Spiritual Hiccups - Business as Usual

The story of Jesus "cleansing" the Temple, where he chased out the money changers and those selling animals, is well known to many Christians (though only in John's gospel does it happen at the beginning of Jesus' ministry).  But because the Temple operations were so different from anything modern people know, it can be difficult for us fully to understand what was going on.

The money changers were a necessity because people were not allowed to give offerings to God in Roman coins which bore the likeness of Caesar.  Pilgrims who journeyed to Jerusalem from far off needed a way to convert their coins into something acceptable.  Similarly, pilgrims who had journeyed long distances couldn't bring acceptable animals for sacrifice with them, and they needed to purchase these if they were to make the offerings prescribed by Scripture.  These "business people" in the Temple courtyard were matters of convenience/necessity, perhaps not all that different from allowing people to pay their pledges by credit card or bank draft.

But Jesus seems unimpressed by such issues.  His "zeal" for God's house demands that the focus be totally on God, that nothing distract or detract from offering worship, praise, and prayer to God.

How often do I enter into the sanctuary with almost no awareness of God's presence?  Though I am leading the people in worship and offering up prayers and a sermon, it is surprising how easy it is to do so as a matter of performance and routine, reciting my lines like an actor on the stage.

The same sort of problem can afflict worshipers.  People come into the sanctuary to see the show.  I certainly don't know what is on the hearts of individual worshipers, but I've been doing this long enough that I feel confident saying that significant number don't think much about God being there.

It is easy for religion to slip into business as usual (even if there are no money changers or animal sellers to be found).  We may even mention the need to up the pledges if we are going to keep all our current programing funded.  But where is God?

It is probably a good thing if Jesus occasionally turns over some of our tables and rattles our routines a bit.  Sometimes we need to be jostled out of business as usual if we are to turn fully to God.  It is so easy to become preoccupied with our little religious operation.  But as well intended as such operations usually are, they are not God.  Sometimes they even get in the way of God.

But God is there, just waiting for us to push aside some of the clutter.  In Jesus, God awaits us with open arms, longing for us to fall into the divine embrace.

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