Thou Shalt Crack the Whip
The blog concludes The Buzz Commandments.
Here is Buzz Commandment X:
Thou Shalt Crack the Whip [1]
What comes to mind when you think of Jesus? I think for some people it's the picture of a lamb draped around his shoulders. Others have flannel graph flashbacks from Sunday School.
I have to admit, the picture in John 2:15 didn't always fit my caricature of Jesus. There is fire in his eyes. There is an intensity in his face. I like to refer to this episode as the temple tantrum. Jesus turns over tables and drives out the money changers. But here is what I love most about this passage. "Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the temple."
Jump back Indiana Jones!
Jesus is the lamb of God. But He is also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And the lion roars in John 2.
Maybe our images of Christ are too tame? Maybe our caricatures are too civilized? It makes me think of the line in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. "Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn't safe. But He's good."
I love what Dorothy Sayers said: "To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies."
I'm not sure exactly how to communicate this, so let me say it this way: I think Jesus was competitive. I don't know if he played pee-wee football or t-ball, but I think he was the quintessential competitor.
I see that competitive streak in this story. He is competing for the Temple. The moneychangers have degraded the sacredness of the Temple. Jesus makes a whip so he can condense the nonsense.
I think everything boils down to sanctification and stewardship. But our perspective of those things is far too parochial. For example, I think God wants to sanctify our competitive streaks. He doesn't want to crucify them. He wants to intensify them and redirect them. I honestly believe that we'll be accountable to God some day for how hard we competed for the kingdom!
Did we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Here is my translation of strength: blood, sweat, and tears.
Are we willing to pay the price? The last time I checked, the reward in the parable of the talents wasn't an early retirement or extended vacation. The reward for good work was more work!
Creativity takes so much more effort than predictability. It is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Excellence is hard work. Sermons are hard word. Scripting, shooting, and editing videos are hard work.
Are we willing to pay the price?
I was shooting baskets yesterday at the gym and I started thinking. I used to play basketball two hours a day everyday for the better part of ten years of my life. Why? I wanted to be the best basketball player I could be! Part of what drove me was that competitive streak.
So I felt a little convicted yesterday. I had this thought: am I competing for the kingdom with the same level of intensity as when I played basketball competitively? On my good days the answer is yes! But many days it's no!
I love Matthew 11:12. Something about it riles me up inside! "From the time of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."
This is not for the faint of heart. But God has not given us a spirit of timidity!
It takes tremendous courage. It takes initiative. It takes determination. It takes tenacity. Maybe those are the adjectives that ought to describe Christ Followers.
Lord, forgive us for competing with each other. Help us to realize that we play different roles on the same team! Help us compete for your kingdom like souls are at stake. Because they are! Help us forcefully advance your kingdom.
[1] John 2:13-17
Here is Buzz Commandment X:
Thou Shalt Crack the Whip [1]
What comes to mind when you think of Jesus? I think for some people it's the picture of a lamb draped around his shoulders. Others have flannel graph flashbacks from Sunday School.
I have to admit, the picture in John 2:15 didn't always fit my caricature of Jesus. There is fire in his eyes. There is an intensity in his face. I like to refer to this episode as the temple tantrum. Jesus turns over tables and drives out the money changers. But here is what I love most about this passage. "Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the temple."
Jump back Indiana Jones!
Jesus is the lamb of God. But He is also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. And the lion roars in John 2.
Maybe our images of Christ are too tame? Maybe our caricatures are too civilized? It makes me think of the line in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. "Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn't safe. But He's good."
I love what Dorothy Sayers said: "To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies."
I'm not sure exactly how to communicate this, so let me say it this way: I think Jesus was competitive. I don't know if he played pee-wee football or t-ball, but I think he was the quintessential competitor.
I see that competitive streak in this story. He is competing for the Temple. The moneychangers have degraded the sacredness of the Temple. Jesus makes a whip so he can condense the nonsense.
I think everything boils down to sanctification and stewardship. But our perspective of those things is far too parochial. For example, I think God wants to sanctify our competitive streaks. He doesn't want to crucify them. He wants to intensify them and redirect them. I honestly believe that we'll be accountable to God some day for how hard we competed for the kingdom!
Did we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Here is my translation of strength: blood, sweat, and tears.
Are we willing to pay the price? The last time I checked, the reward in the parable of the talents wasn't an early retirement or extended vacation. The reward for good work was more work!
Creativity takes so much more effort than predictability. It is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Excellence is hard work. Sermons are hard word. Scripting, shooting, and editing videos are hard work.
Are we willing to pay the price?
I was shooting baskets yesterday at the gym and I started thinking. I used to play basketball two hours a day everyday for the better part of ten years of my life. Why? I wanted to be the best basketball player I could be! Part of what drove me was that competitive streak.
So I felt a little convicted yesterday. I had this thought: am I competing for the kingdom with the same level of intensity as when I played basketball competitively? On my good days the answer is yes! But many days it's no!
I love Matthew 11:12. Something about it riles me up inside! "From the time of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."
This is not for the faint of heart. But God has not given us a spirit of timidity!
It takes tremendous courage. It takes initiative. It takes determination. It takes tenacity. Maybe those are the adjectives that ought to describe Christ Followers.
Lord, forgive us for competing with each other. Help us to realize that we play different roles on the same team! Help us compete for your kingdom like souls are at stake. Because they are! Help us forcefully advance your kingdom.
[1] John 2:13-17
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