Look God, no hands!
“In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” John 2:14-15
What are the tables that need to be kicked over in your life? What are those things that crowd the temple of your soul that need to be driven out of your life so that you can make space for God?
I think it is all too easy to immediately go to those negative parts or our “character defects” and think that we must cleanse ourselves of all our impurities.
Perhaps what needs to be driven out of our lives is fear, perfectionism, and worry etc. and from the religious laws and rituals that we attempt to abide by in order to make ourselves acceptable and pleasing to God. Perhaps what needs to be slaughtered and given up to God is our idea that we are unlovable and undeserving of our Creator’s love based on our merits, instead of God’s grace. Isn’t this one of the main message so of Jesus? He begins to break laws and codes that have robbed people of their humanity and dignity and he claims God’s love for all folks, especially those kicked to the margins buy religion.
When we cleanse the temple it makes those who want to control God uncomfortable and paranoid but frees us to encounter God in our soul and to loosen our grip and enjoy the ride. Where we can say to God, "Look God, no hands!"
3 Comments:
You're speaking to me again.
Rick,
Excellent post. I believe it was Barth who wrote of the importance of making a break with something -- almost anything would do -- in order to experience conversion. I fear that many of us in "churchianity" have been raised in "clean homes" so that the major sins are not there....thus we end up maintaining a quasi-conversion experience which required no break with the past. But, as you said, I believe Christ calls us all to experience overturned tables. They are there for all of us; by God's loving grace he shows them to us, turns them over, then prepares a new table before us.
I've nothing profound to say, Rick, other than thank you for your messages of God's love and grace. Peace to you, bro.
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