Sunday's Message - The Cleansing (Luke 19:41-48)

During the season on Lent, the congregation of Sligo Presbyterian Church will move thought a sermon series entitled “His Last Week: The Last Seven Days in the Life of Jesus.” As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the resurrection, we're looking at the following six events in Jesus's last week here on earth and consider how each can shape what we believe and how we live right here and now. 

• March 6 – The Entry (Luke 19:28-40) 
• March 13 – The Cleansing (Luke 19:41-48)
• March 20 – The Meal (Luke 22:7-23)
• March 27 – The Prayer (Luke 22:39-46)
• April 3 – The Trial (Luke 22:66 – 23:12)
• April 10 – The Cross (Luke 23:26-49)

During this second message, we used Luke 19:41-48 to discuss Jesus's cleansing of the Temple.

You can stream all our services live by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube channel. If you miss one of these messages, you can find a copy and podcast on the Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community blog (https://thenettransform.blogspot.com/). 

Luke 19:41-48 [Contemporary English Version]

When Jesus came closer and could see Jerusalem, he cried and said:

It is too bad that today your people don’t know what will bring them peace! Now it is hidden from them. Jerusalem, the time will come when your enemies will build walls around you to attack you. Armies will surround you and close in on you from every side. They will level you to the ground and kill your people. Not one stone in your buildings will be left on top of another. This will happen because you did not see that God had come to save you.

When Jesus entered the temple, he started chasing out the people who were selling things. He told them, “The Scriptures say, ‘My house should be a place of worship.’ But you have made it a place where robbers hide!”

Each day, Jesus kept on teaching in the temple. So the chief priests, the teachers of the Law of Moses, and some other important people tried to have him killed. But they could not find a way to do it, because everyone else was eager to listen to him.

The Cleansing

Before we get started, let me ask you one question: what do you think about the weather? Well, I’ll tell you, given what we’ve seen over the last five days or so, the only thing I can say is that it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, not Easter. But before anyone says anything, I understand that I’m not a native of western Pennsylvania, and that more often than not, March comes in like a lion not a lamb, and that none of this should come as a surprise, given the fact that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on February 2, in other words about five weeks ago. Of course, on this particular Sunday morning we have more to complain about than just a little snow that should be gone by Wednesday. I mean, today is the Sunday that I dread all year, and I’m talking about the beginning of daylight-saving time and the fact that we lost an hour of sleep last night. And I don’t know about y’all, but knowing that we’ll get that hour back in October, man, that just doesn’t help at all.

But you know, having said all that, I think we all recognize that we face issues a lot more important than these. I mean, good night nurse, the Russians are still pounding the Ukrainian people and even though they’re still resisting and may win and stay free, that’s not going to change the fact that property has been destroyed and families have been scattered and innocent men, women and children have been killed. And as a result of all the disruption that war causes, especially when the aggressor is the second highest producer of oil in the world, behind only the United States, of course, gasoline prices are spiking not just here, but all over the world. It’s all about supply and demand. And let me tell you, coming out of a pandemic doesn’t help. And when gas goes up, so does everything that’s transported from one place to another. That’s just the way it is, and we know that. But of course, knowing all this, man, that doesn’t really help us, now does it? The prices we pay are still going up, and I don’t think anyone likes that. I know I don’t. And I’ll tell you, this isn’t even the biggest stuff we face, not when we start thinking about everything else that’s happening in our own lives, and now I’m talking about all the personal conflicts that we sure didn’t choose and all the health issues that we can’t seem to avoid and all the other nonsense that we wish would just go away. I don’t know about y’all, but for me, there are times when it all seems just too much. No wonder there are folks who end up feeling isolated, you know, as though they're facing all this alone. And there are others who feel frustrated, because none of this seems fair. And still others feel really, and I mean really confused, hoping that they can find some positive direction forward rather than just another person to blame, something that, let’s face it, may help us vent but actually gets us nowhere. And you know, just like knowing that we’re going to get the hour we lost last night back in about seven months, hearing that there have always been wars and personal problems and reasons to feel isolated and frustrated and confused, I’m telling you, knowing that doesn’t help me feel much better. What about you?

But you know, that’s why I’m really glad we’re looking at Luke’s account of Jesus cleansing the Temple this morning, because I think it can really help us as we try to deal with all the mess we’re sort of wading through now-a-days. And I say “Luke’s account,” because what the Evangelist Luke recorded here is really different from what we find in the other gospels in two pretty important ways. I mean, first, it’s a lot briefer than what Matthew, Mark and John wrote. And second, the little passages that surround the cleansing are also unique in Luke. You see, Luke’s story is a little different, and for that reason, so is his message for us. As a matter of fact, in this passage, I think Luke reminds us of three characteristics of Jesus that can help us when life seems really tough. And that’s what we're going to look at for the next ten minutes or so.

For example, first, I think Luke reminds us that Jesus feels compassion, and in particular, he feels compassion for his people. And I believe that was what Luke was getting at when he wrote this:

When Jesus came closer and could see Jerusalem, he cried and said:

It is too bad that today your people don’t know what will bring them peace! Now it is hidden from them. Jerusalem, the time will come when your enemies will build walls around you to attack you. Armies will surround you and close in on you from every side. They will level you to the ground and kill your people. Not one stone in your buildings will be left on top of another. This will happen because you did not see that God had come to save you. [Luke 19:41-44, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said. In other words, as he looked at the city of Jerusalem, Jesus knew. Jesus knew both the what and the why. You see, he knew that his people were going to face some really hard times. They would face the destruction of some of the stuff they valued most and they were going to have to endure pain and suffering and death. In fact, a little bit later, he said,

When you see Jerusalem surrounded by soldiers, you will know that it will soon be destroyed. If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. If you are in the city, leave it. And if you are out in the country, don’t go back into the city. This time of punishment is what is written about in the Scriptures. It will be an awful time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children! Everywhere in the land people will suffer horribly and be punished. Some of them will be killed by swords. Others will be carried off to foreign countries. Jerusalem will be overrun by foreign nations until their time comes to an end. [Luke 20:20-24, CEV]

I’m telling you, this is bad stuff. But you know, even though he also knew that all this was going to happen, and it was going to happen as a consequence of their own behavior, their intentional ignorance, their lack of faith, Jesus still cried. You see, he felt sorry for them. Even though it was their fault, he still felt compassion for his people.

And I’m telling you, when things get really difficult for us, man, I think that’s something we also need to remember. I mean, let’s get real, an awful lot of the stuff we’re facing in our world and in our country and certainly in our own lives is, at least in part, our fault, isn’t it? My gosh, it doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about global warming or some personal health problem, often we can trace it back to some risk we took or some warning we ignored. And because of that, right now, we face some of the consequences of our mistakes. This is just the way it is, and we know that. But here’s the good news. We don’t have an impartial and unemotional God who just shakes his head and says, “Well, I guess you made your bed, now you’ve got to lie in it.” Instead, we have a savior who cries over us and our mistakes, just like he cried over Jerusalem. Jesus had and has compassion. And that’s the first thing we can take from this passage.

And second, I think Luke also reminds us that Jesus takes action. In other words, Jesus isn’t this sort of bleeding heart who feels all kinds of stuff but who actually does nothing. No sir, that’s not the Jesus we see here. Instead, he’s a man of action. Just listen to what Luke wrote:

When Jesus entered the temple, he started chasing out the people who were selling things. He told them, “The Scriptures say, ‘My house should be a place of worship.’ But you have made it a place where robbers hide!” [Luke 19:45-46, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus did and said. And I’ll tell you, since Luke didn’t mention the folks selling sheep and doves nor the money changers, I really don’t think he was making a judgement about Jewish worship and how everything was about to change. Instead, I believe, in Luke’s opinion, Jesus was restoring the Temple to what it was always intended to be, a special place where people could encounter and sort of commune with God. And I’ll tell you, for Luke, I believe this restoration was really important, because not only would the Temple be the place where Jesus taught, it would also play an important role in Luke’s second volume, and I’m talking about Acts. You see, in that one book, the Temple was mentioned thirty-two times, and that’s more than any other book in the New Testament. And according to Acts, it was the place where Peter taught and performed healings and that Paul visited during his last trip to Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, just listen to how Luke described the church right after Pentecost:

Everyone was amazed by the many miracles and wonders that the apostles worked. All the Lord’s followers often met together, and they shared everything they had. They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever needed it. Day after day they met together in the temple. They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely, while praising God. Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved. [Acts 2:43-47, CEV]

You see, when he cleansed his house, Jesus was giving his disciples a special place.

And I’ll tell you, I think he’s done the same thing for us. You see, when life out there in the world is hard to bear, man, we have a place, a special place given to us by God. But it’s not a place to escape, you know, like a hideout for the guys in those old westerns who always wore black hats. And I’ll tell you, it’s also not a place full of clutter that we may love to have around but other folks don’t understand much less like. No, God has given us a place where we can be renewed and restored, where we can focus and fellowship, and where men and women who’ve never entered before can feel at home. By God’s action, that’s what we’ve been given. And where is this place? I think y’all know exactly what I’m talking about. Whether in-person or online, right here is our cleansed place. And not only has Jesus done the house cleaning, he’s led us here, because he takes action. And that’s the second thing we can take from this passage.

And third, right along with feeling compassion and taking action, I believe Jesus also offers direction. He did it then. And brothers and sisters, he does it now. I mean, just think about how the passage we read flows. After crying over Jerusalem and restoring the Temple, do you remember what Jesus started to do? Just listen:

Each day, Jesus kept on teaching in the temple. So the chief priests, the teachers of the Law of Moses, and some other important people tried to have him killed. But they could not find a way to do it, because everyone else was eager to listen to him. [Luke 19:47-48, CEV]

Of course, it’s really not a surprise that Jesus kept on teaching. I mean, given what Luke wrote, this must have been a big deal for him. Man, he taught all the time. In fact, when the women were at the empty tomb right after the resurrection, this is what happened:

Suddenly two men in shining white clothes stood beside them. The women were afraid and bowed to the ground. But the men said, “Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive? Jesus isn’t here! He has been raised from death. Remember that while he was still in Galilee, he told you, ‘The Son of Man will be handed over to sinners who will nail him to a cross. But three days later he will rise to life.’” Then they remembered what Jesus had said. [Luke 24:4b-8, CEV]

You see, those two men told the women to remember what Jesus taught, and that’s exactly what they did.

And brothers and sisters, we can do the same thing ourselves, and right here’s the place to do it. You see, right here we can remember what Jesus taught. And right here we can learn how we can carry this incredible message of love and grace and mercy into a world that seems to have forgotten about all three. And right here we can learn how to take all our gifts and talents and to combine them so that we can become like a mustard seed that grows into the greatest of all trees or a little bit of yeast that can change the entire lump of dough. In other words, because he loves us, Jesus has given us a place where we can grow into the men and women we were created to be. You see, he still offers us direction. And that’s the third thing we can take from this passage.

Now I’ve got to admit, right now, I’m running on fumes. And it’s all because I lost that one stupid hour last night. Of course, I’m well aware that after taking a nap that already has my name on it, I’ll feel a lot better. But you know, as it relates to all that bad stuff that’s happening around and within us, well, I doubt that can be changed in a ninety-minute siesta. But here’s the good news; it doesn’t have to. You see, as this passage about the cleansing of the Temple reminds us, Jesus has compassion even when we’re struggling through the consequences of our own behavior. And Jesus takes action, giving us a special and restored place to come. And Jesus offers direction, something that together we can learn and live. I’ll tell you, when we’re feeling isolated and frustrated and confused, this we can remember. And believe me, no amount of mid-March snow can change that.