Turn the tables

 John 2:13-22; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

She packs the things in her car. Throwing them in, in the middle of the night. Her life has been threatened and home, the sacred space is not safe. She drives away, because the police here can't protect her unless he harms her and even their scenarios aren't happy ones. So she goes, with what she can fit in her car because in order to have life she has to face death, she has to recreate herself, she has to leave.

I was looking at the two scriptures and wondering how on earth they even fit together. Foolishness of the cross and the cleansing of the temple. The safe space of God's home for the Jews had been occupied. Rome was all over it, and Rome wanted to control it. To make it, it's own place like every other place they had occupied. They couldn't understand One God, no images of another god (Caesar). It just didn't make sense, but it did to the Jews and Jesus sees it as violated. So he cleanses it, and in this action makes himself a wanted man of Rome. 

See John doesn't wait until Jesus is nearer to being arrested to tell this story. All the other gospels do. John places this story in chapter 2. Because we know Jesus is condemned. The temple was a narrow gated thing and all along the high walls out Roman guards are stationed. When Jesus drives out the money changers and animal sellers, it looks like someone has started a riot. From this moment on, Jesus is the enemy to Rome. 

Foolish, because he marks himself so early. Maybe, but in John Jesus knows why he came and where he is going. He even knows the best timing for everything in this gospel. So he knows this is the beginning of his end and he is faithful to everything which has to happen in between. A foolish story, but such a ringing story of hope. Because even though everything changes, Jesus doesn't make a kingdom here, instead there is a kingdom elsewhere and a companion will come and let us know how this all will work out for us. People come to him at night, in their darkest hours to try and figure him out.

People are changed in the light of day, are able to see, have water, living water given, and are fed and cared for and lastly Lazarus is raised from the dead. All so we might see it is in looking at death in which we find life. When things are at their most bewildering Jesus meets us in storms, in gardens, on beaches when fishing. A foolish story and it lives on.

This is why Paul writes of foolish because it doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense to surrender to death. Yet this is what the story tells us. It doesn't make sense to serve others and not think of yourself first. Yet this is what the story plays out for us. It doesn't make sense to feed people with just five fish and two loaves of bread. Yet this is John's story. Telling us what doesn't make sense is what the story means. We have to be bravely foolish.

The woman at the beginning, in order to escape her abuser, has to leave. The most dangerous time for the woman is when she leaves. We all think it makes sense for her to leave and yet this is when the stakes are the highest and some foolishly go and find a way to make a new life for themselves. With threats echoing in their dreams and the authorities telling her they can't do anything until he harms her. This is why this story of faith makes sense to her. It was why she came back to the church. Because she lost her life to gain it all back. 

Now most of us don't face death in order to gain our life. We do face hard times. Times when we wonder what this faith is all about. Or why doesn't God the magic genie come and save us. Yet this is not the story anywhere in the pages of the Bible. There are stories of hardship, near death, starving, needing water, and brinks of close calls. All have trials and the thing is we find they are easier with someone near us. That is when we find water, food, and are saved. Because we finally have the tables of our life turned over and we understand it wasn't as sacred as we thought. We needed to turn the table to find the sacredness of life in the things unseen. How foolish is that?