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If JESUS LIVED TODAY
HOW WOULD HE HANDLE CONFRONTATIONS
Mark 11:15-17) (Delivered 10-20-02)

Coach Jordan, formerly of Auburn University, once asked Mike
Kollin to do some recruiting for him. Mike asked, "What kind of
player are we looking for?"

The coach said, "Well, Mike, you know there's the fellow that
you knock down and he stays down?"

Mike said, "We don't want him, do we coach?" "That's right."
The coach said.

"Then, there's the fellow that you knock down and he gets up,
but when you knock him down the second time he stays down."

Mike said, "We don't want him either," "No we don't," the coach
said.

"Then there's the fella, you knock down and he gets up, you
knock him down and he gets up, you knock him down again and he
gets up."

Mike said, "Now, that's the guy we want, isn't it coach?"

"No," said the coach, "We want that guy who keeps knocking
everybody down."

Well, a little violence might be acceptable in football, but in
real life it can be very destructive. There is such a thing as
righteous indignation, but 99 percent of the time our anger is
because of selfishness, not righteous indignation.

Jesus didn't show anger often, but when he did, it was usually
directed at self-righteous, judgmental religious leaders who
hurt people. Once, when he was healing a cripple on the
Sabbath, the Pharisees were critical. "Jesus asked them, 'Which
is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life
or to kill?' But they remained silent. He looked around at them
in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said
to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out, and
his hand was completely restored" (Mark 3:4-5).

He also become very angry one day in Jerusalem. In fact, this
anger had been smoldering for a long, long time. The greed and
hypocrisy of the religious establishment became symbolized in
this temple confrontation. Every gospel relates this incident.
Matthew and Luke give brief accounts: "Then he entered the
temple area and began driving out those who were selling. 'It
is written,' he said to them, ' "My house will be a house of
prayer" ; but you have made it a den of robbers' " (Luke
19:45-46).

Here Jesus is quoting a Scripture from Jeremiah which says, "Has
this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you?
But I have been watching! declares the Lord" (Jer. 7:11).

Mark added a few details. "And they came to Jerusalem. And He
entered the temple and began to cast out those who were buying
and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the
moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves; and
He would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple.
And He began to teach and say to them, 'Is it not written, "My
house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations"?
But you have made it a robbers' den.' And the chief priests and
the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him;
for they were afraid of Him, for all the multitude was
astonished at His teaching" (Mark 11:15-18).

John's narrative gives the most details. "When it was almost
time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In
the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves
and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a
whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both
sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers
and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said,
'Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into
a market!' " (John 2:13-16).

Jesus always despised selfishness and deceit, but he especially
despised the misuse of the people's place of worship.

For the merchants in the Temple, the Passover Festival, in a
commercial sense, was the opportunity of opportunities for those
who bought and sold. The peasants' money was different from the
Temple money and necessitated a change, giving rise to a
tremendous black market. And because they offered sacrifices,
these merchants would stock every available cage and pen with
pigeons, cattle and sheep to be sold at inflated prices.

Jesus' visit to the Temple and his response to an age-old
custom, must have taken them by surprise. Not only was it the
act of a man in whom anger had been smoldering for a long time,
but it was also an act of a courageous man who knew only too
well the consequences of such actions.

Why do you suppose Jesus reacted in this very uncharacteristic
way in the temple? What lesson can we learn from this incident?
What point does it make about confrontation?

I. FIRST, JESUS HAD A JUST CAUSE.

Jesus wasn't resorting to violence over a trivial aggravation or
a personal confrontation. He wasn't trying to protect his own
ego or even his life. Instead, reverence for God's house and
concern over the oppression of the poor and the alienated led to
his attack. He had nothing to gain personally. Instead, he had
much to lose. The religious leaders immediately looked for ways
to kill him.

His actions were for others. He was acting for the helpless and
disenfranchised. Jesus was angered by three things: First, by
the exorbitant prices forced upon the hapless worshipers. His
own parents had been in that same category when they presented
him as an infant at the Temple. Second, he was angered by the
use of the Temple as a marketplace-sheep bleating, vendors
hawking their wares, the noise and smell everywhere-in a place
intended for meditation and prayers. But even more, he was
angered by what these men were teaching. They were insinuating
that bribery was the right way to God; but he knew better. God
said, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God
rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).

Jesus always had compassion for the ordinary people. "He saw a
great multitude, and He felt compassion for them because they
were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them
many things" (Mark 6:34).

II. NEXT, JESUS DID THIS AS A LAST RESORT.

There was no other way to make his case. He had taught and
served and ministered to these people for 3 years with little
success. Words wouldn't do. From his first visit to Jerusalem
at the age of twelve to the end of his earthly life, Jesus was
upset by what he saw and heard there. Several times he
expressed his frustration at people's obstinance: " 'O
unbelieving and perverse generation,' Jesus replied, 'how long
shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? . . .'
" (Matt. 17:17);

Later he said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the
prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to
gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under
her wings, but you were not willing" (Matt. 23:37).

None of the religious leaders had changed their attitudes or
action.

III. FINALLY, JESUS WASN'T ABUSING INDIVIDUALS.

He was overthrowing a system. The money and the materialistic
paraphernalia were the targets of his anger. It was a case of
hating the sin but still loving the sinner. Jesus never harmed
a person. He even healed the guard who had come to arrest him.
"When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said,
'Lord, should we strike with our swords?' And one of them
struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right
ear. But Jesus answered, 'No more of this!' And he touched the
man's ear and healed him" (Luke 22:49-51.

Jesus always practiced what he preached. He said, "Love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be
sons of your Father in heaven . . ." (Matt. 5:43-44).

Now, what if this were today? Would Jesus go to some rich
Tele-evangelist's headquarters and destroy the lavish trappings
they had gotten by cheating the elderly? Would he attack
extortion in high places? Would he expose business scams?

We don't know where or how he would make a stand if he lived
today in America instead of in Palestine 2000 years ago; but he
would still hate the same evils.

1. FIRST, JESUS WOULD STILL TRY TO PROTECT THE VICTIMS OF
SOCIETY.

The children, the poor, the elderly and the minorities would be
his special concern. He was passionate about the helpless ones.
He said, "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe
in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large
millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths
of the sea" (Matt. 18:6).

A nation is evaluated by how it treats the very old and the very
young.

2. NEXT, JESUS WOULD STILL TRY OTHER MEANS FIRST.

He would teach, advise and warn; but if words didn't work, he
would take some kind of action.

He would agree with Paul who said, "If it is possible, as far as
it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Rom. 12:18).

Unfortunately, reality tells us that sometimes it's not
possible. It took a Revolution to free America. It took a
Civil War to end slavery; and it took the marches and the
sit-ins to change segregation laws. It took military action to
get rid of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Sometimes such methods
are necessary, but they should be last resorts, because they
always hurt blameless people and cause needless destruction.

3. FINALLY, JESUS WOULDN'T ATTACK INDIVIDUALS.

He would dismantle illegal and immoral institutions that promote
schemes to defraud innocent men and women and children.
Unscrupulous tel-evangelistic appeals, dishonorable business
practices and unfair government programs would be targeted. In
fact, Jesus especially warned against violence to individuals.
He said, "Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you
on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:39,44).

Now, if we're to take the Gospel seriously, what does this mean
for us? Remember the Scripture says, "Whoever claims to live in
him must walk as Jesus did" (I John 2:6).

If Jesus lived today he would still take action to ensure
justice for all. He would agree with the author who wrote this
brief essay:

THE WORLD NEEDS MEN:

Who cannot be bought;
Whose word is their bond;
Who put character above wealth;
. . . . .
Who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
Who will be as honest in small things as in great things;
Who will make no compromise with wrong;
Whose ambitions are not confined to their Own selfish
desires;
Who will not say they do it "because everybody else does
it";
Who are true to their friends . . . in adversity as well as
in prosperity;
Who do not believe that shrewdness and hard-headedness are
the best qualities for success;
Who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth (even)
when it is unpopular,
Who can say "no" . . . (when) all the rest of the world
says, "yes."

Over the centuries many people have come to watershed moments
when confrontation with evil was absolutely essential. A poet
expressed it this way:

When you come to the Red Sea place in your life.
Where in spite of all you can do,
There is no way out. There is no way back.
There is no other way, but through!

Martin Luther came to such a place. He confronted a corrupt
religious establishment that was getting rich by persuading
members to "buy their loved ones right to heaven." He said,
"Here I stand. I can do no else!"

There comes a time in everyone's life when they have to stand
for something. At that moment inaction is a sin.

Can you recognize evil that hurts other people? Jesus did.

Can you avoid confrontation based on personal vengeance? Jesus
did!

Can you use peaceful means to solve problems and avoid violence
unless it's absolutely necessary? Jesus did!

Andrew Jackson said, "One man with courage makes a majority."

James said, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and
doesn't do it sins" (James 4:17).

Confrontation is never the first course of action; but when it's
absolutely necessary, we have to do so. Not to do so is wrong.

***
(Word Count 2080)

These messages are from an unpublished manuscript © copyrighted
by Miles and Maralene Wesner, Idabel, OK. Please use them in
any way you think appropriate. The only thing we ask is that
you give credit for original material in published works.

My ministry has been blessed immeasurably by reading other
people's sermons. When I started preaching 55 years ago, I
waited for "inspiration" before I began my sermon preparation
(usually Saturday night, about midnight). Then, I discovered it
wasn't inspiration at all-it was sheer PANIC. I would have
welcomed this service.

Our quarterly newsletter, NEW PERSPECTIVES and a Booklist are
also on our website: http://www.diversitypress.com

Comments are always welcome. (Please indicate if you do not want
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Miles E. Wesner