"Cleaning House" a sermon for 4 Lent, 3 March 2024

I had the pleasure of going to the Holy Land twelve years ago.  I was with, you may remember, some pastors and their church members from Kansas City.  We saw many sights during our 10 day trip.  In Jerusalem we saw the Temple Mount and the Garden of Gethsemane.  We also journeyed with Jesus as we walked the Via Delorosa, or the Way of the Cross.

Just before we followed Jesus from His trial to the Crucifixion, our Guide gave us some important information.  Chaim warned us that pick pockets target tourists on the Via Delorosa.  He advised us to keep our bags in front of us, with our arms holding them close to our bodies.  Men were encouraged to move their wallets to front pockets. 

I was taken aback by Chaim’s instructions.  The Via is supposed to be a sacred place, a holy place.  The presence of thieves in a place that should be about remembering Jesus’ love for us sickened and saddened me.  My heart just broke at the situation.  In thinking about our readings this morning, I suspect I felt just a little of what Jesus is feeling in the Gospel. 

After all, the Temple is to be a holy place.  This is the Second Temple, by the way.  The first Temple was destroyed in 586 BC by Babylon.  You may recall that The Temple is where God dwells among His people. The Temple is a visible reminder to the people that God is with them.  The beauty and luxury of the Temple is to be a witness to the holiness and otherness of God.

People visiting the Temple often required animals.  The animals are part of various rituals either to thank God for a blessing or to make amends for wrong doing (sin).  If you are coming from, say Nazareth, to Jerusalem, it would be impossible to bring the animals with you.  You would need to bring money to buy the offering there at the Temple.

The trouble is, over time, the system is exploited.  Those in charge decreed that the money had to be of a certain kind— special Temple money.  So, the money you bring with you is no good.  You now have to change your money into Temple money before you can then purchase an unblemished sheep, goat, or ox.  Of course, a hefty fee was charged to exchange your money.

Can you begin to see the problem here?  Can you start to see why Jesus gets so upset?  What is to be a holy place, a place set apart for the glory of God, is being corrupted.  The first of the Ten Commandments is being broken in the very place set aside for the worship of God!

John tells us that Jesus “cleanses the Temple” just as Passover starts.  Perhaps you may remember that the Passover celebrates the Israelite’s deliverance.  Blood from a lamb was used to mark the door and lintels of their homes.  The blood was a sign for that home to be “Passed Over.”  No harm came to that home; the first born was safe.

The Ten Commandments come as the people head for the land promised to Abraham.  Before they get there, God gives them these instructions.  The Decalogue, as it is also called, is about shaping and forming a people grounded in God.  As the people live out their belief in God, their relationships and actions are transformed.  The people become light and salt to the nations.

Sadly, the temple no longer exists.  The Romans destroyed the temple about forty years after Jesus’ crucifixion.  All that remains is the Western, or Wailing, wall.  For Jesus’ followers, however, there is a spiritual Temple made possible by the Holy Spirit.  As Paul reminds the community in Corinth:

You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you?  No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that.  God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple.

I Corinthians 3:16-17 MSG

In one of my study Bibles, I read these words: If you compared your spiritual life to the rooms of a house, which room do you think Jesus might want to clean up:

a)       Library- the reading room?

b)       Dining Room- appetites and desires?

c)        Workshop-where you keep your skills and talents?

d)       Recreation Room- where you hang out after work?

e)        Family Room- where most of your relationships are lived out?

f)         Closet- where your hang ups are?

I challenge you to join with me in doing some spiritual “spring cleaning” this week.  We have here some pine scented cleaner and a cleaning eraser to help us.  There is also a Swiffer duster to clear out the cobwebs of apathy, bad habits, or complacency.  As you and I do some Spring cleaning, remember you are not alone.  We can take courage from the Holy Spirit that strengthens us and we can ask help from the Master Cleaner.