Jesus went into the Temple and threw everything topsy turvy. He ran people off and turned over tables. He upset the status quo. He was offended by the things taking place in His Father's house. It was not their house anymore than the churches we attend are ours.
We treat church like it is ours. People fight and manipulate for control no matter who gets hurt in the process. People like control and Jesus does not share control of His house. He alone is the one and only Head of the church. Not the pastor. Not the deacons. Not the elders. Not charter members. Jesus is the head of the church. The church is His bride.
After turning over the tables and running people out of the Temple Jesus began to teach. "It is written My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations but you have made it into a robber;s den. " [Mark 11:17] The first thing I notice in that verse is the phrase "My house." My is the possessive case of the word I. It means belonging to. It is God's house. He owns it. He can do with it what He pleases. It belongs to Him.
On this day He chose to upset the status quo. He became offended that people were profiting over the sell of scarifies and changing the Roman money into the right money to buy the sacrifices taking advantage of the people financially. I wonder if Jesus is ever angered by what takes place in church today? Is the Holy Spirit grieved and quenched by what passes as worship today? Is He offended by what we do in our private lives? It is easier to go along with the mainstream and not make waves or rock the boat. It is easier to simply go along. Yet what if Jesus is not going the same direction. What if our direction angers Him and He wants to cast that direction out? Shouldn't someone ask these questions and pose this possibility?
Jesus upsets the status quo. The chief priests and scribes wanted to destroy Jesus after He taught from verse seventeen and upset things in the Temple that day. In fact, we learn in verse eighteen that they were afraid of Jesus and the multitudes were astonished by His teaching. The chief priests and scribes were losing control. It scared them they were losing influences with the people.
Is it really any different today. People are still scared to let Jesus have His way in worship or in our lives. Jesus upsets the status quo and we like to keep our lives manageable. We want to be in control of worship so we plan it and keep a firm grip on the order of worship. I love it when Jesus upsets the status quo of an order of worship and throws it out the window. He has done this with me more times than I can count changing the message at the last minute. I cannot tell you how many times I have set on the front row in church with my head buried in my hands wrestling in prayer over a new direction of a sermon. One night I could not get up to preach and the worship pastor continued to sing one song after another unplanned while I agonized in prayer in the pew. Finally God settled in my heart what I needed to preach. The status quo got upset for all of us that night. There have been times when He did not let me preach at all like on one Sunday morning. The special music moved me that morning and when I went to the pulpit to pray and preach my words felt empty. I could not say anything that did not sound cheap. I stood there for a long time with my head bowed unable to say anything. Finally I returned to my seat in prayer. People eventually left and I received some ridicule over that day. It did not matter then nor does it matter today. Jesus upset the status quo that day. There have been times when I felt prompted to give an evangelistic invitation before I preached the sermon. I have seen true and authentic worship through old hymns and modern songs last for hours. At a college retreat we began singing around 11:00 p.m. one night and let God His way. The worship leader did not stop until around 7:00 p.m. the next morning. I went to bed around 5:00 a.m. Nobody was forced to stay but many chose to do so. The worship leader had swollen hands the next day from playing the piano for eight straight hours! That definitely upset the status quo in some lives.
I want Jesus to upset the status quo in my life and the church I serve. I want Him to cast out those things that offend Him and to set things right. I want Him to be in control even when that means I lose control of my future, my ministry, my plans, and even the sermons I preach. I long for Him to have His way even when it means the status quo gets upset. Do you long for this too?
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