A Crazy Big Wedding ...

A romance is a small and very intimate thing (or at least that is what women are constantly attempting to explain to their daft-thinking men 😊).  Moments spent alone.  Moments that wind up burning into our memories.  A level of intimacy that leads one to think; gee, I would like to do that over and over and over again.  If you gave men a big red button that if pushed would bring happiness, we would stand there for a 100-years pushing that thing over and over and over again.  But it is that mutual recognition that my life was just not complete until I met … [fill in the blank here].  That recognition inspires us to get married and put a lock on the big red happiness button forever.  And so it begins.  What was once a small intimate romance built for two, must now become a “wedding” that is the LAST thing from small and intimate.  The families must be notified (and included).  Unable to choose our blood-relatives there are sure to be hurt feelings (that could spit in our food) if we omit someone from the long list of guests if not participants in our “wedding”.

And where it comes to weddings, everyone (short the groom, who is still scratching his head) has ideas.  It is the bride’s day, so in theory, she should get to decide everything.  But those pesky relatives are sure to insert their “brilliant suggestions” at every turn.  It then requires the diplomatic skills of Henry Kissinger, to navigate potential conflicts, hurt feelings, family traditions, and of course what the bride wants.  No man is equipped for this level of diplomacy so most grooms simply surrender within the first day or two.  Good to have hubby out of the way, but that still requires fiancée to have the patience of a saint, and the ability to compromise for the sake of family unity … all of which drives a significant cottage industry in Vegas for weddings when both bride and groom just cannot take it anymore (or anticipate that early).  The simple truth is, where romance is by definition an intimate thing between two people; Weddings are a public event designed to include everyone in the celebration of a union intended to last forever.  While they are linked, they are rarely described the same way.

Enter God.  Silly us.  We thought a romance was only between two.  It is.  But God wants one too.  He wants His romance with just you.  He loves (for purposes of this example), just you.  He is “in love” with you.  It all started when you were an imagining in His head, so He made you.  He made you with certain skills, abilities, and interests … and then he brought you into existence and set you free to use what He gave you and grow into an even more unique person.  He watches you grow, like an excited parent, always pinning your refrigerator drawings up for all the universe to see.  He cries when you do.  He weeps when you get hurt, and weeps harder when you do the hurting to someone else.  He gets so happy He could dance when you look back home, and seek to build a relationship with Him, attempting to get to know Him, like He already knows you.  So the intimacy of our Creator God, is a level of romance, that would top any known to man.  His love for you was there first, and He hopes it will lure you to His side.  He hopes you will see His big red button of happiness, and decide you want to push it (even if only once in a while), just something to get your end of the romance going.

Silly us.  And we thought all we were ever going to have with our God was a romance built for two.  And no, I am not referring to how God would love to be at the center of your earthly marriage to do things you cannot even imagine getting done.  (Like changing hearts, habits, and minds).  No, I am talking about what God wants to culminate His romance with you.  He wants a wedding.  He wants a crazy big wedding.  He wants something that is a public event that expresses to the entire universe, that you and God, have decided to make a permanent relationship forever and ever.  It is going to be a party.  And yes, while you will not be the “only” bride in this equation, all of mankind in total, will make up the “bride” He has been romancing for so long, it seems like forever already.  He wants cake.  He wants grape juice.  He wants fruit with names we have yet to pronounce.  He plans to pick steak off the steak-growing-tree (why not, He is God after all), and cook it on a grill with mesquite charcoal that would make a Texan green with envy.  (and you “have” to try God’s spicy BBQ sauce, it is the stuff of legend).  He wants witnesses.  He wants a massive affair.  Everyone is invited.

Now enter Matthew recording a parable just like this imaginative story that Jesus first told so long ago.  He starts out his twenty-second chapter in verse one, with the third parable Jesus has been telling church leadership to get them to come back to the source of their religion (instead of replacing Jesus, with doctrine, that the Pharisees preferred and sometimes so do we).  The romance between Jesus and the church leadership is hot on the Jesus side; and ice cold on the leadership side.  It has been a one-way thing for a long time.  Jesus wants to change that (with them, and with you).  So he tries again in story form.  Beginning in verse 1 it says … “And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, [verse 2] The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,”

First let’s get the players and the context.  Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is a like a marriage that God has prepared for His only son.  God the Father is the King, who prepares this public event (of reconciliation for us) for His Son Jesus, who has long awaited this event.  The excitement is so thick you could cut it with a knife.  It continues in verse 3 saying … “And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.”  His church is His bride.  God sends His angels, and His servants (prophets, preachers, lay workers, anyone willing to work in His vineyard); the job of these servants was to tell the bride; it is time.  It is time for the bride to come to the wedding.  And “WE” would NOT come!!  Let that sink in for a minute.  The servants when to those who were supposed to be preparing, to those who were supposed to be in a romance with Jesus, but when the time finally comes, WE refuse to come.  This cannot be.  This is unfathomable.  But it is what happens.

The story continues in verse 4 saying … “Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.”  God decides to sweeten the deal.  He knows perhaps some brides get cold feet.  So he tries again, and this time reminds us, of the feast that will be coming.  Sacrifices have already been made.  Meat is ready to eat.  It has already been on the altar and is ready for eating now.  Perhaps the bride didn’t hear the first message, and anyone who loves a fiancée would not just throw in the towel because they have one bad day prior to the wedding.  Someone who loves like God loves, would try again, and intensify the beauty of the invitation, to cut through our blindness, get our attention, and remind us, “this” is what we have all been waiting for. 

Our response continues in verse 5 saying … “But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: [verse 6] And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.”  Aaarg!  WE made “light of it”.  Who cares.  It is only salvation, why bother with perfection anyway, how good could it really be?  So instead of embracing it, they leave to pursue their own interests, one to a farm to work on creating his own perfection.  Another went to his business commerce to see if he could purchase his own perfection.  Those without jobs, or means, don’t want to hear that the gift of perfection or salvation is really ready for us – so they did what everyone always does – they beat the servants who brought this message.  And when they just would not shut-up (amazed we would so carelessly throw away a thing of such value) – WE killed the messengers.  The church did this.  The old one did it.  The new one did it.  And the one we are in, … is still doing it.  We spit on a gift we should have treasured, then we treat it far worse.

The story continues in verse 7 saying … “But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.”  And a holocaust ensues targeting millions who claim the lineage or membership in the first church carried out by racist hate.  And an entire age is characterized as “dark” when the second church moves from Apostolic to death on horseback, killing all who would reform it, or bring light into it.  And today, we sit on the precipice of global environmental destruction as we still claim to be a bride, but have no idea who our groom truly is, or what it means to love anyone other than ourselves.  It is a dark picture that is painted when man rejects God thinking there are no final consequences to that choice.  Satan’s greatest lie is that we would not suffer for our sins, that we have “all the time in the world” to commit them, until all of the sudden, we don’t.  Evil will one day meet its end.  The only question, will you be consumed by evil when time is run out, or been made free from it so long ago.

But the story is not about rejection, it is about a crazy big wedding, and the wedding must go on.  So on to plan B.  It continues in verse 8 saying … “Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. [verse 9] Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.”  It is so easy to think of this as only applying to the Jewish faith.  They rejected Christ, therefore the church of God was taken from them and given to others.  That’s easy.  But that is not the whole story.  The first Christian church devolved from purity to death, and it was taken from them and spread throughout Protestantism.  And here near the end of times, it may move again from organized denominations to individual believers in Jesus, who are taken out of where they reside today, to follow an end-times calling.  Our organized structures seem to resemble walking a path that does not end well.  They could change.  But it would take change.  And no matter what the church leadership thought, the invitation went out, either with their help, or without it.

The story continues in verse 10 saying … “So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.”  Several things to take note of here.  The invitation is universal.  The attendees were a mix of “good” and “bad”.  Some people destined for the crazy big wedding with God are not perfected yet; they are still on the journey.  And what does every bride need most of all?  A wedding gown.  Usually white.  Usually provided to her by someone else (most often her father).  And what does Jesus offer each of those who choose to become part of His Kingdom, and trust Him to save them … a white robe of righteousness.  That white robe is a gift.  You cannot make it.  You cannot buy it.  You have to humble yourself and realize you need it, to take it when it is offered.  If you keep trying to make one yourself, you are destined for failure.  You don’t beat sin, because you want to, or you choose to, or you kept fighting it.  You don’t beat sin.  Jesus does.  Jesus recreates inside of you, something else to want, something else to do, another way to think, another way to love.  He gives you your white robe of perfection, you don’t do anything, but take it (and maybe say thank you).

The story continues in verse 11 saying … “And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: [verse 12] And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.”  So if you are the only one in a room full of people wearing white robes as bright as the sun; and you are not, you will stick out like a sore thumb.  But there is always one person in church, who is sure, that going to church will save them.  Or another who believes if you pray 4 hours a day, that should do it.  Or another who believes if you memorize the entire Bible, you get a pass to get in.  But they are wrong.  There is no list of things you can do, that will earn you a white robe.  It remains a simple gift, for those humble enough to realize they cannot do it themselves.  Jesus makes you into who He wanted you to be, instead of the mess you made or make.  It is that re-creation, that restores you into harmony with the law.  Without it, going through motions, and abiding by the letter of what is written, is just not enough.  For it never touches your heart.

When confronted with the simple question, why didn’t you take the free white robe?  The man is speechless.  There is no answer to that very basic question.  It is the mystery of iniquity, why would we choose it, over God.  The story concludes in verse 13 saying … “Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [verse 14] For many are called, but few are chosen.”  The man with the beige wedding gown finds himself thrown out, away from the presence of Jesus, into the utter darkness that exists when you choose not to keep your eyes upon Jesus.  Weeping and gnashing of teeth is to be expected.  When romance ends from rejection you decided, and then you realize what a mistake you have made, it is often too late to do anything but nurse your self-broken heart.  In love there is light.  Without love, or bathed only in self-love, there is only darkness and failure.

But so as not to bury the lead, consider the 14^th verse … “for many are called; but few are chosen.”  This is not a disclaimer about the love of God being limited.  Keep in mind, His invitation went out first to His church, the people who claimed to know Him, and were supposed to be waiting for Him to come and set them free.  But in this story, they rejected Him.  A pattern we see across time.  The invitation then went out to the entire world (no shortage of love there); and both bad and good were invited to the wedding event.  It was understood that some were not at the end of their journey to perfection, they were still on it.  But again, the invitation was universal.  Many were called.  You could say all of us were called.  The question is what we do with our own unique invitation.  For our invitation comes amidst the romance our God continues to want to have with each of us.  He longs for our hearts, and just a little of our time and attention.  He puts aside one day every week for a special romance time, where we could come, hang out with our Dad, and play.  He is always there with us.

But do we make light of it?  Do we tend to our farms, and our commerce, trusting to our wealth to save us, or at least make our lives better?  Do we look away from Jesus into the utter darkness that exists everywhere Jesus is not?  Do we get so tired of hearing His servants invite us to perfection that we begin to ignore them, beat them, or kill them altogether?  Do we repeat the sins of the church leaders who walked before us, refusing new light, and the love of Jesus that might make white robes of righteousness to surround us, robes we could never make on our own.  All these warning are given so we avoid these mistakes not repeat them.  The goal of this story was to insure we are at the wedding, dressed in the robes He provides, enjoying the feast and the spectacle.

And it feels like this is the piece we are the quickest to forget.  A wedding is AWESOME!!  We are enjoying the culmination of our relationship with Jesus – entry into forever.  No more pain.  No more death.  Not just physical pain, or emotional pain, but every kind of pain you have ever had the misfortune of coming to know.  NONE of it, was supposed to be something you got to know, none of it.  Sin was the ugly cause behind every effect; and sin will be forever removed.  Not just from what you do, but from what you think, what you want, and even how you reason.  That sacrifice is already made.  And you don’t need to do it.  It wasn’t about you.  It was done for you.  Instead of you.  All that is left now for you, is a life without pain.  Loving like Jesus loves, sets you free inside yourself.  It keeps you from causing pain to yourself, and to those you love.  It alters your thinking, even how you read scripture.  And it is free.  The message remains “the time is now”; are you ready to join the wedding?  Could there really be any other choice that seems valid to you over that?

Three stories were told to our church leadership forefathers.  How they responded would unfold next …

 

Fanfare that precedes Disappointment ...

Anticipation will rot your brain.  Anticipating something is rarely ever a reflection of the reality of something.  Perhaps this is because our imaginations are greater than our capabilities.  Think back to your wedding day as an example.  How much time goes into making preparations for that day?  The food, the music, the paper invitations, the clothing, the guests, the reception … this list is as long as your arm.  It often takes more than 2 people to get it done.  There is an entire cottage industry of wedding planning, justifiably so, to deal the immensity of having a single spectacular day.  And the expense that goes with having “the” perfect day is sizeable as well.  You can worry yourself sick about your wedding day, right up until it happens, and then in hindsight remember it only as perfect.  Or perhaps ever watch a child anticipate going to Disney World?  It is nearly the same thing reduced into an age-appropriate comparison.  The anticipation of Disney World, or Christmas, can make your kid nearly nuts.  Rare that anything can ever live up to the hype we can assign to it while in anticipation mode.  And vacations; don’t even get me started.

So you would think that kind of thing doesn’t happen in scripture right?  At least not in the time of Christ.  But, … wait for it 😊, … it does happen.  And like most things, the reason why the anticipation does not match the reality, is because what we “believe” about what will or should happen, is mistaken.  Sometimes horribly mistaken.  Other gospel authors address the “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem from a number of different perspectives.  The central theme in all of them, is great excitement about Jesus coming “home” to the capital city of the nation.  There is just a huge feeling in the air itself, that Jesus is finally going home to become King of Israel, and begin the work of pushing the Romans out of Dodge.  Honestly this idea terrified the Pharisees and Sadducees.  If Jesus did this, they lose all leverage in opposing Him.  Jesus would be King of the land, and He had already shown Himself to be king of the church, or the faith.  Arguing with Jesus about anything after that would be pointless, and likely wind you up on the point of an Israelite spear, or under a ton of nearby Israelite stones.  This lack of pushing out the Romans, was “the” only thing the Sanhedrin had to cling to, to verify that Jesus was a false Messiah.  Ironic, how a leadership united by hatred of Rome, still preferred Rome to The Truth.  Are our modern denominations too far from this today?  Are we?

But enough Debbie-downer, this story is about anticipation, and it is going to begin with a bang!  Matthew writes his gospel to his Hebrew contemporaries.  In doing so, Matthew wants to correlate the Old and New Testaments where Jesus is concerned.  Matthew wants to show the fulfillment of prophecy of Isaiah and OT prophets through what Jesus actually did.  And frankly what no other human before or since has ever even come close to.  In addition to the mistaken point of view of what the mission of the Messiah was, there were also a number of other prophecies that were fulfilled exactly as specified.  One need not throw out the Word, because something they believed in, was in error.  No, a great many other things happen exactly as outlined.  And the things we were wrong about, with perhaps a second look, and through the lens of Jesus, can find a better interpretation of, than first imagined.  Matthew is attempting to encourage his contemporaries, not to discard the Old Testament, or discard Christ, but to find the true harmony in both.

He picks up in chapter twenty-one in verse 1 saying … “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, [verse 2] Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. [verse 3] And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.”  Here Jesus begins with direction, with purpose, and with prophecy.  The great multitude is still in tow.  And the direction leads towards Jerusalem.  Nearly everybody is just seething with anticipation.  They all know where this trip will end, and they are all eager to get there.  But Jesus takes a pause.  Near one of His favorite places of prayer (the mount of Olives), Jesus pauses and asks His 2 disciples (in order that there may be 2 witnesses to what will occur), to go and fetch a colt in a particular place.  If they are questioned about it, by the owner, they are to say a particular thing.  And all will be well.  This is straight up prophecy.  And as you might imagine, it happens exactly as He has just specified, including the challenge, and response by the owner.

Matthew continues in verse 4 saying … “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, [verse 5] Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”  Keep in mind Jesus did not own an ass, or a colt.  He owned nothing.  And He did not purchase one for this occasion.  For those that would argue (as the Pharisees were quick to point out), that Jesus was “making” the prophecy of Isaiah come true – they have a point.  But to extend that argument, you would have to say that Jesus also “made” an owner of an ass, who happened to have a colt recently; appear at a particular place and time, and then respond in a particular way to these events.  It would have been easier to simply buy the needed animals in advance.  But this is not what took place.  And anticipation continued to rise.  The people were not completely ignorant of the prophecies of Isaiah and the other prophets, and they began to sense their fulfillment.

Matthew continues in verse 6 saying …” And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, [verse 7] And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. [verse 8] And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. [verse 9] And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”  At this point, the crowd begins to take action as well.  Common people begin to lay down palm frawns, and spread out their over coats, and tunics, across the dirt road.  In effect the worlds’ first protracted red carpet.  The idea was to make the road smooth, and give it a royal feel.  They did this without the slightest hesitation, and with no prompting, and with no concern with whether or not the donkey, or colt, might leave behind a few “treasures” on their particular coat which might require extensive cleaning afterwards.  No one cared about that.  Everyone just wanted in on making this road look more elegant for the King of Kings to travel upon.

Then came the music.  You cannot have a processional without awesome music, well you cannot have a “good” processional without awesome music.  And so began spontaneous praise singing from the entire crowd.  Old men, women, little children, of one accord singing in one voice, in multiple part harmony saying HOSANNA.  “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord”.  HOSANNA in the Highest.  HOSANNA to the Son of David.  The entire crowd recognizes the lineage of Joseph, and Mary, and Jesus as direct descendants of the house of David himself.  They then sing praises to the Father God in the highest.  And then sing praises to Jesus their soon to be crowned King.  And with these anthems began to shake the entire Roman empire.  But beyond that, with these anthems began to shake the entire Satanic empire, and evil itself.  These musical anthems foretell the end of evil, the end of death itself.  They foretell a time beyond all of this when life is restored to what it should have been all along.  No one coerced the praise and worship, it was natural, spontaneous, and could not be contained.

Matthew omits the naysayers who attempted to stop it along the way.  The Pharisees who came and demanded that Isaiah’s prophecy dare not be fulfilled in this way.  But Jesus instructed these Pharisees, that if the people were made to be silent, the very stones would cry out in praise.  The appointed time was at hand.  The appointed activity was in full swing.  And no matter what Satan wanted, this was happening, which made all of demon empire tremble even more at the echoes of the refrains blasting above them.  I am sure the courts of heaven echoed these anthem refrains with a more elegant, and boisterous noise than what was taking place on earth.  The angels sing their praises for the same reasons we do.  Because they want to.  Because they love it.  And because they mean every word of it.  This day, the music, the self-sacrifice, and the naked anticipation of what was coming was at its zenith.  It would never get any higher than it was now.  The worship service was in full swing.

But something goes sideways.  Matthew continues in verse 10 saying … “And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? [verse 11] And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”  His entry into Jerusalem moves the entire population to take notice.  Excitement bursts from everyone.  And then … we get it wrong.  Like all good modern worship services it only takes one false idea to burst an emotional bubble and leave you with nothing more than a memory of something you no longer understand.  The people ask who this is?  Instead of saying this is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.  They answer, this is Jesus, the prophet, of Nazareth, of Galilee.  Not God on earth.  Not part of three in One.  Not the savior of our sins, but instead, just Jesus.  A normal guy like you and me, who happens to have some supernatural abilities.  Let’s force Him to be our King over the Romans.  Good idea.  But wait, where is He?  Where did He go?

The good-guy-prophet, just vanished in front of them.  The crowd once again was unable to force Jesus to become the earthly King they wanted Him to be.  The crowd was unable to force a false interpretation of the prophets no matter how much they wanted it.  No matter how high their emotions were.  No matter how strongly they held their belief, it was wrong, and it was not to come to pass, and they could not make it happen.  Huge disappointment.  And just like that, the entire thing fell apart.  And we think this is merely history?  How many of us crave the emotional high that comes from inspiring music, massive production value, lights, instrumentation, talent, comfort.  Our churches are designed for the ease of attending a show once a week, that lasts a few hours.  It is like going to a movie, only with live players in 3D in front of us.  And we get to join the festivities.  In offering calls, in study, in prayer, in song.  Our worship of God, that begins to swell in us an emotional high of this event.  Follow this with a sermon, that too might be inspiring, elevating, thought provoking.  And how could it get any better?  But just wait, next week is coming and we can do it all over again.  A new Sabbath to anticipate coming once again.

But there in is the rub.  Church is not something you attend.  Church is not something you participate in.  Church is a not a place where you go.  The church of Christ, is something that becomes – who you are.  The Kingdom of Heaven is something that “lives” inside of your heart and mind.  How you love.  Who you love.  Why you love.  Questions that have different answers when you are truly transformed by your surrender to Jesus who can re-create you into what He intended you to be.  “That” is church.  Things I hear.  Things I do.  That do not change me, that do not reach the part of me that would cast aside the old, and embrace the new – are nothing more than entertainment.  I could be watching Pureflix, and get as much out of it. 

When I place the concept of His church as something outside of myself, I am left empty.  When I look at the poor, and the needy, and the ones in open sin; and believe the “church”, that is the organization of the church, should do something about that.  I am left empty.  When I make excuse, by making donation, instead of making surrender – I am left empty.  Something has gone sideways in modern Christianity.  We have trained ourselves to treat church as something we are barely a part of.  We refer to church like we refer to any corporate entity.  It could just as easily be called Exxon.  Sure we identify with the church corporate body, but we miss the entirety of the personal power of change – because we refuse to accept the method from where change springs.  We make Jesus, that good-guy God who died for our sins and will one day take us to heaven.  But we refuse to acknowledge Him as our personal Creator, capable of remaking us, if we would only but personally allow Him to do so.  No corporate body can make that happen, but it sure can distract from it. 

Corporate church tells you not to worry about your sins, because there is always forgiveness for them.  In so doing they make grace cheap, of little worth.  Or they take the other extreme where they tell you to do nothing but focus on your sins, and make a “choice” to simply stop sinning, leaving the power of perfection in your hands, and tacitly telling you, it is your fault you continue to sin – and you will never make it to heaven until you stop doing it.  But I say, your sin is an addiction to self-love, that is more powerful than any cocaine habit ever dreamed of being.  You do not control it.  You were not meant to.  You were also not meant to keep living in the pain your sin causes, both you and everyone else.  You were meant to give it to Jesus, and let Him take them from you.  Not just forgive, but reform.  To truly change how you live, because you surrender any notions of control over to Jesus, giving Him full control of how you think, of what you want, of who you love, and of how you love.  That kind of full surrender changes you, and YOU become church.  Not a church of self-worship.  But a church fully surrendered to Christ, who then becomes in harmony with His laws, because His laws of love are etched into your heart.

All that anticipation wasted, because the doctrines of man, cause you to look at Jesus for what He could do for you in this world.  Instead of looking at our God for what He could work within you, and transform you to be.  Trusting in Jesus to save you.  To do what He promised.  If you will but get out of the way.  Only after you do this, will doctrine begin to make sense to you.  Only after you do this, can obedience become something not just possible within you, but natural within you.  That is change.  That is church.  Not something outside, but something deeply personal.  No one else has a say about that.  But once it infects you, you will hardly be able to stop talking about it.  You will not understand how it happens, but you will see with your own eyes, what it does to you.  And how you begin to truly love others, and love yourself less.  This is His love you were meant to reflect.  This is living where anticipation meets reality, instead of being a shallow shadow of what was possible.  Let us not be a repeat of the history of these events, but rather let them guide us to a surrender to God we trust completely to make us His church, how He wants it to be.  His reality will always outshine our anticipation.

 

Two Weddings ...

John the Baptist would proclaim Him; disciples began to follow Him; and now to make time for family.  In the beginning of the gospel of John, chapter two, verse one, it says … “And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee.”  Interesting that at the creation event of mankind, one of the first institutions God created was that of marriage and the Sabbath.  Here at the opening of the ministry of Christ, one of the first things he attends is a marriage.  There is no way to know for sure if He knew the bride or groom, but He was invited to the feast, both He and His disciples, so it seems possible.  This was after all the area where His family appeared to be living.  For verse one continues … “and the mother of Jesus was there:”.  Family is an institution the “Son” of God understands well; for we are created in the image of God.  All throughout scripture, Jesus is referred to as God’s “Son”.    This familial relationship is something we understand.  It is something illustrated in the story of Abraham being willing to sacrifice He and Sarah’s only son Isaac, a foretaste of the sacrifice God the Father must make of His only Son to redeem mankind.

Notice too, at the creation of mankind Christ was present, for as John has already said it was He who “created all things”.  Therefore it was Christ who made both Adam and then Eve.  He was there at the first wedding.  He created the family unit throughout all of creation both male and female.  It was the union of male and female that resulted in the perfection of intimacy of His designs.  Neither Adam, nor Eve, were complete on their own.  In fact, some of the first marital advice ever offered in scripture was by our God to our first parents in that they should “stay together”.  As a family unit only would they be able to resist the much older devil who desired their destruction.  It was that Eve found herself alone, where all of the troubles began.  Had Adam been at her side, the temptation might well have been resisted by the power of their combined love.  But the separation and isolation made her more vulnerable, and they fell.  Here in the earliest days of His ministry, Christ again attends a wedding.  This act offers more than a miracle of water turning to wine, it offers another affirmation, that marriage and more importantly the intimacy that results from marriage by the surrender of two individuals into one family unit, is still something valued by God.  A marriage is still something God is interested in.  And like in the perfection of the Garden of Eden, it is only through the surrender of marriage that we find our ability to pour out our love on someone else and share an intimacy that God alone ordained.  An intimacy He was supposed to be the center of.

A marriage, no matter what the traditions that surround it, is a joyful occasion.  At this time in earth’s history, it was a common event to have wine at a wedding.  The word “wine” however, carries more than one meaning.  Christ referred to his own blood as being represented by wine.  And due to our own carnal natures, it is sometimes common to assume the wine referred to here was alcoholic wine.  However despite the fact that this story never actually says Christ drank the wine He created (that would be assumed but not specified), nor even that His disciples drank this wine (again assumed but not specified).  It is clear that others drank it.  So does that make Christ a divine wedding bartender?  Logic would dictate that if the governor of the feast, was also participating in the feast, his taste buds would have already been dulled by alcoholic wine served early at the wedding.  He might not have had the sense, or remaining sharp taste buds to determine if the new wine was actually so much superior to the old.  It is also logical that if Christ wanted only what is best for mankind, for us to hear and understand His truth clearly, He would likely not have offered a drink designed to dull our ears and our perceptions.  Much more likely, logic alone would dictate this wine would have been of the grape juice variety.

Author Samuele Bacchiocchi, conducted an extensive study on the original biblical manuscripts that were translated into our modern bibles of today.  In his book entitled “Wine in the Bible” he provides a detailed account of how the original language used words for wine that clearly delineated it was referring to the non-alcoholic grape juice variety beverage, as opposed to the clearly alcoholic version of wine.  These terms were mistranslated intentionally over the years to promote the idea that alcoholic versions of wine might have been produced or consumed by Christ, when in fact this did not occur.  So the idea that whether Christ and His disciples were consuming alcohol at a wedding, or simply serving it, does not make logical sense, nor does it actually concur with the original language used to translate our scriptures.

But not having alcohol is hardly the point where it comes to making a marriage a joyous occasion.  Genesis tells no stories of wine consumption being the thing that gives a marriage a reason to celebrate, or the cause for joy.  It is the love and union of two hearts that brings the joy to a wedding.  Having an outstanding grape juice there to drink, along with celebratory foods that comprise a feast, only adds to the joy of two families now blended in marriage.  And in this marriage in particular, having the blessing of the God of the universe, who despite His mother rushing Him a bit, still took time to resolve a very human dilemma, was the real win at this feast.  Notice the difference between serving self as opposed to  serving others.  Christ does not take the initiative to make wine because He is thirsty.  He only does this, to build the faith of His disciples, and to bless those in attendance at the feast.  Jesus was not a walking wine maker for those who were constantly thirsty.  Much later you will recall the story of the woman drawing water at the well, a Samaritan woman who Christ asks for a drink.  There would be no need of this, if He simply went around creating grape juice whenever He was thirsty.  Instead He remained thirsty.  In this instance, the needs of others, resulted in Him meeting those needs (again never even mentioning if He also participated in enjoying what He had created).

Marriage is an intimate thing.  In verse 12 of chapter 2 John continues … “After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.”  Marriage brings the blessing of children.  Love expressed generally does not stay dormant, or have no effect, it produces a result.  Joseph married Mary, despite her virgin conception, and kept her virginity intact until after the birth of Christ.  He did this to honor the direction given Him, as well as to see the scripture fulfilled.  But after the birth of Christ, the institution of marriage does not call for continued celibacy.  Joseph and Mary loved each other, their love knew the normal union, and in that expression, brothers and a sister of Christ were brought into this world.  Notice how scripture distinguishes between his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples.  If his brethren and his disciples were the same thing, there would only be need to state it once.  Instead John draws the distinction.  Christ had siblings.  They shared a mother, and for Christ an adopted father here on earth, and it appears his siblings knew who He was, and some followed Him as disciples (such as Jude and James mentioned earlier). 

Verse thirteen reveals the reason for their travels as Passover was near, and Jesus went up to the Temple at Jerusalem.  This would be the second symbolic wedding He went to attend, the one between God and man, the one more sacred to us all, in that each of us is not only bound to our marital partner, we are also bound to our God in the intimacy of our divine relationship.  It is God who knows each of us more than we know ourselves.  It is God who, like with Nathaniel, hears the deepest longings of our hearts, and who desires to be with us so much He would lay down His own life to achieve that end.  It is God who so loved us first, while we were yet His enemy, that He would do everything to redeem and free us from the slavery of sin and self and pain.  This is the God, the Bridegroom, who goes to the place of His worship, who goes expecting to receive us, and expecting to reciprocate our desire to see Him.  But alas this kind of intimacy is not what He finds.  This kind of pure worship cannot even take place in His house, as by then every tradition has been corrupted.

The Temple at the arrival of Christ is filled with commerce.  Religious profiteering has replaced real worship.  The place where one should go, during the most important time of the year to do so, is now so full of livestock, and salesmen, selling religious supplies and making money, that real worship is literally impossible.  How poignant, that the nation given so much instruction, with so rich a religious system steeped in symbolism to point forward to the Messiah, is now wholly unprepared to receive the object of their longing.  No one there sees Him enter as Messiah.  How could they, the sound of livestock, and profiteering salesmen fill the place.  So Christ fashions “a scourge of small cords”.  Notice this is not a 12 foot bull whip, nor does it carry the shards of glass in the tips of the whip that would soon be used to tear the flesh from His own body.  It is just enough to move the livestock.  And He began driving the livestock out of the Temple.  When divinity flashed through the eyes of humanity, those who were selling religious tokens immediately saw themselves in the eyes of Christ.  Like at no other time in their lives, were their evil deeds and intentions brought forward to them.  Evil cannot stand in the presence of God, it craves darkness, not light.  Light reveals evil for what it is.  And in the presence of light, evil must flee.  And so they did, running for reasons they could not fully explain.  Leaving behind the very money they worked so hard to swindle from innocent religious victims.  They ran before they themselves realized it. 

The force of the scourge was not the reason why those doing evil flee from the brilliance of the light.  It is not the fear of punishment or pain that causes the evil ones to run or to change.  In a straight up fight, they outnumber Christ, and could easily defeat Him.  Unscrupulous men, tend to know how to fight, how to struggle for what they want, and they do not surrender easily.  But this encounter was different.  When faced with pure love, evil is revealed, and it cannot remain in place.  They run.  It may even be possible they do not see the whip, it is the purity in the eyes of Christ, that makes them tremble all the way into their bones.  This is not a man who moves their cattle, this is the Owner of the Temple they have corrupted.  For those who wish no intimacy with God, for those who want what they want and have no desire to ever see themselves rid of sin and pain and evil, there is but one choice when confronted with purity … run. 

Then Christ proceeds to show the world what He thinks about the value of money, particularly where it comes to money as it inhibits true worship, he overturns the tables and casts the money on the floor of the Temple.  He does not count the coins.  He does not gather the funds for the poor.  He does not return it to those who have been swindled.  The condition of the money is put in the priority of its value according to Christ – on the ground where it is literally meaningless. 

The words “I desire obedience more than sacrifices” have never gone out of style with Christ.  The blood of rams was not the goal of the sacrificial system of worship, the reformation of the heart was the goal.  Buying a dove, or a ram, or another animal to offer was supposed to rend the heart of the sinner, and instill in them a desire to never have to repeat this process again.  It was supposed to send the broken hearted sinner into the loving arms of Christ who alone could change in them what they wanted, and how they lived.  But instead, it became a game of spending money to have sins wiped off the board, for this year, knowing full well, we will need to do it again next year, because we have every intention of repeating how we live every single day between now and then.  No intimacy with God.  No broken hearts over the innocent blood that would be shed.  No desire to be any different; only to fulfill the law, and be made pure through the acts of symbolism.

And today, what has changed?  We go through the traditions of our worship services.  We sing repetitive worship songs with mind-numbing tunes, and simplistic lyrics that repeat ad-nauseum until all meaning has been lost.  We give offerings and consider our debts to God paid in full.  We listen to sermons and consider ourselves filled.  We buy bumper stickers, and necklaces with religious icons, large print bibles to carry to church, and hope these symbols alone will do our witness of the gospel for us.  We ask forgiveness of our sins, but not for reform from them.  Our hearts are steeped in pretense, not in desire to actually change.  If our system of worship had not changed from the ancient days of Israel, we would be no different than those who went to the Temple on the day in which Christ cleansed it.  Our love does not define our reputation, rather our judgment of evil does.  We are obsessed with the condemnation of others, and wholly complacent with the redemption of our own souls.  Like those who felt no broken heart at the killing of the innocent sheep, we feel no broken heart every time we repeat our sins, having lost all perspective at the cost of our actions in the very blood of the Lord we claim to love.  As in the days of old the words …”I desire obedience rather than sacrifices” still applies with poignant fervor to us.  Obedience that could only come from the surrender of the will to Christ; this is what He desires way more than our money, or our meager attempts at worship and praise.  To drop the pretense, and experience the intimacy with God, this is the desire of our Lord.  This is what He came to experience in that Temple, and what He cleaned it out to make room for.  I wonder if confronted with the purity of love in the eyes of Christ, if we too would have run away before we even realized why we fled.

The priests however, were going to lose quite a bit of money on this deal.  So having gathered their senses they return to challenge Christ as to His authority to do these things.  After all He had said in verse 16 … “Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise”.  He referred to the Temple as being “my” Father’s house, again denoting the relationship of Son to Father.  The priests were still reeling from the flash of divinity in the eyes of Christ, they knew who He was, but they did not want to accept what He was saying.  What is more, there were people still here, people who did actually come to worship.  If they allowed this young upstart to reveal His truth unchallenged they might lose all sway over the religious rubes, and see profits come crashing down.  How alike in some of our churches today, where maintaining the hierarchy and organization of the church becomes more important than the dissemination of the truth, or the ministry of love and redemption to the world.  So the priests, despite recent events, ask for another sign from Christ.  He responds in verse 19 … “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Here again, Christ is attempting to turn the conversation from the errors the Jews clung to, to the real reason of His mission.  Jesus had come to redeem mankind, and He would be the Lamb of God who must be slain.  Where could a more relevant message be delivered than at the very spot where lambs were killed every year?  Instead of condemning the priests for the complete lack of understanding of the meaning of His mission, He guides them to think about something in a way they have never considered, while providing His disciples with His words in their memories when times would be dark after His crucifixion.  He would arise in three days.  Most of the priests did not comprehend the spiritual truth He was saying.  Like us, we view scripture through the lens of our own ideas and greed, and therefore interpret it according to what makes us happy.  So the priests failing to recognize the symbolism He was drawing attention to, interpreted His remarks as literal and being about the physical building He was standing in.  Thus they thought they had Him, but given that recent flash of divinity, they were not entirely sure, even if He was talking about the building, it might still be true.

Verses 23 to 25 of John chapter two, conclude with a worst case scenario for the priests of His day.  Following this exchange Christ does “miracles” and “many believed”.  Christ then restores the intimacy that weddings are supposed to bring.  He restores the intimate relationship with God and mankind, by meeting the individual needs of those who came to worship.  Notice that the slaying of lambs, and traditional Temple services do not appear in these words.  It was Passover after all.  If the traditions and symbols were more important than the God who stood behind them, we might well have found Christ conforming to the daily traditions and customs of the Temple worship establishment.  Instead He is there meeting the needs of individual people who came to worship, both physical and spiritual needs.  Many believed by the work He performed.  Christ made no attempt at becoming high priest of Israel.  He did not try to take over the religious power structure and lead it.  He made no attempt at being international president of the church to which He belonged.  Instead He tried in every waking moment to return the religion back to its fundamentals of surrender to God, and the intimacy that results when two are blended as one, both God and man.  When we allow Christ inside of us, when we surrender our will to His, we become something different than what we are today.  We become a new person, a creation re-created by God, reborn, as someone else was about to learn …