Lectionary for Lent 3 B
Opening sentence. The message of the cross is madness to those on the way to destruction, but to us who are on the way to salvation it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
Collect. Lord our God, hallowed be your name. Incline our hearts to your commandments, and give us the wisdom of the cross; so that, freed from sin which imprisons us in our own self-centredness, we may be open to the gift of your Spirit, and become living temples of your love; through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. Paul had founded the church in Corinth so when the church took root Paul saw the followers as those who had been rescued by the grace of God, a sort of first fruits of the heritage from the Gentiles that was to come. Though he has a great heart for this church his missionary call meant that he had to leave them in the pastoral care of local leaders. Paul remained deeply concerned for the congregation as a reading of the letters to the Corinthians will show. Corinth as a major trading centre had many Pagan religions along with a reputation for luxurious living and loose morals. Thus when some of the local leaders began to cause division in the congregation Paul as a caring pastor saw an immediate danger. As a result he frames around these local congregational issues the essential nature of the Christian message. Above and before every consideration in life, the cross remains central to the Christian faith. The cross and the salvation that Christ has won on the cross overshadow all other aspects of life, because the cross draws us out of darkness and into the light. It is the cross which makes us new by linking us into Christ. As Paul will later remind the Corinthians, “if anyone is in Christ, there is a New Creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new”!(2 Corinthians 5:17)It is the cross of Christ’ that wins our salvation and this salvation we must accept by faith for we cannot rationally think it through. Without faith the cross makes no sense but with faith it gives to us the power and the assurance from God that we are securely “in Christ”.
By putting this theological assertion in the midst of a congregational squabble Paul is reminding the Corinthian Christians that the action of Jesus makes a definitive difference in this life. Therefore the change that Jesus Christ had brought about must be considered in each and every event and circumstance for now all members are one in Christ Jesus. To believe anything else or choose a different way is as Paul reminds them an act of foolishness. John Wesley said in a sermon once, “none can trust in the merits of Christ, till he has utterly renounced his own.” Christianity is either all we are and do or it is nothing, as someone once said “If Jesus is not Lord of all then he is not Lord at all!”
As we rapidly approach the festival of Easter we will be reminded once again that it was on the cross that Jesus gave his all so that we might receive the righteousness of God. Truly righteous people manage always to love and forgive in all life situations.
Prayer. Holy Lord, the Psalmist reminds us that you are good to those whose hearts are pure but Lord on my own I know I struggle with that purity for I see how life seems to bow before the rich and powerful. Forgive me Lord for my lack of trust and my willingness to take your place and judge others. Remind me again of the blessings that have come to me through the merits of Jesus the one true Saviour. Give me courage to face each day with renewed hope in you and of your love. Keep me close, be my refuge and strength and by the presence of your Holy Spirit empower me to walk always in your ways: through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen. (Following psalm 73)
Reading. John 2:13-22. John’s Gospel had become well known by the end of the first Christian century. Clement of Alexandria stated that John was the last of the gospels to be written: As such it is quite a different record of the ministry of Jesus. Perhaps as John looks back over the life of Jesus he remembers a greater significance in the things that Jesus said and did. Mark for example sets most of Jesus ministry in Galilee bringing Jesus to Jerusalem only at the end of his ministry. John on the other hand places Jesus in Jerusalem on several occasions.
For John it is the “signs” that Jesus did which declared him to be the Messiah and therefore the source of eternal life. (John 20:30-31) For John it is belief in Jesus which brings us into eternal life. As such, signs revealed in Jerusalem would have had greater significance for Jerusalem was the seat of religious power.
Here in this passage, very early in John’s commemoration of Jesus we find Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem at the time of Passover. While the temple was in existence Jews were expected to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem if they could and so in John’s setting Jerusalem would have been filled with people gathering to take part in the festival. The Passover in Christian tradition is forever linked with Jesus’ death. With Jesus driving the commercial traders out of the temple, the Jews would have recognised these actions as a sign of the Messiah, an echo of the prophecy from Malachi. Malachi chapter 3 foretold the time when the messenger would come “like a refiner’s fire” preparing the temple for the coming of the Lord God. It was this cleansing of the temple which was directly involved with Jesus’ later death. Naming the temple as, “my Father’s house” joins Jesus into an intimate relationship with God himself, a linkage the disciples continued to remember. The courtyard was designed to be a place of prayer and meditation not a place of commerce. The religious leaders ask Jesus for a sign to affirm his authority to cleanse the temple. They themselves should have known what needed to be done and therefore done it. It was their question which allowed Jesus to reveal that the destruction and rebuilding of the temple was about to take place. Jesus actually challenges the Jews themselves to destroy the temple and then in three days he will re-establish it. Later the leaders would on several occasions accuse Jesus of threatening to destroy the temple. Jesus never made such an assertion!
The temple took over forty years to build and for Jesus to say he would rebuild in three days without hands shows that he was talking about more than bricks and mortar. John notes that it was only after the resurrection that the disciples finally understood what Jesus was disclosing. Perhaps the religious leaders saw a more significant meaning which led on to his arrest. Certainly it was this destruction of the temple which was referred to when Jesus was arrested, prior to his crucifixion.
In this passage John has made many assertions that point to Jesus as the Messiah thus it is an important passage in his unfolding of the life and purpose of Jesus. Here John speaks of the end of the temple which in turn meant the end of the sacrificial system. It announced a new beginning for the people who obeyed God and rejoiced in what God was doing. This obedience led into a new way of worshipping God. Thus John needs to bring to remembrance this aspect of Jesus’ ministry early in his gospel for it is this “new beginning” which gives added emphasis to everything else that John describes of Jesus ministry.
Prayer. Holy God we thank you for sending Jesus to live among us, to open the way to a new faith and confidence in you. We thank you for the written word which has been handed down to us to read and to learn from. By your Holy Spirit we pray that you will continue to reveal to us the truths that are contained within the pages of the Bible. As we read and study, grant that we will hear your voice guiding and directing us as day by day we seek to follow Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect. Lord, you charge us to honour God above all; you condemn our worship when it serves to glorify us. Cleanse us, and take our prayers to the throne of grace, that we may share your risen life now and for ever. Amen.
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