Jesus Cleanses the Temple: John 2:13-25

13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."[a]

18Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"

19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

20The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.

Recently, I have been questioning our society's emphasis making money and I have noticed how much our family has fallen into this material trap. We have a fairly large house, three cars, a boat, and a vacation house up on the Rappahannock River. I am sitting here writing this on my absurdly expensive laptop, with a full stomach, and good health. In my bank account, I have a little less than $1500, but even by those 4 digits alone, which is not viewed as much money here in America, I am filthy, stinking rich by the world's standards.

However, recently I am taking a second look at all we have aquired, and its begging the question, is it really worth it? I mean, going out on the boat is fun and all, but what can we do with that money instead?

Have I, and we as a society, desicrated our bodies and our lives in much the same way that the people in the temple did?

I feel like now, more than ever is the time to look at this. The economy has hurt both mine and many more families, and has made money much harder to come by for the middle class. Our family is no exception. And yet, my father has a job, albiet not one as profitable as the one before, but nonetheless a job, and my mom does too. I have been working 10 hour shifts cleaning a theme park, and for this, we are all greatful! Although the luxuries of this life have become harder to keep with the down turn of the economy, we are still provided with the means to put food on the table, and to live.

Maybe we should consider the lilies of the field, or the birds in the air.

Furthermore, I have come to recognize that the Enemy really does live in this materialistic society. He can hide so incredibly well in that pair of new Abercrombie faded jeans that cost $50. Or that car that you see driving down the street that makes you want to go get a degree in something that will let you buy that car. That thing, which will not last, consumes many of our lives, as we place our faith in the misguided hope that the thing will bring us happiness.

Soon, that thing, moves in front of God, and the Enemy gains ground, not to mention what else happens by going after those jeans or that car. Make sure you are not supporting something that is unjust! If those jeans are made by sweatshop workers working with dangerous and carcinogenic chemicals in awful conditions, what does it mean that you are supporting them?

So take a look at the things in your life, and I'll continue to look at the things in mine.


In Him,

Will

The Wedding at Cana: John 2:1-11

¹On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, ²and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." ⁴"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." ⁵His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." ⁶Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. ⁸Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, ⁹and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." ¹¹This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

"Why do you involve me?" is the question that Jesus cryptically asks his mother when she asks him to do something about the wine. Its a strangely worded phrase, almost hostile, but what does it mean?

"Why do you involve me?" This question is rambling around my mind, bringing up a host of others. Why am I seeking the Lord? Do I question the Lord too much about what is going on?

Why am I seeking the Lord? This is an question with no real answer, I guess. It is really hard to put my finger on it. And maybe it is a question that I should be asking myself more often, as I have lately found myself falling away, specifically in the couple of weeks before Rockbridge. Maybe I was falling away because I became too focused on the joys of being in Christian community within Intervarsity. Maybe I was seeking the Lord for worldly things, instead of pursuing a special relationship with God. Maybe I am a Pharisee. While I was at Rockbridge, I went on a walk with a friend of mine, and he pointed out that I may be doing this. I had been thinking about this since then, and really must examine the things I do publicly. When I raise my hands in worship, am I really raising them for God, or is it because others do? Am I journaling publicly for me and God, or for me and friends? I am finding that I need to start questioning myself about what I say and do, and whether they are for the Lord, or for acceptance. Maybe another reason for my distant feelings is that I am questioning the Lord too much. I have found that when I pray, I rarely give time for God to respond, before I start asking Him something else. Maybe patience is something that I must give, and something that God needs on my behalf. I need to look around, and see what God has done in my life already before I should start asking him for more.

In Him,

Will

The First Post:

This is the blog I plan to use to Journal my way through scriptures. I feel like I have a lot of questions, and so very few answers. If you think that I have something right or wrong, feel free to voice your opinion. I will welcome it whole heartedly.

I plan on starting off in the Gospel of John, and journaling through Jesus's ministry. I will be examining how the text affects my life, and what is it saying to me.