Turning The Tables
Sermon
From Dusk To Dawn
Sermons For Lent And Easter
On Monday of Holy Week, Jesus upset the tables. He entered the
Jerusalem Temple and turned over the moneychangers' tables. He
told those who were selling doves used for sacrifice, "Take these
things out of here. Stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
John, alone, of the gospel writers, tells us how Jesus made a
whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple.
Moneychangers, sheep, goats, priests and scribes. All sent
skedaddling out of the temple. Jesus turned the tables on them
all. Jesus turns the tables on all who would make of his Father's
house a sleazy commercialized way to fleece folks' well-earned
money.
Coins clacking on the table as pilgrims plucked down foreign-
minted coins in exchange for the half-shekels every Jewish man
over 19 had to fork over to the temple's treasury. Coins
clinking, sheep bleating, doves clucking, pigeons cooing. Lambs
crying as they were sacrificed on the many altars set up in the
vast temple area. Silence Of The Lambs wasn't a movie playing at
the temple that day. That day when Jesus the Lamb drove out the
false, fat, foolish and greedy shepherds of Israel. Priests who
were more interested in self and profit than the souls of their
flocks. The temple in Jesus' day is sometimes the television
studio of today where many false preachers and teachers parrot an
easy gospel, counting those
cards and letters coming into their offices with green bills
enclosed.
A family that never attended church was asked by a friend why
they never made it to morning worship. The father of the family
replied, "Instead of tithing we prefer to use our money to make a
monthly payment on our new wide screen television. We make a
habit of watching television worship services. After all, the
television religious shows are better than the show available
down at Old First Presbyterian."
Jesus was angry that day in the temple. Jesus is angry when we
forget that faith in God, worship of the Lord and service to
Christ is not a show, a bigger and better extravaganza. Worship
is:
a thirsty land crying out for rain
It is a voice in the night calling for help,
It is a soul standing in awe before God
It is a time flowing into eternity
It is a person climbing the altar stars to God.
(Dwight Bradley)
Jesus doesn't approve of worship without reverence. Jesus
doesn't approve of worship where we simply go through the
motions. Worship can be decent and in order. Worship can follow a
regular liturgy. Worship can never be important to us, though,
unless we enter a service with a desire to worship the Living
God. Unless we sing praises with our lips, pray to God with faith
and listen to God's word to us. Worship isn't a passive spectator
sport where we are spoon-fed. Worship is our dialogue with God
where we await his word with love.
After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, British playwright
George Bernard Shaw said, "His death shows how dangerous it is to
be good." Jesus lived a dangerous life. In the temple he told his
hearers that he is the Temple. He who would die upon the cross
will be raised up in three days. Temples may crumble and fail.
The church at which we worship may change. But if we are true to
the Lord, we will never
forsake him who is the Living Temple, who at Calvary is crucified
in our names. Animal sacrifices are not needed when we worship
the Lamb of God.
Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain,
Could give the guilty conscience peace,
Or wash away their stain.
But Christ the Heavenly Lamb
Takes all our sins away
A sacrifice of nobler Name
and richer blood than they.
(Isaac Watts)
An old story tells of a man who dreamed he was witnessing the
crucifixion. He couldn't stand the sight of the soldiers driving
nails through the hands of Jesus. He ran over and grabbed the
soldier and turned him around, only to see that the face of the
soldier was his own.
The next time we approach the Lord's Table, let us think how
we can better worship the Lord and work in his name. As we
prepare to come to the banquet table of God, let us:
Fast from criticism and feast on praise
Fast from self-pity and feast on joy
Fast from ill-temper and feast on peace
Fast from jealousy and feast on love
Fast from pride and feast on humility
Fast from selfishness and feast on service
Fast from fear and feast on faith.
Jesus' temple is a house of prayer for all people. Rich and
poor, young and old, black and white, yellow and red. All who
trust in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world are welcome to
come before him with thanksgiving and love.
As we reflect this Lenten season on how we worship together as
Christ's family, may the presence of the Lord be in our midst.
Let us break bread together in the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem Temple and turned over the moneychangers' tables. He
told those who were selling doves used for sacrifice, "Take these
things out of here. Stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
John, alone, of the gospel writers, tells us how Jesus made a
whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple.
Moneychangers, sheep, goats, priests and scribes. All sent
skedaddling out of the temple. Jesus turned the tables on them
all. Jesus turns the tables on all who would make of his Father's
house a sleazy commercialized way to fleece folks' well-earned
money.
Coins clacking on the table as pilgrims plucked down foreign-
minted coins in exchange for the half-shekels every Jewish man
over 19 had to fork over to the temple's treasury. Coins
clinking, sheep bleating, doves clucking, pigeons cooing. Lambs
crying as they were sacrificed on the many altars set up in the
vast temple area. Silence Of The Lambs wasn't a movie playing at
the temple that day. That day when Jesus the Lamb drove out the
false, fat, foolish and greedy shepherds of Israel. Priests who
were more interested in self and profit than the souls of their
flocks. The temple in Jesus' day is sometimes the television
studio of today where many false preachers and teachers parrot an
easy gospel, counting those
cards and letters coming into their offices with green bills
enclosed.
A family that never attended church was asked by a friend why
they never made it to morning worship. The father of the family
replied, "Instead of tithing we prefer to use our money to make a
monthly payment on our new wide screen television. We make a
habit of watching television worship services. After all, the
television religious shows are better than the show available
down at Old First Presbyterian."
Jesus was angry that day in the temple. Jesus is angry when we
forget that faith in God, worship of the Lord and service to
Christ is not a show, a bigger and better extravaganza. Worship
is:
a thirsty land crying out for rain
It is a voice in the night calling for help,
It is a soul standing in awe before God
It is a time flowing into eternity
It is a person climbing the altar stars to God.
(Dwight Bradley)
Jesus doesn't approve of worship without reverence. Jesus
doesn't approve of worship where we simply go through the
motions. Worship can be decent and in order. Worship can follow a
regular liturgy. Worship can never be important to us, though,
unless we enter a service with a desire to worship the Living
God. Unless we sing praises with our lips, pray to God with faith
and listen to God's word to us. Worship isn't a passive spectator
sport where we are spoon-fed. Worship is our dialogue with God
where we await his word with love.
After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, British playwright
George Bernard Shaw said, "His death shows how dangerous it is to
be good." Jesus lived a dangerous life. In the temple he told his
hearers that he is the Temple. He who would die upon the cross
will be raised up in three days. Temples may crumble and fail.
The church at which we worship may change. But if we are true to
the Lord, we will never
forsake him who is the Living Temple, who at Calvary is crucified
in our names. Animal sacrifices are not needed when we worship
the Lamb of God.
Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain,
Could give the guilty conscience peace,
Or wash away their stain.
But Christ the Heavenly Lamb
Takes all our sins away
A sacrifice of nobler Name
and richer blood than they.
(Isaac Watts)
An old story tells of a man who dreamed he was witnessing the
crucifixion. He couldn't stand the sight of the soldiers driving
nails through the hands of Jesus. He ran over and grabbed the
soldier and turned him around, only to see that the face of the
soldier was his own.
The next time we approach the Lord's Table, let us think how
we can better worship the Lord and work in his name. As we
prepare to come to the banquet table of God, let us:
Fast from criticism and feast on praise
Fast from self-pity and feast on joy
Fast from ill-temper and feast on peace
Fast from jealousy and feast on love
Fast from pride and feast on humility
Fast from selfishness and feast on service
Fast from fear and feast on faith.
Jesus' temple is a house of prayer for all people. Rich and
poor, young and old, black and white, yellow and red. All who
trust in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world are welcome to
come before him with thanksgiving and love.
As we reflect this Lenten season on how we worship together as
Christ's family, may the presence of the Lord be in our midst.
Let us break bread together in the house of the Lord.
