January 16th, 2022
Devotional
“Jesus Cleanses the Temple” - John 2: 13-25
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Monday: “Passover” - John 2: 13
It seems a bit odd to modern readers that the Gospel of John would start out this section of text by saying that the “Passover of the Jews was near.” Until we remember that the Gospels were not written at the exact same time as the events taking place. The Gospel texts were told from person to person, gathering to gathering, well before they ever were written down. Which is so different from how we pass words today.
All of that is to say that by the time the Gospel of John is written there is a distinction between the Jewish Passover - which tells of the story of Exodus and the Christian Passover - marked by Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday - which tells of God’s saving grace.
The author of the Gospel wanted to make sure that the people receiving the Word were firmly grounded in the fact that Jesus was Jewish and as such he was celebrating the high holy day of the Jewish Passover.
If you were going to tell the story of the Christian faith, what do you think needs to be lifted up as most important?
Prayer: God, we thank you that throughout time you have sought to save us, even when we did not know that we needed to be saved. Thank you for your grace that shows up again and again to your people. Amen.
Tuesday: “Marketplace” - John 2: 14-16
When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, he found that people had traveled from far and wide to give thanks to God for bringing them out of captivity and into the Promised Land. However, sometimes the ways that people tried to give thanks strayed from the One for whom they were intended.
The focus became less about lifting high God’s name and more about the process - which involved sacrifices. If people need animals to sacrifice, they needed a place to buy them, since the journey would have been too long for most people to bring them along. As a result, the temple courts became a place of buying and selling.
Jesus didn’t object to worshipping God. He didn’t even object to the sacrifices themselves. But he did object to the fact that the focus had become skewed from where it belonged - on God and God alone.
What are some ways that we skew our focus from God today?
Prayer: Lord, we are quick to stay as your people. We start to think about our own needs or get caught up in the process more than the holy act of worship itself. Forgive us, O Lord, and remind us what the heart of worship is all about. Amen.
Wednesday: “Remembered”- John 2: 17
One of the things that I deeply appreciate about ancient Jewish culture is that young people memorized the word of God. They didn’t have their own scrolls - it would be far too costly for each household - so instead they went to the temple for many years so that the Word of God could be imprinted on their hearts.
As Jesus’s disciples watch the events unfolding at the temple that day, they had called to mind a passage of scripture that had been imprinted in them from the the Psalms, specifically Psalm 69:9, which spoke to them of the coming Messiah.
Before their very eyes the words of the Psalmist were coming to life as Jesus showed them what true zen for the house of the Lord looks like.
There are not as many people who memorize scripture today - at least not in such an all encompassing way as long ago. We have our own individual Bibles which we can read. We may have a verse or two memorized. But how do we so dwell in the Word of God that it is brought to our mind when we need it the most?
How do you read and engage the Word of God?
Prayer: Lord, today we ask for your Holy Spirit to call to mind your Word for us found in Scripture. May it become such a deep and rich part of our lives that we cannot help but recall it to mind and heart when we need it the most. Amen.
Thursday: “Temple” - John 2: 18-21
A question that I think is vitally important as we approach the text found in the second half of chapter 2 in the Gospel of John is - do we consider the cleansing of the temple as a sign?
Because if we don’t consider this to be a sign then it is simply something that we can brush past, without much thought or reflection. It can be something where we point fingers at the figures in the text and wonder how they missed the point Jesus is trying to make, without thinking about the points that we miss all the time.
Take the conversation that ensues with some of the religious leaders. They have just watched Jesus make a whip and use it to create a mess in the temple of God - throwing a wrench into their idea of the celebration of Passover.
To which Jesus replies that the sign that would be given from God is that temple would be destroyed and then be rebuilt in three days.
If things were tense before, they were absolutely wratched up now. Who was this person speaking about the temple, the house of God, being destroyed and then rebuilt? Of course, in hindsight we see that Jesus was talking about his ver self, but in the moment it was greatly misunderstood.
What do we misunderstand about Jesus’s teachings?
Prayer: Lord, in all humility we admit that we do not always understand your teachings or your Word. Help us, O Lord, to set aside our arrogance as we seek your Truth, we pray. Amen.
Friday: “Believed” - John 2: 22-25
While today’s scripture points out that many people came to believe in Jesus because of the signs that they saw performed, Jesus did not trust their belief to become faith yet. They were simply following him because of what they had seen, and wanted to see more of, not because they had truly been transformed.
This can be so evident in our lives as well. When we claim the name of Jesus with our lips but don’t want to live into a life of obedience to Christ. Or when we say that we are a follower (a disciple) of Jesus, but we want to follow him on our own terms and conditions. In that way, we fall out of step with Jesus.
But Jesus did not give up on these folks. He would still give his life for them. Just as Jesus does not give up on us - inviting us time after time to come and follow him anew.
What are the subtle declines in our corporate and individual discipleship?
Prayer: Lord, we want to fully be people who follow you. Help us not to just believe with our heads but to have faith in you with our hearts. Amen.
Saturday: Preparing for the Word
You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Nicodemus” -John 3:1-21
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