the    sides

This is part of our e-vo journey through the Gospel of John. It’s also printed at studentparking.org. Today is from John 2:12-25.

There was a John Wayne-fest on HDNet movies last night - The Shootist, El Dorado, and McLintock!. This is a little known fact about me - I love John Wayne. If I’m channel surfing and come across a John Wayne movie - I have to stop. By the way, John Wayne was Chuck Norris before Chuck Norris was Chuck Norris. John Wayne was never afraid to open up a can of whoop butt on anybody.

And neither was Jesus.

This much Jesus and John had in common - when something is wrong, it needs to be made right. If making it right involves destroying some property - all the better.

Jesus seeing the almighty dollar keeping people out of the Temple and the pursuit of money replacing the pursuit of God so instantly sickened him that he opens up a can. And he does so during the busiest time of the year - Passover. Nothing like cleaning house when all the guests are around. Just grab a whip and start swinging - I wonder how many Pharisees he hit?

But what has this got to do with modern day church? We don’t charge admission to church and as distasteful as selling CD’s and books in the church library may be - that’s really not the same thing, right?

I don’t know - the one issue with the Temple scenario is that the people HAD to exchange their money or buy the animals in order to even participate in worship. I don’t think that’s going on that blatantly today but maybe there are some not as noticeable barriers we put up to block people from worship.

Is there an unwritten/unspoken dress code?
Is there a color barrier?
Is there an economic barrier?
Is there a “cool” barrier?
Is there a “language” barrier?

If there is - are we willing to be as passionate as destroying those barriers as Jesus was?
How would we start breaking those barriers?

Na answers today. Just questions.