The Gospel of John 2:13-22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making 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. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After 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.
Let us Pray: Lord, grant us simplicity of faith and a generosity of service that gives without counting cost. A life overflowing with Grace poured out from the One who gave everything, that we might show the power of love to a broken world and share the truth from a living Word. Lord, grant us simplicity of faith, and a yearning to share it. This we pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The sacredness of the temple was what Jesus saw being desecrated by the money changers and vendors. So, in this season of Lent let us look at our church, look at it through the eyes of Jesus and ask ourselves: do we honor the sacredness of the Church where we worship? Or do we take it for granted? Or we might treat it as just another building. I am awed by the beauty, the silence, and the sacredness of our Church. I know when I go into our church, I can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. I can feel the presence of the founders of our church and the echoes of those many who have worshipped here. I enjoy the beauty and the presence of the Holy spirit when I sit quietly in the church alone and the beauty of the tribute to God is so prevalent. However, this sacredness is magnified by the prayers of all the hundreds of Parishioners who faithfully prayed in this sacred space for many years. The Church where you worship is sacred. The Church where you celebrate the Lord’s supper is sacred. The next time you are in Church be attentive to and experience the sacredness of your holy place. May you carry this “sacredness” with you throughout your day and your week. And remind yourself that the sacredness is not about fancy vestments and shiny candle sticks, it is about the Holy Spirit and the People.
In this Gospel we see Jesus choosing one of the most important times: Passover, the holiest and most important religious celebrations commemorating when God delivered the nation of Israel from captivity in Egypt. And mayhem ensues. As Jesus enters the temple and finds what one would expect during a pilgrimage festival. The vital trades are in place for the necessary exchange of monies, animals, and grains for the required sacrifices. Nothing is out of order at this point. When He sees this Jesus makes a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” By disrupting the well-established and accepted economic practices of the temple,
Jesus publicly reveals he is more than a pilgrim visiting the temple. He is Son of the God who dwells in that temple, and as such he has the authority to disrupt the temple’s usual activities. By viewing this passage as making a negative statement against the temple’s economic activity, its religious activity, or the temple institution in itself, it is better to see it as making a positive statement about Jesus’ identity. He appears in Jerusalem making a bold statement not so much “against” anything as much as “for” his authority to represent and reveal the God of the temple, whom he knows intimately as his Father. His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” And for us today we know the full meaning of that statement.
Let us Pray: Holy God, in Jesus Christ you have built for us an eternal house, a temple of righteousness, a place of gracious plenty for the hungry and abundant life for the poor in spirit. Fill us with zeal for the body of Christ. Overturn the tables of corruption and greed and upset the imbalance of injustice, so that we may worship you in spirit and truth; through Jesus Christ, who is risen indeed. Amen.
Hope Episcopal Church, Manheim, PA
Reflections by Bob 