Today’s Lenten Word Meditation comes from John 2:13-22 NRSV:
13The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22After 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.
13The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22After 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.
The word, believed (pisteuo in Greek) means to think to be true; to be persuaded of; to credit, place confidence in. Jesus was basically telling his disciples that he was going to die and be resurrected. Of course they didn’t believe him until it happened.
This morning I sit, hold, and pray with the word, believed. I grew up in an evangelical Korean missions church in Koreatown. I was told what to believe from the very beginning by ministers and leaders…think heaven/hell…what would Jesus do….charismatic gifts…etc. I remember so many winter and summer camps giving my life for Christ again and again. Only until I had my crisis of faith, did I set out on my own spiritual journey to understand why I believed in God and followed Jesus. My belief has changed from when I was at that church to a minister now at FPCLA, and it continues to change. I wonder what young Sam would think of me now as I look back today. Such is the spiritual journey.
What does your spiritual journey look like?
Pastor Sam
