When Religion Gets Sick

     And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said to them that sold doves, "Take these things from here; make not My Father's house a house of merchandise." (John 2: 15-16)



     A famous preacher once asked, "What is worse than having no religion?" Then he paused for a moment and then answered his own question, " Having no religion is bad, but having the wrong kind of religion is even worse." Wayne E. Oates, in a provacative book entitled " When Religion gets Sick," proposed the possibilty of allowing religion to get sick, (just as we see in the the passage above) He concluded that having a sick religion is worse by far than having no religion at all, and I concur.
     Jesus was concerned with sick religion as indicated by His driving the moneychangers out of the temple. Much of Judaism had gotten sick, and the Great Physician had come to bring healing. What did Jesus see in the temple that caused such aggressive action?



     1. The Lost Sense of Awe and Reverence  for God.

     A. The Jews had lost the profound sense and reverence for God. Look carefully at what Jesus observed when He visited the temple. Mant Jewish patrons were coming and going. They had little respect for what took place in the temple, namely communion with God. They bought and sold animals, and they exchanged money as if the court of the gentiles was a market place.
     God had intended the temple to be a meeting place for human beings and Himself. He had not intended the temple to be a den of thieves. He wanted it to be a place of prayer.

    B. Christians often lose their sense of awe and reverence for God.  As people go about the routine of Bible study and church attendance, they can lose reverence for God. The Lord, His church, and His book become rather ordinary.
    Jesus' anger is aroused when He sees a lost sense of awe and reverence for His Father. Religion can get sick when the sense of wonder of God departs from aperson or a group of people.


     2. The Lost Sense of The Cost of Religion.

     A. The Jews had lost sight of the cost of serving the Lord. The presentation of the animals in temple sacrifice represented a commitment on the part of worshippers. ( Just as our tithes and offerings still do today.) God wanted the Jews to present the best animals out of their flocks. This would mean that they gave their best to God.
     When Jesus walked into the temple, He saw that religion had been made cheap. People were told, " Leave your animals at home and buy one in the temple." Purchasing animals from the temple merchants cheapened the sacrificial system. And this anger the Master.


     3. The Lost Sense of the Outsider.

     A. The Jews had lost the sense of the Gentiles' need. The place where the moneychangers and merchants did business was in the court of the Gentiles. This was the place within the temple prcinct where Gentiles, outsiders, could come and learn of the Lord. Most of the Jews in Jesus' time were not concerned for the Gentiles. They were concerned for their rituals but not for the mission of being a blessing to the nations that God had given them.

    B. Modern Christians can lose the sense of the outsider. The church can easily become an exclusive club with a preoccupation for its membership. Religion gets sick when people turn inward and do not look outward for the sinners.


     How is the health of you Christian expression? If you do not mind, let's have a checkup. Is there a great thrill over the greatness and gradeur of God? Or are you taking short cuts? Are you asking for the minimal requirememts? Then, what about your concern for others? Let's keep our religion healthy and groeing.