“Who is this Jesus?”
“Wasn’t He suppose to be the one that would liberate us from the oppression of the Gentiles? But instead He destroys God’s temple.”
“What right does he have?”
“Whose authority does he come by?”
After Jesus had cleared out the temple the day before people started to question if he really was the Messiah, the one who was going to liberate them. He was suppose to overthrow the government, not the ways of the temple. What right did he have? The temple leadership only wanted to bring God the best sacrifices. After all, they are God’s chosen leaders and they have the authority to do things their way. How dare this Jesus come in and challenge it.
The leadership of the temple, were highly offended by the actions of Jesus. Throughout his 3 year ministry they have been keeping a close watch over him. He did not do things a typical rabbi would do. He talked to women, he drank, he ate with sinners, he challenged the Sabbath law, he even claimed to be from God. The leadership knew all along that this man was dangerous. He was dangerous to what they believed, to the way they did things, to the traditions that had been held for decades, and to the way they viewed God. After Jesus’ outburst in the temple, it was now time to expose him as the rebel that he is to all the people.
…….
Jesus sat in the temple teaching. He was quickly interrupted by the scribes (interpreters of the law) and the pharisees. They began to question Jesus about his authority. Jesus never directly answer their questions, rather he wisely and subversively turned the tables on them. These religious leaders attempted to catch Jesus over an issue of the Law; to catch him blaspheme the Law. Each time Jesus turned the table on them.
The religious leader realized that Jesus knew the Law very well, and had great insight into it. They decided to change tactics, the resorted to the Herodian’s (law officials) to see if they could trap Jesus in any civil law. They asked a question about taxes in hopes that Jesus’ commitment to the Law would force him to appear rebellious to the government. But Jesus gave a simple yet profound answer.
Finally, these religious leaders resorted to the Sadducees. The Sadducees, was a different Jewish group that had a different theology. Their hope was to trap Jesus in a theological error. Once again, Jesus was able to skillfully answer and deflect each of the questions that came his way.
It was Jesus’ turn to go on offense. In the style of the prophets that had gone before him, Jesus began to release a barrage of scathing woes towards these religious leaders. Each woe tore away the mere pious appearance of these leaders and exposed the wicked hearts behind them. “WOE TO YOU SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES!!!!” 7 scathing indictments against these religious leaders. They were so obsessed with appearance, power, position, influence, and rightness that they neglected and twisted the essentials of the faith. Their faith was centered on maintaining an institution, rather than living the realities of grace. They worked endlessly to keep their position of power, appearance, and tradition because these things gave them worth. These things justified them. These things were their ultimate things.
After the scathing remarks by Jesus, he looks out in the temple and he sees a widow. A poor widow. He watches her slowly walk to the place where offerings are given. He watches her take two coins out of her pocket and the Spirit whispers to Him that those two coins is all she has. She will literally leave the temple with no money, no family, no food, no means of survival. As she approaches the place where offerings are given, the rich are putting their money in the temple. When she finally gets to the front of the line, a priest stood in front of her. He doesn’t even look at her. She throws her two coins in and walks away.
This priest, this religion, this temple failed to see this one widow and her need. They were so obsessed about proper procedure and maintaining ministry, that they missed the real heart of God. They ignored the Scriptures of old that called for God’s people to care for the poor. They ignored the judgment that fell on their forefathers because they abused the poor. All in the name of maintaining religion. All in the name of giving their best, their all, to God and making others to do the same. Their ministry missed the widow. They told her to give out of faith, why were they not willing to help give to her out of the same faith. They expected her to give sacrificially, but why were they not willing to sacrificially give to this widow. Their religion failed.
Seeing the complete bankruptcy of religion, Jesus predicts the fall of the temple. This temple which stood as the apex of their religion will be destroyed. It’s destruction, serves only to expose their inner death of the religion as a whole. Religion has failed.
Religion kills.
At the heart of religion is self-justification. The goal of religion is to maintain ones position, security, worth, and power. Religion hides behind moralism as an attempt to control and to appear justified. Religion may appear selfless but in actuality it is selfish. It will only participate in the things that benefit the individual. I’ll serve the homeless so long as I appear pious. I will lift my hands during worship NOT in response to the grace of God but because I have to. Religion seeks to control others and God. It controls others through moralistic rules and it seeks to control God through the use of his word and character against him. It takes for granted God’s faithfulness and has no understanding of His grace because ultimately they earned it.
Religion is probably one of the hardest things to spot in our own lives. The default of our heart is self-justification, religion. We are alway seeking to justify ourselves by what we do and how we act. It believes that everything works in a cause and effect cycle, and that everything is earned. I prayed hard so God answer. I was faithful in this job and so God must bless me. I have great character and so now God has to bless me. It fails to see grace. It fails understand grace. It fails to give grace.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ time failed to see grace, understand and give grace. They saw their authority and power as their ultimate end. They earned it and they will keep it. When Jesus challenged the way they did things, they failed to see that at the heart of what Jesus was doing was grace. They only saw that he was breaking the rules, the status quo, the tradition. He was causing disorder out of their system. In the process of justifying themselves, the failed to give grace to others. They did not even see the widow. They did not even care for the widow.
Religion robs us from receiving, understanding and giving grace. In religion everything is earned or formulated in such a way as to put God in debt to us. Jesus stripped the appearance of the religious leaders and exposed their heart. It was wicked. The only way we can receive grace, understand grace, and give grace is by realizing their wickedness of our hearts. When we see and agree with God about what’s in our heart we realized that we deserve nothing but the wrath of God and yet we received grace. We will never understand grace until we understand our sins and our fallen-ness and our inability to justify or be good apart from God. Only then, will we be willing to gladly receive grace and give grace to others.
To the extent that we agree with God that our hearts are depraved, powerless, and unable to justify ourselves, is to the extent that we will realize we need grace. To the extent that we realize the extent of God’s grace to us through Jesus is to the extent we will extend grace to others, see others, sacrifice to others. We won’t do it unless we see the grace of God first in our life. We won’t see the grace of God unless we first see we need it.