Tired of a greasy, grimy temple? Well, just try our new wipes....
Whoops, slipped into a domestic rapture there.
Things are moving a bit fast, here, Jesus just turned water into wine and now he's cleaning up the temple. From my studies, I've learned the basics that what is going on here is that sacrificial animals are being sold at the temple and the merchants are price gouging. I've been told that there was a lot of corruption in this practice -- pilgrims were often told that the animals they brought from home were defective and therefore below standards for sacrifice but that they could buy these animals for sale. I've also been told that the animals being sold at the temple may have been defective themselves, so the merchants were adding insult to injury. The Old Testament (Leviticus and Deuteronomy, I believe) goes on at length about what animals are to be sacrificed for which sins and all sacrifices are to be without blemish. So offering a defective animal as a sacrifice to God is very bad. All of this, of course, points to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, who is without sin (i.e. defect).
I'm sort of enthralled by Jesus' outrage -- I can relate to his anger and I admire his take-charge attitude. The study I took emphasized the righteousness of Jesus' actions, that even his anger is righteous -- they have to do this, because anger is generally viewed as a sin and Jesus is free from sin. Actually, I wonder to what degree we impute anger to this. Jesus may have been perfectly calm and peaceful as he make a whip of cords and overturned tables. I don't know. Anyone who has a problem with Jesus acting this way probably also has big problems with most of the Old Testament. It doesn't trouble me. In many ways I can relate to Jesus cleansing the temple more than his crucifixion, which seems a bit passive-aggressive to me (we can get into that more when we get to those passages).
The passage continues with Jesus' statement prophesizing his death and resurrection, but of course, no one understands. How frustrating it must have been to be Jesus, at least viewed from his humanity. The statement is made, apparently, as a confirmation for his believers, to be understood at a future time.
Finally, Jesus knows us, he knows our hearts. He does not trust those who profess to believe in him because he knows our hearts. Why, even one of his most ardent disciples will deny him three times. Can you imagine the kind of love that leads you to sacrifice your very life for those whom you don't trust?
January 10, 2005
Cleansing of the Temple
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."
Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
--John 2:13-25 (NIV)
January 09, 2005
Marjorie on the Wedding Feast
I cheated this time and read your posts and comments first!
The one thing that really struck me was the statement that he saved the best for last. Not only do I see this as a source of hope that whatever comes 'after' life will be the best, I also find an exhortation to patience in it. Stop, be still, the best is yet to come.
Notations from my previous study of John -- Jesus cares about the mundane details of our lives, like whether there is enough wine at the feast.
The transformation of the water is indicative of the incredible transformation that Jesus can do in our own lives.
The one thing that really struck me was the statement that he saved the best for last. Not only do I see this as a source of hope that whatever comes 'after' life will be the best, I also find an exhortation to patience in it. Stop, be still, the best is yet to come.
Notations from my previous study of John -- Jesus cares about the mundane details of our lives, like whether there is enough wine at the feast.
The transformation of the water is indicative of the incredible transformation that Jesus can do in our own lives.
Housekeeping
I just removed the bible study links form the side bar as they all referred to the letter of James that we aren't reading together anymore. If folks have any on-line resources towards bible study they would like linked to in the links directory feel free to email me and I will post them.
There are also banners below to Amnesty International and to some Quakers stuff like Canadian Friends Service Committee and Canadian Yearly Meeting. If your favorite faith community has a website and a logo or banner type we could link to them as well.
Just let me know.
There are also banners below to Amnesty International and to some Quakers stuff like Canadian Friends Service Committee and Canadian Yearly Meeting. If your favorite faith community has a website and a logo or banner type we could link to them as well.
Just let me know.
January 08, 2005
Water into Wine
My experience with this story is memorable as part of my introduction to what is sometimes referred to as estoric reading of the Bible.
I was led into this mode by a very small book by Maurice Nicoll entitled The New Man.
Some words have special metaphoric connotations and are found over and over in the Bible: three such words are stone, water and fire. (In this story wine serves as an alternative term for fire or spirit.)
Look in your concordance for any of these three words. Checking them out will give you pause for wonderment.
Look for example at Elijah's contest with the 400 prophets of Baal. 1st Kings 18:17 ff: to end a terrible drought Elijah confounds the prophets of Baal. In the story you find a stone altar, water (first no water, then floods of water) and fire.)
Transform the fire to wine and the Wedding of Cana proves to be a similar story. We have stone waterpots, water put into them, and turned to wine.
Both stories have a similar (esoteric) meaning:
Stone represents the lowest level of spiritual consciousness,
Water represents an awakening to the Way. (We'll hear more about this miraculous water in John: in chapter Three we'll hear about being born of water, and still later more about life giving water.
Wine points toward the fire that broke out on the Day of Pentecost.
So we have description of three spiritual levels: the stony "unborn", born of water, and born of the Holy Spirit and fire (also called the New Wine). As David said, John referred to this as a sign. To me it seems like a sign of the spiritual movement in God's people about to take place.
An understanding of this kind of symbology did a lot to renew my interest in the Bible and in the life of the spirit.
I was led into this mode by a very small book by Maurice Nicoll entitled The New Man.
Some words have special metaphoric connotations and are found over and over in the Bible: three such words are stone, water and fire. (In this story wine serves as an alternative term for fire or spirit.)
Look in your concordance for any of these three words. Checking them out will give you pause for wonderment.
Look for example at Elijah's contest with the 400 prophets of Baal. 1st Kings 18:17 ff: to end a terrible drought Elijah confounds the prophets of Baal. In the story you find a stone altar, water (first no water, then floods of water) and fire.)
Transform the fire to wine and the Wedding of Cana proves to be a similar story. We have stone waterpots, water put into them, and turned to wine.
Both stories have a similar (esoteric) meaning:
Stone represents the lowest level of spiritual consciousness,
Water represents an awakening to the Way. (We'll hear more about this miraculous water in John: in chapter Three we'll hear about being born of water, and still later more about life giving water.
Wine points toward the fire that broke out on the Day of Pentecost.
So we have description of three spiritual levels: the stony "unborn", born of water, and born of the Holy Spirit and fire (also called the New Wine). As David said, John referred to this as a sign. To me it seems like a sign of the spiritual movement in God's people about to take place.
An understanding of this kind of symbology did a lot to renew my interest in the Bible and in the life of the spirit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)