What's the Point?

I woke up this morning to a highly disturbing Twitter thread. I don't spend much time on Twitter, but this one was tweeted out by a Christian leader for whom I hold a great deal of respect, so I scrolled down through thousands of comments.

I came away horrified and desperately sad. Because the vast majority of the people responding to the original tweet were Christians themselves, and you know what? It was the biggest example of a cosmic temper tantrum on all sides I think I've seen yet. And I've seen a lot of temper tantrums in 2020.

The thing is, every one of the people posting believed whole-heartedly in what they'd tweeted. Many of them displayed excellent reasoning and deduction skills. Some of them even showed decent understanding of researched answers. 

But they were fighting so fiercely among themselves, that they seemed to forget that many of the ones they were fighting were their own brothers and sisters in Christ.

My children often forget this same thing, too. They'll toss their tantrums and hurl their words, and I -- after I count to ten and add in a few Lord-have-mercies-because-I-sure-don't -- call "Fighters to your corners!" Once the tantrums have calmed down and the emotions settle a bit, then we can revisit the point and find out where we went so wrong.

I'm not going to identify the opinion poster or any of the thread posters. That's not where I want to focus. What I am calling out is the attitude of the church here. It is about as far from Acts 4:32 as it is possible to be. Listen to this description of the early church: "All the believers were one in heart and mind." 

How have we gotten so far from the point, from the center of our belief system? Yes, I'm talking to believers, people who have "been crucified with Christ, so we no longer live, but Christ lives in us" (Galatians 2:20).

So that's where I started today, all before I flipped to John 2:12-25, where I had intended to be. And I couldn't help but laugh at God's sense of humor. 

John 2:12-25 is all about the clearing of the temple.

The Lord often uses irony to push just a little deeper into my spirit. :) He knows that irony gets me to the point faster than any other tool, so I see it crop up a lot.

John-the-Writer gives us the setting (which I've put into present tense for immediacy, because I'm nerdy like that): the Passover has come, and Jesus heads to Jerusalem with his disciples. When He gets there, He enters the outer courts of the temple, and there He finds "men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So He makes a whip out of cords, and drives all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; He scatters the coins of the money changers and overturns their tables. To those who sold doves, He says: 'Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!'" (John 2:14-16)

This hit home for me, especially after reading that awful tantrum-strewn Twitter thread. What was the point of the temple? The point was worship, prayer, gathering to seek God's face. The outer courts of the temple were the one place that was open for the Gentiles to be able to come and pray. 

So when Jesus walks into the temple that day, rather than finding the quiet spirit of seeking, instead He finds chaotic "GET yer doves right here, doves right here, BUY yer cattle, yer cattle, yer cattle, for a low price, a bargain, a bargain, a reeeeaaal bargain, CLEANSE yer sins, yer sins, yer sins!"

I have no idea if that's what was said or not, but I hope it drives the point home: the temple had lost its point. The temple was the Father's House, and the point of the House was worship of the Father. What was happening was as far from the point as possible.

No wonder Jesus was incensed!

Let me point out: Jesus did not throw a temper tantrum. He didn't boil over with rage and immediately begin flailing about. He made a whip out of cords, which took time and methodical braiding. He counted to ten, and sometimes, let me tell you, I need every last one of numbers one through nine to be able to see straight. 

And when He reached ten, He still drove out the money-lenders and the try-yer-luckers and the sellers.

Because the temple was no longer connected to its Point.

When I was a kid, we had a little neighborhood gang, a motley crew of young people who all or almost all owned bicycles. Every evening around dusk, we'd be out on the street, riding our bikes, and the coolest kids in the bunch had figured out that if you put a clothespin on the fork that centered over the wheel hub, the pin would hit the spokes and make a t-t-t-t-t sound as the wheel turned. 

I wanted to be a cool kid, so I decided to try it. Perhaps my clothespin was in the wrong position, or my spokes were too rusted out; either way, one of the spokes snapped off the hub, though the spoke stayed attached to the rim.

That spoke went free-riding into the other spokes as the wheel turned and made a big, clangy mess. 

My object lesson here: The hub of the wheel is the central point of it; it's what focuses the entire wheel, and if even one spoke comes loose from it, it can confuse and entangle a lot of other spokes. 

When we lose our focus on the Point, there's a whole lot of confusion and backbiting and disunity that happens as a result. 

To use a favorite expression, we the church are in a pickle. It seems some of our spokes have come loose, and we need a little bit of a shaking up to clear us out, to return us to the Point.

At this juncture, I don't know if "Where have we gone so wrong" is the correct question to be asking, but rather the request "Show us the way to get back."

Not back to where we were, not back to our comfortable existence and happy smoothing over of problems. Not back to letting in the money-lenders and the cattle-sellers one at a time until the temple is full.

Back to the Point. Where we get off our duffs and on our knees before the Lord and truly seek His face.

Back to the Point. Where we listen for His voice and do what He says, no matter the discomfort or the inconvenience.

Back to the Point. Where "all believers are one in heart and mind" (again, Acts 4:32).

Psalm 133 promises blessing at the point where "brothers and sisters live together in unity" (Psalm 133:1). "For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore" (Psalm 133:3). 

We have got to re-fasten ourselves to the central Point. If we don't, the wheel is going to fall apart. Y'all... we cannot have unity with each other in the church if we've lost our connection with God. It's just not possible.

So let me encourage you, today when you feel like lashing out at someone else, open your Bible instead. "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105).

Today when you feel weighed down by the news cycle, put down your phone and find a quiet spot to pray. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). 

Today when you think you just can't anymore, remember: "Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

Go back to the Point, which is the point.