What’s your favourite TV quiz show? If you’re good with numbers and letters, maybe it’s Countdown. General knowledge is your thing, so you like The Chase, or Pointless. With some of them, you really need to know your stuff. But some of them just seem like a waste of time.
And the biggest waste of time seemed to be a programme on Channel 4. To win on this game show, you didn’t need any specialist knowledge, nor any general knowledge. You just had to guess what was inside the box in front of you, based on probability. What could have been a ten minute programme was stretched out over an hour. And by now, you’ve maybe guessed it - Deal or No Deal.
It was the name of that show that makes it look as if the prophet Haggai has come up with a new TV gameshow idea. And the big idea would involve getting some of the priests to answer questions based on the Old Testament Law. And he could call it: Clean or No Clean?
Now, that might not seem like a great programme to watch, but that’s exactly what is happening in the opening verses of our reading today. The word of God comes to Haggai, telling him to ask the priests a couple of questions about the law - whether things are clean or unclean.
Now, those aren’t really categories we think about today in the same way, but the Old Testament law was very concerned with whether things (and people) were clean or unclean. The Jews were called to live a life of purity, by obeying the law with all its regulations - including what you could or couldn’t eat (so, for example, no bacon butties). Being ritually unclean meant that you couldn’t come before God. You would have to go through the rituals set down to become clean again. So the quiz show begins in verse 12:
‘If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’
So a piece of meat has been consecrated, set apart for God, been made clean. And as it is carried in someone’s robe, the clothing touches something else. Does it also become consecrated? And the priests get it right - no! Clean things don’t make other things clean.
Then comes round two. Verse 13: ‘If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?’
So, according to the law, if you came into contact with a dead body, then you would be defiled (or ritually unclean) until evening. And so the question is - if you’re defiled, and you touch something else - any of those foods mentioned earlier - do they become defiled? And the priests get it right again - yes! Unclean things do make other things unclean. So, to summarise what we’ve seen - clean thing don’t make other things clean; but unclean things do make other things unclean.
Now, you might be expecting a bonus round, or the grand final, but all the questions are finished. It would be a very quick gameshow. Over after 2 questions. But, you see, Haggai doesn’t need any more questions. The priests have answered all they need to understand the point God is making. And we see it in verse 14.
‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight, declares the LORD. Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.’
This was a shocking message from God. It was something they didn’t expect to hear. You see, the people hearing this message direct from the prophet’s mouth, they were good people. They were engaged in a good work. They were building up God’s temple in Jerusalem, after it had lay in ruins for almost 70 years.
They thought that they were good people, doing a good work, in a good way. And yet, God’s verdict is that they’re defiled, unclean. And not only that, but that everything they did, and everything they touched, became defiled. Their uncleanness was catching.
When we were growing up, we would go for a walk on a Sunday afternoon. And one day, when my brother was about 5, he was running on a ahead, when he tripped and fell headlong into a muddy puddle. Muck from top to toe. Dad’s hanky was no match for the amount of mud. You could trace where he had been - mucky footprints as we made our way home. When we got home, he was stripped and bathed and clothes into the washing machine in no time. But imagine if he’d been given free rein in the house. Muddy footprints on the carpets. The handprint on the fridge door as he looks for something to eat. The white towel used to rub his face now a shade of brown.
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Midas touch. It’s the story from Greek mythology of King Midas, who was granted his desire that everything he touched turned into gold. And so he went about, touching twigs and leaves and flowers, and all turned to gold. Wouldn’t that be an amazing superpower? Whatever you touch turns to gold. But then he got hungry, and the food he lifted to eat also turned to gold...
We might think we have the Midas touch, but actually, we have the anti-Midas touch. Everything we touch turns to muck. It’ll be like when Mia grows up a bit more, and you’ll be able to trace her path through the house by the paint or crayon or ketchup... Everything they did and everything they offered was defiled, unclean.
I wonder if you’ve seen this at work, or in a club you’re involved with, or even in relationships. People are people, and even with the best of motives, we mess things up or make things worse. Our unclean touch, our mucky handprints affect whatever we do.
Now it’s bad enough whenever it’s in relationships, or in work, or in a sports club that this unclean touch affects everything we do. But remember what the people in Haggai’s day were doing. They were building for God’s glory. They were rebuilding the temple that had been destroyed years before. Even as they tried to build God’s house, the place for his holiness and glory, their unclean touch was affecting it. They’ve been building for exactly three months, but their offering is unclean, because they are unclean.
To show how things have been working out for them (or rather, not been working out for them), Haggai uses what seems to be his favourite phrase. We’ve heard him use it in chapter 1, and now it’s here in verse 15 & 18. What is it? ‘Give careful thought.’
Haggai asks them to ‘give careful thought to this from this day on.’ So, before they started building, things weren’t great. The harvest wasn’t as good as they thought it would be. They’d look at a heap of grain, thinking there were 20 measures in it, but there’d only be 10. Even worse, they’d look at a wine vat thinking there were 50 measures, but they’d only get 20. Why was that? Because God had struck them and their work with blight, mildew and hail - frustration and disappointment, yet even then they didn’t turn back to God.
It was the same story when they started building. Since the foundation of the temple was laid, have things been any better? Well, no. Despite it being harvest time, (Sept - Dec), there was nothing in the barn. No seed, grapes, figs, pomegranates or olives. Their uncleanness is catching. They’ve nothing to show for their labours.
And if we’re just like them, and we’re unclean, and all we touch becomes unclean, then it’s natural that there’ll be disappointments and frustration as we seek to build up the temple, our church family. Someone might think they’re being helpful, but they spread the mess around. Someone else says something, not realising the impact of their words. How can we build to God’s glory in the midst of our mess? How can the holy God dwell among an unclean people?
In fact, forget about everybody else. Focus on yourself, and ask that same question - how can the holy God dwell in an unclean person? When this diagnosis lands in our hearts we might think - yes, that’s me, I know that I’m unclean, and I try to change, I try to clean myself up, but just like the muddy footprints and the dirty towel, I just make everything else a mess. What can I do? How do I change?
It was the question on the lips of the man in our reading from Luke 5. He knew all too well that he was unclean. He may well have had to shout it out when people came too close. He was a leper. He hadn’t experienced anyone touching him in years. Everyone was too afraid, in case they caught his leprosy. Uncleanness was contagious - something unclean touching something else makes it unclean as well.
He comes up to Jesus, he reckons that Jesus can do something about his uncleanness, and so he says those words of faith: ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ I can’t make myself clean, but Jesus, if you want to, you can. And in that moment, Jesus does the unthinkable. He reverses the curse. Verse 13: ‘Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.’
Our uncleanness is contagious - unclean touching something else makes it unclean. But with Jesus it is different. His cleanness is contagious. Clean touching unclean makes it clean. Jesus brings the change we need. The change that God promised right at the very end of verse 19 - the promise that depended entirely on God, and not on the people: ‘From this day on I will bless you.’ The curse is reversed. We who are unclean can become clean, by God’s design, action and blessing. There’s nothing to do; nothing to achieve here in Haggai 2.
God doesn’t say, clean yourself up first and then I’ll think about helping you out. It’s not about sorting ourselves out to make God bless us. He chooses to do it anyway, for unclean, undeserving people, who receive his blessing and are changed.
Isn’t that what will happen in a few moments, using a little bit of water and a huge amount of grace? Mia hasn’t done anything to deserve it, but God will pour out his blessing on her life.
This is the grace of God in action. For Haggai and the people, messed up and messing up, God will bless them from this day on - mark it in your calendar! And for us as well, as we build up the temple, the church family, in the mess of the building site, there is also much blessing, great encouragement, signs of growth and change.
God is ready to bless you as well, as you confess your sin, as you repent and turn to him. He will, in David’s words in Psalm 51 ‘wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.’
Michael W Smith puts it like this: ‘Your plans are still to prosper, you have not forgotten us, you’re with us in the fire and in the flood. You’re faithful forever, perfect in love, you are sovereign over us.’
God has not finished with us. We’re still a work in progress, but he gives us his blessing, his cleansing, his Spirit dwelling in us to empower us to live for him. Let’s do it.
This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 10th June 2018.
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