JESUS DECLARES HIS AUTHORITY
By Pastor Paulus Budiono
Lemah Putro, Sunday, March 8, 2020
Shalom,
How were the attitudes of the cabinet ministers and other important invitees while listening to President Jokowi giving a speech? Some of them looked so serious listening, some might be acting serious just to keep their positive image; but apparently, there were also some joking with the others, playing with their cellphones and some even fell to sleep without realizing that people around the world were watching them on TV. How about our attitude while listening to God in His great robe giving His message and admonition? Do we still respect Him when He appears as a human being of Jesus, the simple-dressed carpenter? We should pay the highest respect to the Word, not to the speaker who is merely human. It often happens that during the preaching, the speaker humbly admits that he is just nothing but as soon as he steps down the pulpit and feels unwelcomed and disrespected, he gets offended.
Undeniably, full joy surely covered the bride and groom and their family as well as the guests when Jesus turned the water into wine. However, Jesus didn’t stay there longer but moved to another place namely Jerusalem. Did He also perform miracles there?
Jesus' activities were not monotonous, this time He demonstrated His authority to reveal the truth. What did he do? John 2: 13-18 write, “The Passover of the Jews was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple He found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and oxen. And He poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And He told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
When the change of water into wine was responded with great joy, Jesus' action in the Temple was not. The Jews challenged Him to proof His right for doing so. Jesus who was also a Jew, wanted to reveal the truth.
Application: We should not only like listening to the pleasant and refreshing Word of God then reject the reproaching and rebuking Word. Let’s learn to accept whatever God wants to say to us.
The Gospel of John begins with “the Word was God” (John 1: 1) and “the Word became flesh” (v. 14) through the birth process of baby Jesus by the virgin Mary. Then He grew older and began His ministry at the age of thirty.
When He saw people abusing the Temple, Jesus drove them out. At that time His disciples did not understand Him, maybe they thought their Teacher’s reaction was extreme and too fanatical. Only after Jesus rose from the dead, could they comprehend it then believed in what He and the Scriptures had said (John 2:22).
Honestly, we (man) are full of limitations and do not understand the Word of God now and then. Each of us has different perceiving ability resulting in different thoughts and perception on the same Word. But the important thing is that we all have the same goal. That’s why we should keep on learning the Word of God so as not to get biased in absorbing it.
What was Jesus' response to the Jews’ challenge? He challenged them back to destroy the Temple and in three days He would rebuild it (John 2:19). They did not understand Jesus' answer because it took forty six years to build the Temple; whereas what Jesus meant with the Temple was His own body (vv. 20-21).
Clearly, the sanctification of the Temple of God is linked to His death and resurrection. In other words, we will not understand the way God sanctifies His church if we do not value His death and resurrection. So, if we only like listening to the Word of God that eliminates the sacrifice of Christ, we would be interested in and focus on physical blessings only. Example: We tend to understand Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana merely as His heavenly blessing toward a wedding; whereas, through that first miracle, Jesus also wanted the disciples to believe in His glory (John 2:11). The Gospel of John repeatedly speaks of Jesus being glorified among other things: when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem (John 12: 12-15); when Philip told Jesus that the Greeks wanted to see him, He said the time had come for the Son of man to be glorified (vv. 20-23). The fact is, man prefers blessings, success, popularity, flattery, etc. then ignore the glory of Jesus. Quite often we receive ridicule when introducing Jesus as done by Nathanael to Philip when he introduced Jesus from Nazareth to him (John 1: 45-46). Pay attention, we should learn not to easily and quickly make negative comments before we know someone or something well. For example: Do not immediately give comment on the taste of any food before even tasting it. Likewise in responding to the Word of God, listen carefully until the speaker finishes the sermon. Don't flatter the speaker instead of the great Word of God! After hearing Jesus' words, Nathanael immediately recognized Jesus as the Son of God, the King of Israel (vv. 47-49). Nathanael's honest confession made him see greater things as promised by Jesus (vv. 50-51).
What about the temple that was cleansed by Jesus? It was built by King Herod for more than 46 years and later destroyed by Roman soldiers under General Titus’ rule in the year 70.
The Gospel of John was written in 85-90 AD after Jesus ascended to Heaven and the disciples were martyred except the Apostle John who wrote this Gospel. Don’t think that the Bible is just an ancient history book that tells about the Israel and the Jews. Remember, the Bible is the Word of God written by more than 40 writers from different backgrounds and eras on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
What happened after Jesus drove the sellers out of the Temple?
♦ Many people believed in His name because they saw the signs that He performed (John 2:23). Many people (including us) believe in the name of Jesus. Indeed, His Name is extraordinary to this day. Before Jesus was born on earth, His name was the Word. When the virgin Mary was carrying the fetus Jesus, Angel Gabriel told Joseph to name the baby Jesus (Luke 1: 26-31). Also in a dream,
Joseph was told to take Mary as his wife and name the child he was carrying Jesus (Matthew 1: 20-21). Baby Jesus was 8 days old when he was circumcised and named Jesus (Luke 2:21).
Jesus still made many signs after this event but not all were written (John 21:25). Do we believe that miracles are still applicable today? Nevertheless, we should not focus on miracles (healing, physical blessings) but on the person who performs miracles, that is Jesus – the eternal Word – Creator of the universe and its contents including men and women who have different characters.
Unfortunately, many people believe in His Name only after seeing signs/miracles. Is our faith based on miracles? What was Jesus' response to such people?
♦ Jesus did not entrust Himself to such people because He knew their hearts (vv. 24-25).
Honestly, we often judge someone based on our emotions and feelings and we are more impressed with physical signs/miracles that can meet our needs.
Speaking of "My Father's House", Jesus (age 12) joined His parents to celebrate Passover in the temple in Jerusalem (Luke 2:42). But he later secretly stayed behind in the temple while his parents went home. In attempt to find Him, Joseph and Mary returned to Jerusalem and found Him in the Temple. When Mary anxiously asked Him why He had done such thing, Jesus said, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (v.49)
The Jews usually hold a Bar Mitzvah ceremony for a 12-year-old boy to admit him as an adult member of the community. At that age too Jesus began to show his adulthood when he replied firmly to His (physical) parents’ question and also during his discussion with the religious scholars in the temple. There he learned to know more about the house of God. He still lived with His parents for 18 years and attended services while researching His Father's house. Only at the age of 30 did he begin his ministry and cleanse the temple because he knew that the Jews did not use His Father's house properly.
Introspection: How do we celebrate Passover year after year? Have we properly celebrated it to please God? Do we remember that we become the (candidates of) bride of God only because of Jesus' blood? Have we treated God's house as a house of prayer not a den of thieves (Luke 19:46)?
When Jesus cleansed the Temple, “Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” (Psalms 69:9; 119:139). How about God's church today? Do we still like reading the Old Testament?
Jesus loved His Father's house; that is why he was angry and sad to see people turning it into a trading house. Don't make a church a place for making money and personal gain!
Jesus told the Jews to destroy the temple of God and in three days He would rebuild it. What does it mean? We are actually the house of God and so it is with the Tabernacle – entering the Court through the Gate, there were the Altar of Burnt Offering and the Brazen Laver; in the Holy Place there were the Table of Showbread, the Gold Lampstand and the Altar of Incense; in the Most Holy Place there was the Ark of the Testimony. Jesus refers the temple of God to His own body (John 2:21) and we are His body (1 Corinthians 3:16). He entrusts His body to us – His church, and His Word lives in us.
Only after Jesus rose from the dead, did the disciples understand and believe in the Scriptures and what Jesus had ever told them (v.22). Ironically, they had been following Jesus for ± 3½ years but did not fully believe in their Master. Don’t let it happen that we have been "following and obedient" to God, but in the end, He does not recognize us (cf. Matthew 7: 22-23).
Jesus was more concerned with the spiritual building than physical building despite its grandeur. Physical things will collapse but not spiritual ones as they are built on Christ's sacrifice. God trusts us to be His belongings because we highly value His sacrifice.
Let us open ourselves up and invite Jesus to search our hearts and test our minds so that our path (marriage, household, work, etc.) does not deviate but lead to eternity (Psalm 139: 23-24). Choose the narrow way and the small door that lead to life (Matthew 7:14)! Amen.
Video selengkapnya dapat disimak di Ibadah Umum - "Yesus Menyatakan KewibawaanNya" - Pdt. Paulus Budiono.