Seeing the Whole Picture

Well, we're back in John, in the section about Jesus in the Temple. We've looked at the first part of this already. So, today we're going to take a look at the last part where Jesus interacts with the Jewish leadership. 'Interact' is such a gentle word. Actually, Jesus and the Jewish leadership bang heads here. This is the first of many battles between them. And the question that I want to raise is, 'Why?' Why these conflicts? Why don't they see eye to eye? There are many ways to answer why questions because there are many causes behind any event. What I'm going to do is look at one particular answer to this why question. In answering this I want to encourage you and challenge you. Our text is John 2.13-22.

So, what happened? Jesus enters the Temple, and he pitches a fit. After he tosses people and animals out, the Temple leadership confronts him. 'What sign do you show us for doing these things?' They are, in effect, asking for Jesus' credentials. 'Are you a prophet from God that you do such things? If so, prove your claim!' So, Jesus provides proof. 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' But these Temple leaders miss Jesus' point entirely. They think that Jesus is talking about the building they were standing in. Jesus was talking about his body. From one perspective, we can understand why they interpreted Jesus' words as they did. Every other time that these leaders spoke about the temple the word had meant 'building'. So, Jesus is using a familiar word in an unfamiliar way.

They didn't understand. But should they have understood Jesus? Did Jesus actually expect them to understand what he was saying? Absolutely! Jesus didn't come to be confusing. He wanted people to understand him. He expected these men to understand him. Maybe they needed to stop and think about it a bit, but they should have understood what Jesus was talking about.

They didn't. Why? There is a disconnect here, a big one. And the reason for this disconnect explains a lot. These men don't understand Jesus because they are seeing only part of the picture, though they were sure that they were seeing all that mattered.

Consider their logic. It must have gone something like this. Through Moses, God had told them to construct a place of worship, a place where they were could perform their religious rituals. So, they did. They built the tent in the wilderness we call the Tabernacle. In time they built something more permanent, a building of bricks and mortar. That was the Temple. I'm sure that they were thinking that they were on solid ground. After all, they did all this in obedience to God.

What they missed was the point of the Temple. It wasn't about bricks and mortar. It wasn't even about ritual. The Temple was about the presence of God with his people. The Temple was a place for God and his people to connect. But just as the Tabernacle led to something else, something more permanent, the Temple was also intended to lead to something else, something much more permanent. If those men had thought about the Temple in the context of the rest of the Old Testament, they would have understood this. They would have understood that the Temple was supposed to be replaced by a Person, someone who would be the presence of God with his people, the place where God and his people could connect. The Temple pointed to Jesus. He is the true Temple of God.

Isn't this a key point in the book of Hebrews? That was written to a group of Jewish Christians thinking of going back to the Temple and its ritual. But what does that author say? The Temple was fine for its time, but Jesus has come. He is the new and living way to the Father that the Temple could only point to. And that author uses a lot of OT to prove this.

Jesus is making that same point in our text. He is the real Temple. But those leaders didn't get it. All they understood was bricks and mortar and ritual.

So, here's my answer to our question, 'Why this conflict between Jesus and these men?' They didn't see the whole picture. They saw a part, and they thought it was the whole. They understood that the Temple was for worship, for meeting with God. But they completely missed that God also intended the Temple to point to something else. The Temple was intended to be a pointer to Jesus. That's why they didn't understand what Jesus was talking about. That's why they opposed him.

Now, I want to take that concept about seeing the whole picture and show you how it makes a practical difference. A couple of examples. First, there's what happened to the servant of Elisha, the prophet. One morning he wakes up to find that the town is surrounded by an army of soldiers looking to kill Elisha. So, he runs to his master to report the bad news. And what does Elisha tell him? '"Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.' Angels. Was there anything to fear? No. Seeing the whole picture makes a difference.

Here's another example and this one isn't about seeing invisible angels. Consider what happened to the rich, young ruler. He comes to Jesus with the right question. 'Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' And how does Jesus ultimately answer him? 'You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' And the rich man's response? 'Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.' What was his problem? Why did he respond in that way? Why did he reject Jesus? He only saw part of the picture, part of reality, his many possessions. What he didn't see was what Jesus promised him: the measureless treasure awaiting him in heaven. Seeing only a part of reality, he chose poorly and turned away from Jesus. He is paying for that now.

Seeing all of reality, the whole picture, is of such critical importance. The fear that Elisha's servant felt when he saw those soldiers ready to pounce was completely removed when he could also see the armies of God. The rich, young ruler would have chosen so very differently had he seen the heavenly riches, and he'd be happy now. And those Jewish leaders would have come to enjoy the real point of the Temple. Life is dramatically changed when someone can see all of reality and not just a part of it.

Now, a question. Why is it that only some can see and others not? Listen to something Paul wrote.

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. … The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Being able to see all of reality – to understand – is a gift from the Spirit to every Christian. But the person who is not a Christian, Paul calls him 'the natural person', does not understand. He cannot understand because he doesn't have the Spirit. So, he is limited to only part of reality. He sees only part of the picture. As a result, makes some very poor choices. But you are able see the whole picture. You have the Spirit.

So, there is a distinction between those who have the Spirit and those who don't. Those without the Spirit are not able to see the whole picture. But you can. So, there is a distinction between the Church and world. You are able to see what they cannot.

But, sad to say, there is also a distinction within the Church. To explain this, I'm going to use something from last week. The Christian can know that he has a Father who loves him deeply. The Christian is able to see this part of reality. And that makes an incredible difference in how he is able to live each day. However, not every Christian sees this as clearly as he might. Some, sad to say, barely see it at all. They live their days much like Elisha's servant before he was able to see the angels. Some Christians see reality more clearly than others. And that explains a lot. But it doesn't have to stay this way. Just as that servant was enabled to see more of the picture, every Christian can also.

You can see this in something else that Paul wrote. Here, he describes his prayers for some Christians he was writing to.

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.

Do you see what Paul was praying about? He wanted the eyes of their hearts enlightened. That is, he wanted these Christians to see more of reality. There were some things that they were not seeing as clearly as they might: the hope of the Gospel, the riches that awaited them, the awesome power of God. I think that you will agree that seeing these sorts of things with greater and greater clarity changes how you live. Paul wanted that change for these Christians. He wanted them to enjoy more of the blessings of the Gospel so he prayed for that.

And that gets us back to our text. Did you notice what happened to the disciples? John tells us, 'When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.' At the time when Jesus spoke to the Temple leaders, his disciples did not see reality very clearly. They did not understand Jesus. And, if truth be told, that describes much of their time with Jesus. But when we get to the end of their three years with Jesus, they could see reality much more clearly. And the book of Acts shows some of the fruit of this. They were changed. We are like the disciples. There is much that we miss, but we can be changed.

Consider our situation. We have been taught by words and actions that the part of reality that we need to focus on is the part that we can see and touch and weigh. This, according to the wisdom of our day, is what is real. That is what matters. 'Being realistic' means focusing on these sorts of things. And we've also been told, in effect, that if we want to dabble in religion, that's fine. But, as they tell us, in the business world we are to deal with what is real. 'When you come to work, you leave your religion at the door.' That is, we are to leave Jesus at the door. We are to leave a major part of reality at the door. 'They' have told us how this world works and how we are to fit in. 'They' have told us that we are to live based on only part of the picture, only part of reality. And that, of course, has consequences.

We are all in danger here. We all feel the pressure to conform. But we are not trapped. We can be changed. We have the Scriptures, and we have the Spirit. And as the Spirit uses the Scriptures, we will see more and more of reality and make better and better choices.

But this being changed is not automatic. There are things that you will need to do. The Spirit uses means. Let me summarize some of them with four words: read, think, pray, talk.

Read. Read your Bible. The Spirit uses the Word. His ability to show you more of reality is tied to how much of the Scriptures you know and understand. Your goal should be to become very familiar with your Bible. With that goal in mind, you should also be reading quality Christian books that explain and apply the Scriptures to different questions, different aspects of the whole picture. One example of a quality Christian book is what we are reading in the adult class, A Praying Life. Growing Christians are reading Christians. Read your Bible and read about your Bible.

Think. I was reading Psalm 1 the other day, and it struck me that according to that Psalm the basic difference between the righteous and the wicked is that the righteous person meditates on the Word. He thinks. So, as you read your Bible and as you read what others have to say about the Bible, think about how it applies to you in your situation. The goal is not to try to become one of the smart people. The goal is a life being changed by the Spirit, a life that is seeing and enjoying more of the Gospel, more of reality. As you think, the Spirit will guide.

Pray. You cannot change yourself, regardless how hard you might try. Change is something the Spirit does. And he does that in response to your prayers. That is what is behind Paul's prayer that I read to you earlier. Prayer is a habit for me for one basic reason. I am convinced that my life will not work unless God acts. So, I spend time talking to him about my life and how to get it to work. A sense of desperation can be a very helpful trait. I commend it to you.

Talk. Tell others in your family, in the church, what you have been reading and thinking about. Mention whatever it is that you are seeing a bit more clearly. You need to talk about the change that is happening. Why should you do this? One reason is love. You speak of these things for the benefit of the others around you. Your talking to them can help them to see more clearly. You also talk about these things because you know that you need others to help you to see more clearly. We do not grow on our own. Growth is a group project. Too often I have found that husbands and wives do not talk about these things very much. Make sure that that is not true of you.

Read. Think. Pray. Talk. Doing these things will cost you. It will take time and energy. It will take discipline. It may require some hard decisions about where you will invest yourself. But consider the prime motive for working on this: the honor of Jesus. Far too many Christians today live just like their neighbors, and they do that because they base their lives on the same part of reality that unbelievers do. How is Jesus honored if we look just like them?

I know that some of you are working on these things. I hope that I have encouraged you to keep at it. I know that it's hard, but it's worth it. The example that kept coming to my mind this week was Elisha's servant. Seeing more of reality made a tremendous difference to him. It will do the same for you. Read. Think. Pray. Talk.

I'm guessing that some of you are not working on these things. I hope that I have challenged your decision to live that way. I hope that there will be change in your priorities so that you might live better and honor Jesus more with your life.