Honor, to the Shame of ... Part Three

Honor, to the Shame of…Part Three 

“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. And He told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make My Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume Me.” John 2:15-17 (ESV) 

I think that the use of the word disrespect today has to be undone and re-done for people. I mentioned in my earlier Freedom Fighter that it seems that the showing of disrespect cannot go unchallenged. Say the wrong word and you got someone “all up in your business” and looking to engage in a good ole’slobber-knocker. And you know what…sometimes it is over the stupidest thing. When I hear kids use the “D” word now, I just wish someone would call their mama and tell her to do their child a favor, take them home and tuck them in. 

To conclude my time with the issue of honor/shame I have chosen what I consider the most disrespectful thing done to the Father right in front of the Son. It is the Passover and Jesus is going to the Temple as a grown man. He is most definitely about His Father’s business at this point in time. He walks into the huge courtyard to find sacrifice for sale. If your sacrifice was rejected at the altar, after you’ve spent time, money and effort to just to this moment, it was okay…just go to the courtyard and get yourself a new one. And if your currency is different from what we use, there’s a table for that. Just make sure you use the right exchange when you re-pay the Temple Tax to try this again. 

Now Jesus doesn’t waste no time in what He is about to do. Over go the tables, upside down go the boxes full of gold and silver coins and with that whip He chases the animal’s outta the courtyard. His disciple’s see what is written in Psalm 69:9 come to life, “For zeal for Your house has consumed Me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on Me.” This whole scene has its root in the shame that God’s people conduct themselves with and they don’t even see it. They have become so complacent with what they do they don’t even realize the shame they show the very God of Israel… and the Son is there, in the flesh, to see it all up front and personal. 

After He answered their question with, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” the Jews taunt Him by saying it took forty-six years to build Herod’s Temple, raise it up in three days, HA!!! But in their dishonor they miss the point. The Pharisees and the Sadducees spent a great deal of time trying to regain their honor after they were shamed by Jesus at every turn. It was no problem to bring shame to God in His very House by these kinds of men but it did not sit well with them when the Son brought honor to the very Laws set forth by His Father. Imagine that…Jesus sent here not only to save us from ourselves but to restore the honor that His name rightly deserves. 

I hope that when you sit down with your Bible you can focus in on the honor that you can bring Him and not what He can do for you. I for one will be taking my western lens out now and re-read some of those Old Testament tales too. I wonder what Samson looks like through the honor/shame lens now? Gideon? Job? Peter? Moses? Abraham? We need to realize that Jesus isn’t an investment but Family. And even if the actual family that God provided for us still sees through those profit/loss lenses we can rest in the knowledge we have what we need to maintain family honor by not bringing shame to the name of…Jesus Christ. Amen? – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a member of the Freedom Fighter Team

Team YOU: Exodus 31-33; Proverbs 3; Matthew 22:1-22

Motivations: “Does it matter if you receive the gifts of grace the way a beggar receives bread? This would not cause the gifts to be less pure or less precious. Receive with humility the sweet grace that God wants to give you.”-Fenelon

Practice to Remember: Level 1: Ephesians 2:10; Level 2: Ephesians 2:11-18

Powered Up:  Prayer can do anything God can do. E. M. Bounds