Lent
March 4, 2018
Scripture Reading: John 2:13-22
He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ The Jews then said to him, ‘What sign can you show us for doing this?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. –John 2:16-22
One of the greatest travesties of our time is the use of regular people including people of faith to further the greed of others. Through fear mongering and divide-and-conquer technics, politicians further their cause and the causes of those who back them financially at the expense of everyone else. No one trusts anyone anymore. We no longer trust the media. The very rich get richer and the rest of us get along, many barely. I think it is a very strange situation indeed when our unemployment rate is at a very low level and our poverty rate is high. What is wrong with that picture?
Jesus was doing justice when he cleared the temple of the money changers. He was sending a very clear message that God is not to be used for personal aggrandizement. When I first moved to Oklahoma City and searched for a church, someone I worked with mused that a church near my home was a good resume’ church. I had never heard that phrase before, but I also had never considered choosing a church to advance my career.
The Bible speaks of false prophets manipulating people to follow them most likely for the false prophet’s gain. People of faith today are barraged by politicians using highly emotional, sharply focused issues in the hopes of gaining votes distracting voters from the stands those same politicians hold on dozens of other issues that impact negatively the lives of most people.
During Lent, we would do well to expand our knowledge of what true righteousness, true justice is as we seek to do justice on behalf of Jesus Christ.
Prayer: O Lord, let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.* Amen.
*Amos 5:24