busyness and business all around, with lots of noise and hustle and bustle. As we’ll see, there was especially lots of hustle going on.

Why did they set up a concessions area in the temple? The priests weren’t just outright saying, “Guys, we have all this space, let’s set up a market and make cash.” No, in that area they allowed two kinds of businesses specifically supporting to the sacrificial system of the temple. Check back in to the next post as we learn what these businesses were about, and why Jesus reacted so strongly against them.

The UNtriumphal entry of the unexpected king – Matthew 21:1-17, Part 1

Picture an inauguration or coronation ceremony. What images come to mind? Grand balls. Flashy banners and decor. Lavish parties with bountiful plates of food and dignitaries dressed to impress. The goal is a display of power, wealth, and victory. Today I want to give you a totally different picture of a coronation that would ultimately have far greater influence and meaning, one that features, believe it or not, a donkey.

Travel with me 2000 years backwards in time, and nearly halfway around the world to a dusty corner of the Roman Empire. The time is right around 30 AD in the nation of Israel.

For about three years, Jesus has been ministering all over the nation of Israel. His public ministry is marked by miracles and authoritative teaching, with a special focus on parables. Huge crowds gather around him, both because of his miracles and his teaching. He regularly confronts the religious leaders who suspiciously watch his every move, pointing out their hypocrisy and fraud, and how they took advantage of the general populace. Finally, he spends plenty of time with a smaller group of followers, comprised of men and women, but it is his 12 disciples that are his closest companions. He mentors and trains them to live like he lived, so that one day they be ready to take over for him.

Toward the end of the three years, the tension between Jesus and the religious elite is like static in winter, sparking every time you make contact with metal. These priest and bible teachers regularly attempt to undermine his teaching, seeking to trap him theologically. But Jesus’ wisdom is unparalleled, his responses revealing errors in their thinking. Often he reveals the flaws in their arguments, trapping them! Anger and jealousy grow inside them, and they secretly plot to eliminate him.

Also at end of his third year in ministry, Jesus starts traveling toward Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. Passing through town after town along the way, burgeoning crowds join him, as Jesus continues healing and teaching. The days pass, his entourage gradually winds their way closer and closer to Jerusalem, and the week of Passover arrives.

Passover is a major Jewish celebration, marking the events of the nation of Israel’s freedom from slavery in Egypt. Jewish families gather to tell the story of how God protected them from the plague of death, and how God launched them, under the leadership of Moses, into the desert, through the Red Sea, and on a journey back to the Promised Land of Canaan, the land of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Every year many Jews would travel to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, just as Jesus as his followers were doing.

That brings us to Matthew 21.

Verses 1-3 simply set up the story. Jesus, the disciples and crowds walk toward Jerusalem, arriving just outside the city on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus instructs the disciples to go into the nearby village of Bethpage and bring a donkey and her colt to him.

Matthew tells us in verses 4-5 that what is about to happen next fulfills Zechariah 9:9, a Messianic prophecy about the entrance of the Messianic King riding into the city on a donkey. This is the first reference in this account to Jesus as King. But the kind of king revealed that day in Jerusalem is quite unexpected. Everything about this king is humble, which is symbolized through his choice of a donkey. He’s not riding a warhorse, decked out in armor and weapons, like a victorious king. Instead he is riding a humble donkey. Scholars tell us that in the Triumphal Entry Jesus finally reveals to all that he is the Messianic King long ago promised in their people’s prophetic writings. Prior to this he had often told people to keep quiet about him. But now, notice how he reveals himself: with humility. He is the humble king.

In fact, it hard to see what is triumphal about this king. It seems UNtriumphal. And that is on purpose. Jesus wasn’t a warlord king, he was a king who had come to serve, to give his life. In contrast to the narcissistic, power-hungry rulers so prevalent in their day and ours, the one true king shows us that godly leadership is humble.

The untriumphal entry into the city transpires just as Jesus directs, and as the prophecy foretells. We read in verses 6-11 that a very large crowd gathers, shouting of “Hosanna,” which means “save!” and was a shout of praise, and quoting Psalm 118:26 which mentions the coming of a future messianic king in the line of David, thus making a connection between Jesus as the son of David. This is the second reference to Jesus as King.

The untriumphal entry of the humble king. In our world that lauds brash, arrogant leadership, Jesus shows us a very different way. How does Jesus challenge your view of leaders and leadership?