“In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” (John 2:14–16)

The Temple

In our text this morning, Jesus bursts onto the scene of passover and gets all civil disobedient on the crowds.

This is not your typical buddy Jesus here and it makes us a little nervous doesn’t it? Rough and rowdy Jesus is not the Jesus we’re used to.

What is this all about?

This scene has often been referred to as the “temple cleansing” which gives you a lovely picture of Jesus with some warm soapy water and a bristle pad scrubbing off graffiti from the temple’s stone walls.

Except that’s not what’s happening here.

“…He asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.”
(Mark 8:27–30 NRSV)

Are You My Mother?

In the Story “Are You My Mother?” by PD Eastman a little bird is born while it’s mother is out.

The bird meets a kitten, dog, hen, cow, an old car, a steamboat, airplane and a steam-shovel. And the bird asks, or wonders, about each and every one being his mother.

[Show and explain the story. In each instance there’s a testing of relationship.]

On the surface the bird is on a quest to find it’s mother, but at a deeper level the bird is on a quest for identity.

Our identities are very much hooked to that which we desire and mirror ourselves after. It makes a big difference whether the bird finds his mother to nurture his self identity or he takes a dog to be his mom.