X-Ray Eyes

There's a curious statement in the book of John.  I shared it with a group of people this week, I don't know if it made sense to them but it shocked me enough to feel real squemish...down to my Jesus-believing toenails.  It was after this Man, Jesus, had overturned the money changing tables, whip in hand and drove out the hundreds of animals, sellers and "loan sharks".  He cried out in a crazy voice, "Stop turning my Father's house into a shopping mall!!" (paraphrased of course!)  These entreprenuers had set up shop in the part of the temple that was supposed to be the place where the non-Jews got to pray, meditate and seek the One Living God.  Instead of a orderly,clean, quiet place, a Gentile coming into the square would step on cow poop, get jostled by money changers screaming in their ear and probably see a few dirty looks from the religious crowd.  If it were me, I'd turn right around and find the nearest gate out of there!  But what Christ yelled out wasn't the thing that gets me, it is the last lines of the story....it says that many entrusted their lives to him after that but he didn't trust them..."he knew them inside and out, knew how untrustworthy they were.  He didn't need any help in seeing right through them."   Remember when the disciples left him in a panic when  they arrested him in the garden?  They hid in shame, as he was nailed on the cross.  He knew them, does he know me?  Yep, sees right through me, sees the shopping mall I've made of His Temple...we're talking, get ready for the shake down.   Hey!  I think, I don't do drugs, I make my kids good meals, I pray for the poor,....I'm told I'm a trusted servant of Christ.  Trusted?  Ha!  Jesus wouldn't trust me, he doesn't!!  What this is saying is the only one he can trust is his Father and He tried to knock this into our heads that we need to do this too.

I am becoming increasing frustrated with a society, a Christianity that is totally me-centered and that creates a shopping mall out of every free space (internally and externally).  A new Tim Hortons there, a new restaurant here, a craving for chocolate, get another Bible...it's a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" Bible, I must have that!!  Over half the world is living in war, or poverty, or oppression, or sickness and we seriously think we can spend that extra dollar on a doughnut and it doesn't matter.  I continually forget that the Father made this world, there is enough for everyone but our greed, like those in the Temple that day, has made a shopping mall out of something that was supposed to point people to God.  Would you put your trust in such fickle, wayward humanity?  I wouldn't.  Neither does He, and paradoxically, that is our salvation.  Looking to , embracing, clinging to the One Who Doesn't Trust Us.