REFLECTIONS TODAY

In driving the sellers of sacrificial animals and the moneychangers away from the Temple area, Jesus does not simply “clean” the Temple of those who make the area a “marketplace” during the Passover festival.
If so, this will not displease the Temple authorities at all! But they rightly smell trouble since Jesus is removing these important components of the Temple sacrifice and so threatens the very sacrifice itself.
But John points out that the sacrifice of the Temple will soon be replaced by the sacrifice of Jesus’ body on the cross. Jesus’ “zeal” for God’s house will bring about the persecution of the religious authorities. But it will redound to his death and his resurrection, and his risen Body will be the temple where the believers offer a fitting sacrifice to God.
Gospel •John 2:13-22
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 moneychangers 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.
Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2023,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.