Title: House of Prayer for Manmin
Contents
We think of Jesus as being meek. That is why I think of Jesus as a person who never gets angry and is always patient. But Jesus, who appears in the text, completely breaks our stereotypes.
The appearance of Jesus in the text is very passionate. He drives out those who buy and sell things for sacrificial use in the holy temple courtyard, and overturns the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who sell doves. Such a figure of Jesus is beyond our imagination.
But if we understand the meaning of 'meekness' more correctly, we will not be surprised by Jesus' actions. Meekness is not being introverted and kind, but being accustomed to God. Jesus is not obsessed with his own honor, greed, and heroism, but is completely obedient to God's will.
That's what made the temple in Jerusalem so valiant. A meek person like Jesus gets angry when he should be angry and is silent when he should be silent. Almost all people in the world act out of consideration for their own interests and personal life, but meek people like Jesus do not.
The Gospel writer Mark gives a relatively detailed account of what Jesus did when he entered the temple in Jerusalem. Reading what Mark gives, we can understand why Jesus took such a passionate action. If Jesus saw what was going on in the temple and pretended not to know it, he would not have been like Jesus.
In the old days, there was a religious ceremony where Jews went up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to God on the Passover. It was a hope and joy for all Jews living in each country to participate in the event once a year. It was a tradition for anyone who took part in the event to bring a sacrifice, such as cattle, sheep, goats, and doves, for use in the sacrificial service. The offerings brought by the pilgrims had to be inspected by the priests in the courtyard of the temple in Jerusalem and passed before they could be offered as sacrifices.
At that time, however, Jewish society and religion were so corrupt that priests and merchants colluded with them to deliberately reject the offerings brought by the pilgrims and make them buy the offerings sold in the temple courtyard. Such scenes appear in the text.
And the other is that every Israeli male is required to pay the temple tax once a year, and must pay in half a shekel of Jewish silver. At that time, Roman and Greek currency was mainly used, so pilgrims would come to the temple and exchange it for half a Jewish shekel to pay the temple tax. The money changers shown in the text are such people.
It is against this background that Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling pigeons in the temple. As Jesus drove out the merchants from the temple, He said, “My house is a house where all people pray, but you have turned it into a den of robbers.”
It is generally understood in any religion as a place to pray in a place designated as a place of prayer, where there should be quiet and solemnity, and there should be no worldly thoughts. We can understand that Jesus also cleansed the temple in the same way. But Jesus did not act in that way. Jesus' actions had a deeper meaning.
First, Jesus showed his wrath because deeds and unrighteousness were committed in the temple, the house of prayer for all people. The other is that the coming of Jesus marked the end of the religious ceremonies that had been held in the Jewish temple so far, and that a new way was opened for Jews and Gentiles to come to God and worship. The new way is through Jesus Christ.
American spiritual theologian Richard Foster said that prayer is the 'key' that opens the heart of God. If you open God's heart through prayer and enter it, you will find peace, joy, kindness, fellowship, honesty, intimacy, and acceptance. If prayer is the key to entering the heart of God, the home of man, the door is Jesus Christ.
In the old days, the Israelites had to bring sacrifices to go before God and meet with God through the priests. However, since the coming of Jesus Christ, such cumbersome procedures have been eliminated. Through the door of God's grace and mercy in Jesus Christ, we can enter directly into the heart of God. You go into the heart of God and a conversation with God begins. At that time, conversation with God is not a superficial one, but a very candid conversation. These conversations are prayers.
Conversations with God are different from conversations with people. Now let's talk about some of those differences.
First, in this conversation with God, we present ourselves to God as we are. There is no one in this world who can present who we are in front of anyone. We are just burdensome objects that must always wear a mask and act better than who we are. But you don't have to do that before God. Because God knows everything that is deep in our hearts, He wants us as we are.
Second, we lay down all the heavy burdens of our lives. People, children and adults alike, have their own burdens in life. The burden sometimes feels so heavy that people get tired. They want someone to lose instead. But there is only Jesus who can bear our burdens in this world. Jesus said to those who are carrying the heavy burden of life, "Come to me, all who labor and are carrying heavy burdens."
Third, in conversation with God, we forgive others, and our sins are forgiven. Among the people living in this age, there are many people who suffer because of hostility and hatred toward others, and suffer from remorse for their sins. But in conversation with God, you can be free from such hate and sin. There is no sin that God cannot bear.
Fourth, the content of conversation with God includes everything we experience and do in our lives. There are no restrictions on your conversation with God. As we become more accustomed to the life of dialogue with God, our life becomes more lively and hopeful. Learning to live a life of dialogue with God is the secret to a successful life.
Fifth, our hearts are strengthened in this conversation with God. To be strong means to be armed with new hope, and to be filled with the will and passion for life. And it is a change of heart to devote ourselves to the kingdom of God and its righteousness.
Sixth, dialogue with God ultimately results in human beings being born anew. Through dialogue, the new born person lays down his or her life for God's good work in this world.
The house of prayer that Jesus spoke of is a house of dialogue with God. God is always waiting for us to talk to us. God's heart is always wide open to welcome us.
On the other hand, the house of prayer is also a place of 'recollection and prospect'. A person who enters the house of prayer first looks back on the days that have passed and becomes grateful that God has intervened in the history of his or her life so far and has made all things work together for good. And looking at the future that God has promised, we make a new plan.
In the old days, the Israelites would go up to the temple of God, their house of prayer, and remember how God intervened in their history and led them, and held a festival of thanks to God. And they would fold their collars, looking forward to the new future unfolding before them.
The House of Prayer is a place of communion where brothers and sisters in Christ gather to share the bread and cup of the Lord's Supper. The communion that takes place here is different from the communion of the world. Fellowship in the world has human motives, but fellowship in the house of prayer is, to the last, communion in Christ.
The psalmist speaks of this communion:
"How beautiful and delightful!
What brothers and sisters do together!
Precious oil on the head
flowing through the beard, that is, the beard of Aaron,
It is like flowing down to the collar,
Hermon's Dew
Like descending on Mount Zion
The Lord has promised a blessing here,
That blessing is eternal life.” (Psalm 133)
Today, we all have an entrance ceremony with gratitude, joy, and hope, and this new building is called 'House of Prayer for Manmin'. This house was prepared by God to communicate with the members of the Lord's Church, teachers of the spiritual school, and students. In that sense, this house is a house of conversation.
And this house is a holy place of worship where the beloved saints gather to reflect on the days gone by, look into the future, and give thanks and praise to God.
Next, this house is a place of communion where the members of the Lord's Church, who are brothers and sisters in Christ, share the bread and cup symbolizing the body and blood of the Lord.
Now you have a new house of prayer and set off for a new future. Your future is not a path only you walk, but a path you walk with God. In your future, the works of God's creation that make all things new are waiting for you.
You must participate in the work of creation with faith, hope, and love. In order to do this right and well, God has given me this new house of prayer.
In the house of prayer, when true encounters, worship, and communion with God do not take place, but rather, when everything becomes formalized by human injustice and lies, the Gospel writer Mark said that people’s lives are depleted and become a life without content. This is told through the parable of the fig tree. Mark inserts the parable of the fig tree in the first and second half of Jesus' cleansing of the temple to explain why Judaism at that time had to be a helpless religion. The answer to that is what happened in the temple in Jerusalem.
Finally, I will close my sermon by introducing the song of the pilgrims going up to the temple in the Psalms.
"People see me
When we say, "Let's go up to the house of the Lord"
I was happy..
Jerusalem!
Our feet are in your gates.
Jerusalem, you
Like a city where everything is intimately equipped,
well built
Those tribes, Your tribes,
to praise your name
Following the precedent of Israel
going up there
There are the thrones of judgment,
They are the thrones of the house of David.
May peace be in Jerusalem
pray
‘Jerusalem!
Peace to those who love you,
May peace dwell within your walls,
in your palace
May peace be with you.'
to my relatives and neighbors
'Peace be upon you'
and bless you
in the house of the Lord our God
May you be blessed." (Psalm 122)