Lent

March 6, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 2:13-22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 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.

My Bible study group delved into N. T. Wright’s work on worldviews and their interaction with our faith views in the fall. This spring, we follow that by starting with Matthew, reading the New Testament books, and exploring where we see worldviews both when those books were written and our reading of them today. As we read each book, we are noting the characteristics of Jesus. Although we have just begun, We are discovering interesting insights regarding the One who is our life model.  For example, Jesus did support the separation of temple and state (Matthew 22:15-22). We, like a tree, are known by the fruit we bear (Matthew 7:15-20), yet Jesus way very inclusive of the people with whom he interacted, from prostitutes to tax collectors. My group had an interesting discussion on how to raise children to be aware of stranger danger when we are to welcome strangers. How do we love people we fear? We also discovered that Jesus did experience fear while telling us to fear not. Fear is normal; letting it overwhelm us is destructive. Most importantly, we learned that Jesus stayed in constant communication with God, seeking God’s will and God’s loving and caring presence.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the example you set and for your followers who recorded it for us to share. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.