by Kenny Soosai
Readings: Deut 9:4-12, Heb 3:1-11, John 2:13-22
Gospel: Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to
Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
13 as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and
drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the
coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold
doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house
a marketplace."
His disciples recalled the words of scripture, "Zeal for your house
will consume me." At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What
sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered and said to them,
"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews
said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and
you will raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking about the temple
of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples
remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and
the word Jesus had spoken.
Reflection: Although the ‘Cleansing of the Temple’ is placed at the
beginning of John’s Gospel, the event probably happened towards the end of
Jesus’ earthly ministry (approx. A.D.28). Here is one of the few scenes which
describes Jesus as being angry and He ejects the temple merchants from their
stalls violently.
This also shows how human Jesus can be. He experiences anger when only
of the most Holy days of the year, the Passover is taken over by commerce rather
than devotion to God.
A Step to Consider: What is it that has taken over our hearts? In the
New Covenant, our hearts are the new temples of God as His spirit resides
within us. Do we have devotion to God or are our hearts over taken for
something else? If it is over taken than anything other than the love of God,
then we need to invite Jesus to cleanse our hearts.
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