1 Uncommon: Courage (John 2:13-22) Chris Altrock 4/5/15 Easter Sunday I recently learned about Francis Wright. Francis was born in Scotland. She was orphaned at the age of three. Thankfully, her parents left her a substantial fortune and she had relatives willing to raise her. As a young adult, Francis even travelled to America. There, she met revolutionary war hero Marquis de Lafayette. Francis and her sister traveled with Lafayette and were eventually entertained at the homes of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Then, as Francis traveled down the Mississippi River she was appalled at the sight of slavery. She wanted to do something about it. She dreamed of establishing a colony whose purpose would be to free as many slaves as possible. This colony would be self- supporting and would provide funds for the purchase and training of slaves who would then be freed. Francis decided to locate her colony on 2,000 acres just east of Memphis, Tennessee. This was the site of present- day Germantown. She used her large inheritance to turn the dream into reality. After purchasing the land and building the colony, she traveled to Nashville and bought the first 11 slaves. They were brought back to the colony, which she named Neshoba. Her great experiment began. This noble cause, however, came with great cost. It stole her wealth. And it stole her heath. Francis became seriously ill with malaria and had to leave the Memphis area. By the time she recovered a year later and returned to Neshoba, the colony had collapsed financially. She had spent her entire fortune on the project. In the end she was only able to help about 30 slaves. Still, she became one of the great activists in American history. And, she s famous, in part, for being willing to risk for a noble cause. The Gospels present Jesus as one who took the ultimate risk for the ultimate cause. No one risked more than Jesus. That s the whole point of Good Friday, the day of Jesus death. But Good Friday isn t the only time Jesus took a risk for a cause. Jesus was always risking something for someone. One particular story at the beginning of the Gospels shows Jesus already willing to pay a great cost to do a great good even in the early days of his ministry. The story is told by John. It s only the second chapter in John s Gospel. Jesus has just completed his first miracle. And then comes this story: 13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money- changers sitting there. (John 2:13-14 ESV) John has moved this story from near the end of Jesus life. It actually took place on the Monday after what we call Palm Sunday, just four days before the crucifixion. John s taken this story from that late date and placed it here near the beginning of Jesus ministry. Why? Well, for John, this story summarizes Jesus. What Jesus did near the end of his life in this event captures what all of Jesus life was about. So John takes this event from late in Jesus life and places it near the beginning of his gospel. Because for John, Jesus was first and foremost someone who was willing to risk for a noble cause. And this story illustrates that trait.
2 The event takes place at Passover. Passover is the most sacred time on the calendar for the Jews. It celebrated a moment when Moses and Aaron, under God s leadership, risked everything to rescue a bunch of slaves, taking them from misery in Egypt to liberty in the Promised Land. Each year Jews would travel to Jerusalem to commemorate that rescue with Passover. And a visit to the temple was the highlight of Passover. It s where the joy and the worship were at its highest. Our story takes place in that temple during Passover. When we imagine Passover and the temple, we should imagine something that had even greater significance than V- J Day, which celebrated the end of the suffering of World War II; even greater significance than Independence Day, which celebrated the end of the suffering under British rule; even greater significance than Juneteenth, which celebrated the end of slavery. There was nothing nobler than this annual celebration of the way Moses and Aaron, under God s leadership, had rescued the Jewish people from slavery. But sadly, some were trying to make a buck off this great event. During Passover merchants would fill the areas outside the temple and inside the outer court of the temple with tables filled with goods such as fruits and oils. They also would ve sold animals that would be used for making sacrifices. Now, on the face of it, there s nothing necessarily wrong with this. These merchants were providing a needed service. But these particular merchants on this particular day seemed to be hindering the Passover celebration. It d be like a rowdy group stopping a Fourth of July parade down Main Street. It d be like a city council voting down the town s V- J Day celebration. And Jesus would have none of it: 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money- changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade. 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for your house will consume me. (John 2:15-17 ESV) Jesus takes up a whip. This would have been easily found. Livestock owners would have used a whip to control the animals. But what was being used to control the animals Jesus now takes up to seize control of the chaos in the temple. John does not tell us exactly why Jesus sought to drive everyone out. It may be that they were guilty of economic exploitation. That is, these merchants may have been marking up their prices and gouging the poor and the pilgrims who needed these animals for the Passover sacrifice. It may also be that these merchants were guilty of racism. The outer court where they were conducting their business was the only place where non- Jews could gather for the Passover celebration. It may be that the merchants dismissed these Gentiles as inferior and thought nothing of setting up shop in the midst of their worship services. Whatever the reason, Jesus takes up a whip and drives those merchants out. John tells us that when the disciples saw Jesus act in this way the word that came to their mind was zeal. Sadly zeal is no longer something to which we aspire. We often attach negative feelings to the word zeal.
3 But the biblical word zeal merely refers to those who are willing to risk for a noble cause. And that s exactly what Jesus does here. Jesus action here carries the potential for great loss. Jesus speaks to those enemies watching him. He says, Destroy this temple By temple he means his body. Jesus knows that what he s done has made these enemies so mad that they want to destroy him. They want to kill him. That is how great a risk he has taken. For John, Jesus is first and foremost one who risks for a noble cause. Even risking his life. That s why John places this event from the end of Jesus life at the beginning of his account of Jesus life. Because for John, this captures the heart of Jesus. John shows Jesus to be someone who is willing to pay a great cost for a great good. And will do this again and again. And the question is this: How was Jesus able to live this kind of life? How was Jesus able to constantly risk even his live in order to love? And how might we be able to live that kind of life? In our hearts, most of us want to be that kind of person. In our hearts, most of us want to be that church. We want to be able to pay whatever price is needed to do whatever good is called for. But we are frozen by our fears. Paralyzed by our paranoia. More likely to play it safe than to take a risk. So, how do we overcome the fears that often keep us from engaging in risky behavior for noble causes? The answer, according to Jesus, is found in the resurrection: 18 So the Jews said to him, What sign do you show us for doing these things? 19 Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 The Jews then said, It has taken forty- six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:18-22 ESV) Jesus speaks here about the He talks of raising his temple, his body in three days. He is talking about the He s talking about Easter. Notice that the resurrection is not mentioned here as a way of giving comfort. Often that s the sole use Christians and churches have for the We use it to give comfort. And the resurrection is comforting! There s nothing we need more when we are facing our own death or the death of a loved one than to know that resurrection is coming. That there is more to this life than living and dying. And that is one of the great messages of Easter. The resurrection brings great comfort. But the resurrection gave Jesus not only comfort but also courage. Here, resurrection is used to give courage for living a risky life. The resurrection is not merely intended to shape how we think about life after death. It intended to shape the way we live our life before death. Jesus tells us that the reason he had the courage to do what he just did, to take a risk that could end his life, was that he knew that even if his critics killed him, he d come back from the dead. And when you know that, you ve got all the courage you need to do all the good you can no matter how high the risk.
4 Here is what Jesus knows about risk and resurrection: When you take a risk for a noble cause (as Jesus just did) There is nothing that can be broken by taking that risk that cannot be rebuilt by the There is nothing can be lost by taking that risk that cannot be regained by the There is nothing that can be ruined by taking that risk that cannot be restored by the There s nothing that can be done to you by taking that risk that cannot be undone for you by the There s nothing that can be mangled by taking that risk that cannot be mended by the The good news is that anything hurt when we risk for a noble cause is healed in the This is what encourages us to take a hit or a loss for a godly cause. Jesus knew that even if his body was destroyed by this risky and godly move, it didn t matter. Because in the resurrection all would be restored. Gary Haugen, president and CEO of International Justice Mission, a Christian organization dedicated to fighting sex- trafficking, writes of our need for this kind of courage today. i He writes this: After we have poured into our children all the good food and shelter and clothing, after we have provided them with great education, discipline, structure and love, after we have worked so hard to provide every good thing, they turn to us and ask, "Why have you given all of this to me?" And the honest answer from me is, "So you'll be safe." And my kid looks up at me and says, "Really? That's it? You want me to be safe? Your grand ambition for my life is that nothing bad happens?" And I think something inside them dies. They either go away to perish in safety, or they go away looking for adventure in the wrong places. Jesus, on the other hand, affirms their sense of adventure and their yearning for larger glory." Individuals you and me were made for much more than just being safe and making sure nothing bad happens. Institutions churches and Christian organizations were made for much more than just playing it safe and making sure nothing bad happens. We were made to risk for the cause of good and God. And the resurrection is what provides the courage. When you know that God can even raise the dead, there s nothing that can stop you from paying even the highest price to do the highest good. In his book The Colors of Hope, Richard Dahlstrom also rails against our safety- first mentality: ii Lock your doors at night. Get an alarm system. Save 10 percent and make sure your investment is insured... Take your vitamins, minerals, omega- 3s, ginko bilboa, and St. John's Wort. Eat lots of soluble fibers. Exercise. Get eight hours of sleep Go to church regularly, being certain to drive carefully both on the way there and on the way home Don't go on mission trips to places where you might contract staph infection, malaria, intestinal parasites, or face a terrorist plot... Eat organic. Get a colonoscopy.
5 There, that should do it. Now you're safe, right? Well, not really [The safety- first posture] is wrong on several levels. First, and most significantly, the good life is never defined by Jesus in terms of either length or comfort. To the contrary, Jesus says that those who seek to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their lives, spilling them out generously in service to others because of love for God and humanity, will find them. It s the resurrection that gives us the courage to no longer play it safe. The resurrection shows that even if the very worst were to happen, the temple was destroyed, God can raise it back up. Here is what Jesus knows about risk and resurrection: When you take a risk for a noble cause (as Jesus just did) There is nothing that can be broken by taking that risk that cannot be rebuilt by the There is nothing can be lost by taking that risk that cannot be regained by the There is nothing that can be ruined by taking that risk that cannot be restored by the There s nothing that can be done to you by taking that risk that cannot be undone for you by the There s nothing that can be mangled by taking that risk that cannot be mended by the The good news is that anything hurt when we risk for a noble cause is healed in the In his novel Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful, Alan Paton tells the story of Robert Mansfield, the headmaster of a school in South Africa during the days of apartheid. iii When Mansfield's school was barred from competing against a black school, he finally took a stand against apartheid and resigned his post. A friend said to him, "You know you will be wounded. Do you know that?" Mansfield replied, pointing to heaven, "When I go up there the Big Judge will say to me, 'Where are your wounds?' If I say I haven't any, he will say, 'Was there nothing to fight for?' I couldn't face that question." There s plenty to fight for. So many good things to fight for in this life. And they will all lead to wounds. But the courage to face those wounds is found in the The resurrection is no excuse to be irresponsible with our lives. It s not a call to just throw our lives away. But it is a motive for taking a step of faith, taking a risk, for a greater good. Because you know that whatever wounds you endure for that fight, healing comes in the Imagine for a moment if a doctor told you this news: You re going to die. You ve got a year left. But you re going to die. That would be hard news to take. But wouldn t it, in a way, set you free? Free to fight and take a risk for the best of causes? Because, after all, what s the worse that could happen to you now? The resurrection has a message with even greater freeing power. In it, Jesus says, You re going to live. No matter what happens to you, you re going to live forever.
6 That s great news to take. And it sets us free. Free to fight and take a risk for the best of causes. Because, after all, what s the worse that could happen to you now? So here s what I want to ask you to do this week: Spend some time in prayer with this question: What risk is the resurrection encouraging me to take? Maybe it s the risk to start that non- profit or that ministry that you know could change lives. Maybe it s that risk to finally talk to your kids about the things that really matter. Maybe it s that risk to make that financial gift that will make your accountant s stomach turn. Maybe it s the risk to take that short- term mission trip. Maybe it s the risk to start that school or change to that major that you feel called to. Maybe it s the risk to finally get baptized and commit your life to Jesus. If you truly believed in a God who can repair whatever is broken when you step out in faith, what would you do? What risk is the resurrection encouraging you to take? i Gary Haugen, Just Courage (InterVarsity Press, 2008), 124-125. ii Richard Dahlstrom, The Colors of Hope (Baker Books, 2011), 128-128. iii Alan Paton, Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful (Scribner, 1996), 66-67.