Jesus and The Temple

In Jesus’s time it was normal to mix the sacred and the secular. That’s not what upset Jesus in this scene in John’s Gospel. What enraged him was that the temple hierarchy used this practice to exploit God’s most vulnerable children in the pilgrimage trade under as “the will of God.” It was the subordination of things heavenly by things earthly in the guise of religion that set Jesus off. The people of God, especially their religious leaders, had forgotten that the Ten Commandments we heard in the Exodus reading were not optional.

His response is the textbook example of righteous anger: outrage at the twisting of God’s Words and will for personal gain at the expense of the vulnerable. Authorities got the message that Jesus had pitted his authority over theirs, which was the final blow that assured his execution.  

They did not understand his likening of himself to the temple, so they thought he was both arrogant and delusional in his claim. This reaction is much like the ones Paul describes to the Corinthians by unbelieving Jews and Greeks (who made up the culture of that time and place). The paradox of faith is that faith in God is both true and uncontainable. Those who insist on controlling God in a formula of signs and formulas (like the Jews) or cultural wisdom of the ages (like Greeks) cannot see beyond their mindset. Rational thought can open ways but is not enough to engage us in the mystery of faith. It takes an open heart, a willingness to let go of certainty to trust in a loving God.  

Another paradox of faith is that the better we are at living it, the more likely we will find pushback, even persecution. This is all the more reason to know God’s Word and Truth, and ground our personal and collective beings in God.

Last week, when we celebrated Black History Month, we heard some of the most famous and painfully convicting words of Dr. King when he addressed other clergy for failing to stand up in truth for the Godly values of justice and dignity for all – all the vulnerable in all places and times. His message echoes through the decades and touches us all – lay and ordained – as we strive for Godly justice for all vulnerable people.

The more we focus on and experience God’s loving mercy, healing, encouragement and guidance, the more joy we find along the way. This joy is so deeply entrenched in God’s love that nothing the world can do to us can take it from us. This is what Jesus knew as he submitted himself to the Cross, and in doing so opened the way of Resurrection hope for all followers of Christ.

Let us remember his journey and follow his Way as we live in anxious times and struggle with real problems in our lives today. Our suffering will be redeemed. We are not alone, there is hope beyond the Cross.