Scripture Readings: Exodus 20.1-17; 1 Corinthians 1.22-25; John 2.13-25
In the temple Jesus found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the moneychangers seated at their tables. Making a whip out of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. – John 2.14-15
Jesus zeal seeks to restore his Father’s house as a place of prayer rather than commerce. His explanation makes a great Tweet: “Stop making my Fathers house a marketplace.” His disruptive actions of dumping out money and overturning tables might become breaking news today. Jesus has made his point.
In John’s gospel Jesus’ cleansing of the temple becomes a revealing sign. Jesus is the new temple in whom God dwells among us.
Jesus’ example calls us to clean house during Lent, to examine our hearts. Our lives even in the pandemic zoom along. The more we stay at home to work and learn, the more we distance ourselves from the virus but also from interacting with others. Interacting is how we exchange ideas and show love for one another. Our lives easily fall into routines and ruts.
Walks in the emerging spring can awaken us to Earth’s capacity to repair itself and us. Lent calls us to assess what we consume and what consumes us. It calls us to revive our faith in resurrection as a continuing process in our lives as well as the promise of new and eternal life with the risen Jesus.
What effects of climate change anger you enough to act and advocate for change? What housecleaning do you need to do in your life?