In Luke’s Gospel, this day is accounted for in only four verses. They are striking verses, though, because Jesus pitches a fit. He goes into the temple to find people selling and doing business there, He basically accuses them of being theives, and He kicks them out. Then He hangs out all day teaching, and the religious leaders of the day are really, really wanting to make Him go away, but all the people that were there were way too interested in what He was saying for them to be able to get by with it.
I wonder, if Jesus came into any of our churches today, if He would be that upset? After all, He writes the letters to the churches in Revelation, and the problems of those churches can be said to be symbolic of our junk today. So I wonder what that junk would be, specifically? We can’t generalize or stereotype, because certainly every community has its own struggles. But, don’t you think, in general, that we have a lot of problems in our church culture? Like the fact that we run it as a business? That we advertise? That we have the Jerry Falwells of the world who get on television and say stupid, judgmental, ignorant things that show hate instead of Christ’s love? That we love to isolate ourselves in our precious little glass bubble and not interact with people? That we argue about stupid, petty theology instead of loving, and giving, and sharing?
That we somehow think that church is a place we go to instead of something we are?
I have to think that He would be disappointed with us. All of us. Because we claim to know what He said, but we don’t do it. And worse, we’ve fooled ourselves into believing that we do when we are in fact doing the opposite.
I’m glad He’s not as judgmental and hating as we are.