Jesus’ attitude toward the Temple was not “this institution needs reforming,” nor “the wrong people are running this place,” nor yet “piety can function elsewhere too.” His deepest belief regarding the Temple was eschatological: the time had come for God to judge the entire institution.
—N. T. Wright, The Challenge of Jesus, p. 64.
I wonder what Jesus would say about the church institution?
Ok, I’ll bite. I think Jesus would critique our emphasis on institutions. We cling to our beloved institutions, and yet we hardly know what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Worse, we equate active participation in an institutions with being Spirit-filled. Slowly, but with subtlety we have institutionalized God and reduced him to a specific theological trend.
I think you nailed it! You are so right that our institutions have institutionalized God. I think the trend is reversing, but it could take a while, and the danger is that we simply institutionalize God in a different way…
How about Matthew 23? To the crowds today He might say: The pastors and elders sit as chosen leaders of My church… “So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” And as in Matthew 24, Jesus might say this regarding all the grand church buildings: “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” And maybe He might finish up with a strong warning: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
Great points, Neil.
Jesus did speak against some elements of the religious institution of His day. He would probably say much the same thing today.