Seek And Destroy (Religion)

We’re talking through the life of Christ in our Launch Team Meetings and we just did today’s reading (John 2). There are all kinds of great points, but the thing we focused on was that Jesus came to destroy religion. First, I guess I should give you my definitions:

• * Religion: Man’s attempt to climb up to God; to make himself acceptable to God through his goodness.
• * Christianity: God’s attempt to come down to man; to make man acceptable to Himself through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Almost all non-Christians think of Christianity as a religion, and most Christians approach Christianity like it’s a religion. But I believe it’s not, and that God hates religion. He hates it because it demeans Him, because it leads people to pride or hopeless dejection, because it doesn’t work and can never lead people into the relationship with them He desires. And that’s why Jesus came to earth to destroy religion.

And we get a sign of that when He clears the temple in verses 12-25, but even more when He chooses to make wine for the wedding by using the water jars used for ceremonial washing. Do you get that? It’d be like turning the holy water in a Catholic church into Pabst Blue Ribbon for your kid’s graduation party. The priests probably wouldn’t be thrilled.

Jesus could have used any water, any water vessels, He wanted, but He decided to make a point with His first miracle. And the point? He came to destroy religion.