From Green to Greed

Here are some thought from a sermon I preached on Sunday 09-18-05 from John 2. the ideas fit the the metatheme of this website:

13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

We all understand making a profit. You cannot work all the time for free. You must provide for your family. But our interest goes beyond provision.

Noah (my six-year-old) learned early on the difference between brown money and silver money. Brown money will not work in vending machines, and after all life is about getting what I want when I want from a vending machine. It was not too long before he discovered green money. And like all of us he started longing for it. In a phone conversation he had with his grandfather this week he stated, “Pawpaw, It been a longtime since I had some green money”. All of you who are grandparents know the proper response. When my dad got here Friday, he got his green money.

The problem is not the green money. The problem is the change from green to greed is only one letter. I think that illustrates our quickness to use the need for green to excuse our greed for the green. We have all experienced greed: gas prices during a disaster or a coke at a ballgame. Somebody is making a huge profit just because they can get away with.

That’s the thinking that led to the temple courts. The Jewish leaders had the man coming to offer his sacrifice in a bad way. If you brought your own sacrifice they had official inspectors. It seemed they could find something wrong with just about everyone's. And when you animal failed they had just the right answer, an officially approved lamb at an unbelievable price. Before long you just showed up and paid the price. Greed covered by religious correctness was too much for Jesus. He acted. He upset the norm. He scattered the tools of the greedy.

His disciples understood. 17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

The Jews asked for a sign. 18Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" The problem was the sign had already happened and they missed it!!

Do not miss the sign. We have all gone of course because we missed some small sign we did not see. However, this sign is clear. Jesus at the beginning of his ministry sets the pattern. God dwelling among us changes things. The time to act is now. When we see injustice, when we see people taken advantage of, when we have opportunity to make a difference, we must act. In order to be ready for these times we must have the right attitude. An attitude of dissatisfaction with the way things are.We must be dissatisfied with injustice, people pushed down, oppressed. Who else can show the love of God to people who are most open to hearing it?