Lent 3B
Mar 3, 2024
Grace Lutheran Church
Lakeland, Florida
Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 19
I Corinthians 1:18-25
John 2:13-22
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text for our meditation this morning is in our second reading for today:
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. We proclaim Christ crucified, a scandal to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. But to those who are the called – both Jews and Greeks – Christ – the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Let’s take a look at some of what the world calls wisdom today:
Wayne Dyer says this: Focus on what you have to give, have faith in your dreams and you will overcome all doubt and make your wishes a reality.
Oprah said this in a conversation with Tony Robbins who wrote Unleash the Power Within: the only thing that keeps me from getting what I want is the story I keep telling myself about why it can’t happen.
Joel Osteen has this to say: Don’t just accept whatever comes your way in life. You were born to win, to be great and to be a champion.
And Eckhart Tolle says this: the essential aspect of spiritual awakening consists of transcending our ego-based state of consciousness.
Oh so eloquent, don’t you think? Nearly beguiling in its appeal to us to grow into our potential, to make our dreams a reality, to transcend our state of consciousness. Who can argue with any of that? Who among us doesn’t want to be a champion, to get what we want, to make our wishes a reality.
Surely God wants that for us too. Right?
The people to whom St. Paul wrote this letter lived in a cosmopolitan city – Corinth. Corinth – a commercial and religious hub. Characterized by religious diversity. A Roman colony – granted very favored status. A wealthy city. A
worldly city. A city where people sought success and recognition and status.
Sophisticated – wise in the ways of the world.
And into this Paul wrote, “We proclaim Christ crucified.” We can imagine the response – What?! Crucified? THAT’s the Christ you want us to follow? You’ve got to be kidding. Give us someone we can look up to, give us someone who has made a success of his life – THAT’s the one we’ll follow as we try harder and harder to get ahead in this world, to make something of ourselves.
PAUSE
It is said that the more things change the more they stay the same. Today we live in a land that can only be described as prosperous and we as a people strive for success. Sophisticated. We are a model of achievement that the world emulates.
And into this success and achievement, we too hear Paul’s words -- We proclaim Christ crucified.
What does this mean? Who is this Christ crucified?
We get an image of that in the gospel reading for today. The gospel-writer describes a scene very early in Jesus’ ministry when he and his disciples have traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Like the hundreds or thousands of other pilgrims, they went to the Temple where everything was going along pretty much as one would expect. Travelers who had come a great distance were buying animals that would be used for ritual sacrifice. Observant Jews from distant places had their Roman coins changed into local currency that could be used in the Temple. Things were very busy in the routine preparations for this important festival and holiday. Just as it had been for hundreds of years.
Into this beehive of activity comes Jesus – virtually unknown to any there except his disciples and perhaps a few others who may have witnessed his first sign – changing water into wine in Cana. Jesus looks around, sees business as usual and literally turns things upside down. The usual way of doing things is to become a thing of the past. “Get these things out of here” shouts Jesus. When he is challenged and asked for his credentials for making such a demand, he counters –
destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.
What?! How can this be? It’s taken over 40 years to build this Temple and you say that it will be destroyed and then raised in 3 days?? Who do you think you are?
PAUSE
Jesus’ coming changed everything. The old ways of doing things would be toppled over. No longer would the rituals of festival sacrifice be the focus. Jesus said, “The time is now here when true worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth.” The old ways, the usual way of doing things are gone.
“We proclaim Christ crucified.” The usual ways of seeking after the things that matter to the world – progress, success, achievement – all the things that world would call “wise” – these are nothing compared to the power of God.
The power of God that is found in the foolishness of the world. The power of God that is found in the very person of Jesus Christ. The power of God that walked the earth for three years – teaching, touching, healing, loving, caring. The power of God arrested and handed over. The power of God nailed to a cross.
The power of God in totally unexpected places.
It is foolish to think that a man who was crucified 2000 years ago can bring us honor, success, respect or love. But the fact is, he is the ONLY one who can, because it is only through Christ that we are restored to God. And it is only
because of God's grace, freely given, that we are worthy of God’s honor, wisdom, respect, or even love. The Kingdom of God is upside down and backwards; God's foolishness is greater than any human wisdom, and God’s love for us is greater than anything we can imagine for ourselves.
