Gospel: John
2:13-25
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, 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.
While he
was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name
when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them
because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human
nature. He himself understood it well.
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Reflection:
What made
Jesus lose His temper? What drove Him to angrily overturn the tables of the
money changers and the others who were doing business in the temple area? Is it
out of the character of Jesus to get angry because He was supposed to be gentle
and kindhearted?
The temple
area was not anymore being used according to its real purpose. It was OK to
have business there for that area was intended to be used as such. But there
was fraudulent business that was going there. The animals that was to be
offered to the temple was overpriced and there was many more deceit and
cheating in the conduct of their business.
Therefore
Jesus had no other choice but to create order and in the process He got angry.
Anger that was justified for it reminded the people that the temple area should
be free from anything that is fraudulent. And anything that is against the will
of God. The temple area and the temple itself must always be free from any form
of desecration for it is the house of God.
This is a
good reminder for all of us when we go to church to worship God. We should go
there only to worship God and not do anything that would defile the temple of
God. The defilement or desecration that we do is not limited to physical defilement.
We also defile the church when we think of anything that is not good and
ungodly while we are in the church.
How about
if we are already not in the church or not anymore within the area of the
church? Is it now justified to think of sinister things against our fellowmen,
anyway we are now way outside of the church?
It’s still not right, For we are the church our body is the visible representation of the church. Therefore
we must at all times be free from any form of deceit or anything that would
make us unworthy before the eyes of Jesus. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
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