John 2:13-22 ~ Loving the person / Hating the sin

So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, 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! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

John 2:15-17

People tend to characterize Jesus as super tolerant, but in reality Jesus was love wrapped in a justice package. Jesus loves freely. He loved everyone he met and still today sends his love through the Holy Spirit in the world.

But Jesus was and is just.

Where there is wrong he demands that it be righted. When people are not living according to God and His will demands that they right their ways. Just because the world says it is "okay" doesn't mean that God thinks it is okay. He does not tolerate sinful behavior or wrong doing - regardless of what the world thinks.

Loving someone does not mean accepting their wrong behavior.

When Jesus entered the Temple, he was disgusted by what he saw. People were making a mockery of the holy place set aside purely for the worship of God. He showed righteous anger. This is anger we feel towards injustice in the world. This is the anger we feel towards habitual sinful behavior.

It may be hard to grasp, but Jesus driving the "money-changers" out of the Temple with a whip was Jesus showing love to them. If he had gone up to those who had been making their livings by profiting off of the needs of others and simply said, "Dude, this isn't right. You need to take this some place else." They would have laughed in his face. Even with his great show of force many still didn't want to listen to him:

The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

John 2:18

Sometimes to truly show love we must rise up with great force against injustice and tyranny. Love comes in many different forms but at its core is acceptance of the other person - not necessarily acceptance of their actions.

Jesus did not condemn the people, rather he condemned their actions. When we show love, this is what we are called to do: to love all regardless of the sin - but we are not called to accept the sin simply because we love.

This can be a hard line to walk, but the first place to look is yourself and how Jesus loves you.

Jesus showers you with love - but he hates the sin you commit in your life. He hates it when you are disrespectful or ungrateful. He hates it when you gossip or treat another poorly. He hates when you lie - even just a little white one. He hates it when you hate. But despite his hatred for your sin, and for my sin, Jesus loves us - all of us, even the money changers - UNCONDITIONALLY.

By driving out the money changers with a whip - he was doing justice. And he was also showing them love by bringing to light the sinful nature of their actions which were socially acceptable. Sometimes we all need the sin in our lives revealed to us so that we can cleanse ourselves of what seems to be "okay" in the eyes of the world.

Because, even if the world thinks what we are doing is okay - the Lord may seeing things differently.

Scripture

John 2:13-22

Quote of the Day

"No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."

Albert Einstein

Question of the Day

Where has God shown you sin in your life which seems okay in the eyes of the world?

John 2:1-12 - Momma Always Knows Best

When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

John 2:3-5

The first recorded miracle of Jesus is when he turned water into wine at the Wedding at Cana, but what has always interested me in this passage is the conversation between Jesus and his mother, Mary.

Jesus and his new friends, the men he has called to be his disciples, are just getting to know each other and they are enjoying some fellowship and partying at this local wedding. No one knows really, who they are other than the friends of one of the guests sons. They are not yet the men who founded the Christian church or witnessed nearly all of Jesus's miracles. They are simple fishermen - not yet those men imbued with the Holy Spirit.

In the middle of Jesus trying to connect and build relationships with his new followers, his mother comes to him and tells him to fix a problem; the wedding had run out of wine.

Jesus's response to his mother sounds much like what many of us would say to our own moms if we didn't want to do something. He basically tells here - "Not now, Mom. I'm not ready." or "Can't you see I have other stuff to do first?"

But Mary's response to Jesus is to ignore his plea for a little more time, a little more anonymity, is to ignore him and do what she thinks is best. Mothers always do.

Telling the servants to listen to Jesus forces him to acquiesce to his mother's request. He quietly goes about the miracle of turning simple water into heavenly wine.

Although the miracle seems simple, or even trite compared to healing the sick, what this miracle, and its timing did was revealed Jesus's true nature to his new disciples. He may have protested against breaking up his "getting to know you" time, but the timely miracle confirmed the disciples faith and solidified Jesus as the Messiah in their minds.

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:11

The miracle did more to validate their belief in Jesus than any amount of social bonding ever could have. 

Momma always does know best.

Scripture

John 2:1-12

 Quote of the Day

"Wherever Jesus went and whenever he came into lives it was like turning water into wine."

Unknown

Question of the Day

When have you reluctantly listened to your parents and seen a positive outcome to what they wanted you to do?

John 1:35-50 - Follow Me

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

John 1:43

When Jesus was calling his disciples the scriptures tell us that he basically looked at these guys said, "Follow me" and they dropped everything they were doing and followed Jesus.

Can you imagine?

I've always admired these men and the faith they had in Jesus. At this point Jesus hadn't performed any miracles. He was a carpentar from Nazareth - which didn't have the best reputation. He was of a "questionable"birth. And yet, they dropped everything they were doing to follow him.

They knew in their hearts that Jesus was the Son of God; the MESSIAH. Since they were small, these men had heard the prophesies of the coming Messiah - the one who would rescue Israel. And I imagine that the could sense the God in Jesus even before they ever saw a single drop of water turned to wine or a fish multiplied.

They just knew that Jesus was who they needed; not just who they wanted.

They knew that leaving the life they had behind wasn't even a question or a regret because what they were moving toward was so much greater than what they had.

The knew:

“We have found the Messiah” ...We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law...

John 1:41, 44

They knew. They knew in an instant.

What a testament to their faith...

When Jesus asks us to "Come, Follow me.", what will be our answer?

Scripture

John 1:35-50

Quote of the Day

“Christ is not valued at all, unless He is valued above all.” 

Augustine

Question of the Day

What would your answer be to Come Follow Me?

John 1: 29-34: The SOMEONE

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

John 1:29

Okay, I would like you to put on your thinking caps for a second. Imagine with me that you are at....let's say the mall...Let's say an outside mall like Easton. And at this mall you are standing in the middle of a group of friends, talking about things - some are important and some are just things - when across the mall you see the SOMEONE. The athlete or actor or politician - the SOMEONE you have always wanted to meet. The SOMEONE you have heard about , dreamt about, wished for, and anticipated meeting your whole life.

Can you picture that moment?  Are you with me?

What do you feel like? What does the someone look like? Was the moment everything you had ever anticipated?

What would you say?

I am guessing you wouldn't remain quietly with your friends waiting for the SOMEONE to pass you by without a glance...

Perhaps you would run screaming towards the SOMEONE.

Or maybe you would shout out that the SOMEONE had finally arrived.

Or maybe, just maybe, you might break out in tears of joy over the arrival of this moment.

This is the position that John the Baptist was in when he saw Jesus coming toward him. Here was the ONE - The One True Son of God  - that John had been placed on this earth to proceed. John the Baptist was ecstatic and he wanted EVERYONE to know that THE ONE was here. The Kingdom of God wasn't coming anymore - The Kingdom of God had arrived.

John the Baptist's SOMEONE had arrived and he wanted everyone to know.

Scripture

John 1:29-34

Quote of the Day

As Daddy said, life is 95 percent anticipation.
Gloria Swanson

Question

How do you anticipate the arrival of Jesus?