What Is In Man? (John 2:25)

 


Tuesday, December 31, 2024


Psalm 83

Isaiah 31

John 2:13-25


Observance: John Wyclif, teacher and reformer (d. 1384)


What Is In Man? (John 2:25)


Some people enjoy hobbies like gardening, or model trains, or getting really good at a video game. One of my favourite past-times is ruining the fun of skeptic academics – particularly the type who like to find so-called “contradictions” in the Bible – by pointing out the obvious. Today’s reading from St John’s gospel is a classic.


You may remember from other Gospels that Jesus went into the temple in Jerusalem with a whip just before his crucifixion, and that he was betrayed just after a Passover dinner. But here we read it happened at the start of his earthly ministry! Which is it? Is this one of those contradictions that mean we should not trust the pages of holy scripture that have been the bedrock of the church for millennia?


Well, no. Let’s point out the obvious: Jesus did it twice. We know he had plenty of followers, but he also had plenty of enemies. And people don’t become enemies of a man who preaches peace and love – Jesus had to have made a name for himself by stirring things up. And so he cleansed the temple twice: first to kick things off, and then at the end to make sure everything was ready.


Perhaps this is why St John then finishes the episode of the first cleansing of the temple with this comment on how Jesus sees into the hearts of men. He is Word of God, the infinite Creator, in the flesh. The temple, ostensibly for his Father, is used to make money – a house of trade. It should be a house of prayer instead. And what is prayer but an honest heart-to-heart conversation between a man and his God? We know the heart of Jesus: he loves his Father, so cleans his house. He loves to spend time with us, so first manifests his glory at a wedding feast.


Are we responding to the heart of Jesus in the same way he reveals his heart to us? As we have read, he already knows the answer, so you’ll have to be honest. And you should do so confidently, because that is what prayer is: an honest heart-to-heart conversation between you and your God.


Jesus, you know exactly what is in my heart. Comfort me in what is embarrassing, so that I may confidently share with you what is joyful.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Lord Was Moved (2 Chronicles 33:13)

Image
  Wednesday, August 28, 2024 Psalms 143; 146 2 Chronicles 33:1-20 Romans 15:14-21 Observance: Augustine of Hippo, bishop and teacher (d. 430) The Lord Was Moved (2 Chronicles 33:13) In our passage from St Paul’s letter to the Romans, the apostle is making a small break in his preaching to tell his audience that he is not telling them anything they do not already know. This is perfectly understandable if we recognise that this letter is a sort of fundraising appeal for his missionary work: the apostle wants to get on and start planting the gospel in places where Christ is not known, and so he gives the church in Rome a run-down on what his theology is, so that they will feel comfortable in supporting him financially. The fact that we have this fundraising appeal as part of inspired scripture can teach us something important: God wants us to keep being reminded of certain eternal truths. Reading through the story of King Manasseh can feel a bit same...
Read more

I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God.

  Friday, September 8, 2023 Psalms 20; 21 1 Kings 5 Acts 25:13-27 Observance: Birth of Mary, Mother of the Lord I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God. How big do you dream? Try this experiment on yourself: next time you are walking down the street, observe where your eye level sits. Do you watch your feet move around the cracks in the footpath? Do you do that trick where you stare blankly into the middle distance, so as to avoid making eye contact with passers-by? How do you think that relates to your spiritual aims, and the requests you make of God? Solomon dreamt big. He knew perfectly well that the God of his nation was also the God of the entire universe. No house would be entirely suitable, nor appropriate. But by golly he was going to give it a red-hot go. And just look at how much work he put into it: an entire nation of people were hired to provide the best timber on the planet. His own nation too was put to work, either a...
Read more

Marvellous? (Zechariah 8:6)

Image
  Wednesday, October 16, 2024 Psalm 105:1-22 Zechariah 7:1-8:8 1 Peter 1:18-2:3 Observance: Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, bishops and martyrs (d. 1555) Marvellous? (Zechariah 8:6) There are several phrases that, when we see them in the Bible, should make us sit up and pay attention. Anything to do with the “Day of the Lord” is one of them; another is when God speaks about when “they shall be my people and I shall be their God”. This second phrase, which, because of its frequency, risks becoming bland to our hearts, is so tremendously deep and rich in what it speaks of, is nothing less than the gospel of Jesus Christ. We remember way back in Genesis that God would walk through the Garden of Eden in the cool of the afternoon and speak with Adam and Eve about their day. One can imagine the scene: an enchanted place, a place with no evil, our first parents probably bouncing along, joyfully telling their loving Maker about all the wonderful things the...
Read more