Sunday Lectionary: Cleaning Out The House

3rd Sunday Of Lent, 11th March 2012

The First Reading and the Gospel this week recall events of epic proportion.

The First Reading takes place three months after the Israelite exodus from Egypt. The Children of Israel have journeyed through the desert and found themselves at the foot of Mount Sinai. The stage is set for arguably one of the most important events of the Old Testament: the giving the Ten Commandments through Charlton Heston Moses.

The Gospel Reading contains no less drama! We read the account from John’s Gospel of the “cleansing of the Temple”. The Lord drives out the money lenders and animal sellers and, when challenged by the authorities, He speaks outlandishly about the destruction of the Temple and its rebuilding in three days…

Moses guarded the nation of Israel and, through God’s grace and guidance, acted as Israel’s leader, law-giver, mediator and intercessor. In Christ all these roles find their fulfillment and perfection.

The Temple has been cleansed. A new dawn is at hand…

 

Reading I: Exodus 20:1-17

The giving of the Law on Sinai is one of the central events of the Old Testament and of central importance to Judaism (and therefore Christianity). The giving of the Law to the Children of Israel was considered a tremendous privilege and something wonderful. As this week’s psalm proclaims “The law of the LORD is perfect…more precious than gold…sweeter…than honey from the comb”. 

The subject of the Law came up many times in Jesus’ ministry:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:36-40

St. Paul would later echo this when he wrote to the Romans:

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law – Romans 13:10

We often talk about “The Ten Commandments”, but strictly speaking, there are more than ten commandments in this Biblical text. However, these commandments can be grouped, producing ten main exhortations. Having said that, the groupings used differ between Jews and the various Christian denominations:

Jewish (Talmudic division)	Lutheran and Catholic (Augustinian Division, 5th Cent.)	Others
I. I am the Lord your G-d who has taken you out of the land of Egypt.	I. I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image.	I. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
II. You shall have no other gods but me.	II. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.	II. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
III. You shall not take the name of the Lord your G-d in vain.	III. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.	III. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
IV. You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy.	IV. Honor your father and mother.	IV. Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
V. Honor your mother and father.	V. You shall not kill.	V. Honor thy father and thy mother.
VI. You shall not kill.	VI. You shall not commit adultery.	VI. Thou shalt not kill.
VII. You shall not commit adultery.	VII. You shall not steal	VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
VIII. You shall not steal.	VIII. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.	VIII. Thou shalt not steal.
IX. You shall not bear false witness.	IX. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.	IX.  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
X. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.	X. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods	X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors goods

The disparity comes because some non-Catholics divide Commandment I and then combine Commandments IX and X. In the Catholic Church there is a distinction made between coveting a neighbour’s goods (stuff) and his wife (a person). For more information, see here.

There are two main division systems in of the commandments in Judaism: the Philonic division (1st Century) and Talmudic division (3rd century) which only differ slightly in the first two commandments.

In those days, God delivered all these commandments:

“I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain.

“Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested.
That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him.”

Questions:

• How many explicit commandments do you find in the above passage?
• What does each commandment mean? What is the logic behind each of them?
• What theme runs through all the commandments?
• Why is God “jealous”?
• What’s the problem with “covet[ing]”? Isn’t that just human nature?

Commentary:

In those days, God delivered all these commandments: 

The word used here rendered “commandments” is a technical Hebrew term for covenant stipulations. The “Ten Commandments”/”Decalogue” literally means the “ten words”, ten stipulations.

“I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. 

This section reflects the structure of royal treaties at the time.

1. Preamble in which the King identifies himself (“I, the LORD, am your God”)

2. Historical prologue (“…who brought you out of the land of Egypt”)

3. Covenant stipulations (“You shall not…”)

In following this pattern Yahweh is showing Himself to be Israel’s King.

You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The first commandment concerns God’s exclusivity with regards to worship. God is “jealous” in the way that a husband would be jealous of another man attempted to date his wife. Yahweh’s covenant relationship with Israel is comparable with a marriage.

The worship of statues is explicitly forbidden here. It is worth noting, however, that this is not a complete ban on statues, otherwise the making of the cherubim (Exodus 25:18), pomegranates (Exodus 28:33) and serpent (Numbers 21:8) would have violated God’s law.

There is an emphasis on who God is. This is important because who we treat others (the later commandments) flows from how we relate to God.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain.

The Lord’s name must be treated with respect. This means not using the Lord’s name as a swear word. This also prohibits swearing falsely  in a court of law. In His teach, Jesus, as usual, goes further even further:

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” – Matthew 33:-37

St. James speaks forcefully on the power of the tongue:

 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. – James 3:9-12

“Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast,
or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy”

Keep the Sabbath (Saturday) holy. This means refraining from work…

1. …in imitation of God’s “rest” at creation

2. …in recollection of God’s rescue of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

“Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you”

Honour, prize and respect your parents. This was in an era when family ties remained strong. At the end of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” – Ephesians 6:1-3

“You shall not kill”

Human life is sacred and should therefore be preserved. The word “kill” here would probably be better translated as “murder”. However, it does to refer to war (Deuteronomy 20:1-14) or capital punishment (Exodus 21:12-17).

“You shall not commit adultery”

A violation of the marriage covenant. Jesus would later draw an equivalence between breaking the commandments inwardly and breaking them outwardly:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” – Matthew 5:27-28

“You shall not steal”

Theft. Some commentators believe this refers to kidnapping.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”

Lying. This prohibition could have a range of meanings: from lying in court to everyday speech.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him.”

To “covet” is to desire something with evil motivation. This commandment deals with the interior life:

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” – Matthew 15:19

 

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19: 8, 9, 10, 11

This psalm is a song concerning the greatness of the Lord’s commandments and decrees, His great gift of heavenly wisdom.

R. (John 6:68c) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.

The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.

They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.

Questions:

• How does the Psalmist view God’s Law?  Why? Do you view it in the same way?
• How does this psalm relate to the Second Reading?
• To what does the psalmist compare the Law?
• How does this Gospel passage relate to the First Reading?

Commentary:

Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.

The word of God is the source of life:

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. – John 6:68

This finds its fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ Himself.

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.

This verse is later echoed in St. Paul’s letter in the Second Reading.

The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye.

What God reveals brings light.

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, all of them just.

What God reveals brings truth.

They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb.

What God reveals is precious and pleasing.

 

Reading II: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25

This is quite a famous passage of St. Paul. He describes the expectations of the Jews and the Gentiles and how the crucifixion of Christ presents a  problem to both groups. He then points out that true wisdom – the wisdom sung about in this week’s psalm – is the wisdom of God.

Brothers and sisters: Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Questions:

• What does Paul say he proclaims? Can you think of how this is manifested in Catholic parishes?
• Why is Paul’s proclamation a “stumbling block”? To whom?
• What is Paul’s response to this?

Commentary:

Brothers and sisters: Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, … 

Paul identifies two groups:

1. The Jews looked for miraculous signs to identify the Messiah as is evidenced by this week’s Gospel Reading (“What sign can you show us for doing this?”). This was common during Jesus’ ministry:

So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” – John 6:30

2. The Greeks (Gentiles) looked for wisdom, philosophy and new ideas:

 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.”  (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) – Acts 17:19-21

True wisdom (as we sing in the psalm), what that which is revealed by God. To the Jewish mind this wisdom is revealed in the Torah. To the Christian mind this wisdom is Christ Himself.

…but for both these groups “Christ crucified” is a “stumbling block”:

Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone…” – Mark 12:10

What’s the one thing that Messiahs and Saviours don’t do? They don’t suffer and die on crosses! In fact, to hang on a tree was see as a curse by God:

“And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and you shall hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God)” – Deuteronomy 21:22-23

In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul explains the implications of this:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. – Galations 3:13-14

It is because Paul proclaimed “Christ crucified” that Catholic parishes show crucifixes and not simply empty crosses; you can’t have an Easter Sunday without a Good Friday.

…but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God

The Abrosiaster explains this verse thus:

When Jews believe in Christ, they understand that He is the power of God. When Greeks believe in Him, they understand that He is the wisdom of God. He is God’s power because the Father does everything through Him. He is God’s wisdom because God is known through Him. It would not be possible for God to be known through anyone who was not from Him in the first place. No one has seen the Father except the Son and whomever the Son has chosen to reveal Him to – The Ambrosiaster (between A.D. 366-384), Commentaries on 7 Thirteen Pauline Epistles

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

It is common in the Bible for God to reveal great things to the weak and humble:

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do” – Luke 10:21

…which emphasizes the necessity of grace:

Since the world had become puffed up by the vanity of its dogmas, the Lord set in place the faith whereby the believers would be saved by what seemed unworthy and foolish, so that, all human conjecture being of no avail, only the grace of God might reveal what the human mind cannot take in – Pope Saint Leo the Great (after A.D. 461), Sermons

 

Gospel Reading: John 2:13-15

In the current cycle of readings we mostly hear from Mark’s Gospel, but this week’s Gospel Reading is one of those occasions when we hear from John’s Gospel. In the First Reading we read the “ten commandments”, the first few of which relate to worship of God. In this Gospel passage Jesus cleanses the Temple, restoring the priority of worship and points us towards the future glory of His Resurrection.

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.

Questions:

• Why was Jesus angry?
• If you were one of the sellers, how would you have reacted? What about if you were a pilgrim visiting the Temple?
• Given this passage, is it okay to have a bookstore at the back of your parish church?
• How is Jesus challenged after cleansing the Temple? What question is He asked?
• Why does Jesus “not trust himself to them”?
• What areas might Jesus which to cleanse in your life?
• How does this passage apply to us?

Commentary:

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, …  

The Passover is celebrated every spring. It celebrates Israel’s escape from Egyptian Slavery (Exodus 12).

…Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

About 80% of John’s Gospel takes place in Jerusalem. The synoptic Gospels spend more time on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee.

Passover meant that Jerusalem would be heaving with pilgrims. It was one of the three required feasts which necessitated pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Pilgrims would offer sacrifice and pay the temple tax.

He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there.

St. Bede takes from this verse an exhortation to imitation of our Lord and to prayer:

Our Lord on coming to Jerusalem, immediately entered the temple to pray; giving us an example that, wheresoever we go, our first visit should be to the house of God to pray – St. Bede

The money changers were needed because Roman coins were not accepted, only the Tyrian half-shekel. The money changers were needed to enable visitors to pay the Temple tax and also purchase animals for sacrifice.

Those however, who came from a distance, being unable to bring with them the animals required for sacrifice, brought the money instead. For their convenience the Scribes and Pharisees ordered animals to be sold in the temple, in order that, when the people had bought and offered them afterwards, they might sell them again, and thus make great profits. …But our Lord disapproving of any worldly business in His house, especially one of so questionable a kind, drove out all engaged in it – St. Bede

One might imagine that the was a mark-up on the animals (consider what it costs to buy a hotdog and a beer inside a baseball stadium).

Under pain of death, Gentiles could go no further into the Temple than the outermost court (the “Court of the Gentiles”). Image the noise generated by all this marketplace activity and the smell produced by the animals. How scandalous in a place of worship!

Israel had been warned by her prophets about their Temple worship:

 “‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD – Jeremiah 7:9-11; 

The description of God’s house as becoming “a den of robbers” should sound familiar (Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46)…

He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area…

It is appropriate that Jesus used a whip:

He who was to be scourged by them, was first of all the scourger; and when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple – St. Augustine

The cleansing of the Temple is recorded in all four Gospels.  The synoptic Gospels place the cleansing of the Temple at the end of Jesus’ ministry, whereas John places it at the beginning, about two years before the Passion. There are two possible explanations for this:

1. Jesus cleansed the Temple at least twice. This was the opinion of St. Augustine:

It is evident that this was done on two several occasions; the first mentioned by John, the last by the other three – St. Augustine

2. John moved the event to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to highlight the point made at the wedding in Cana, that Jesus has come to fulfill the Old Covenant with the New.

…with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, …

It may be said that the expulsion of the animals indicates that the animal sacrifice of the Temple is coming to an end.

This cleansing had been foretold through the prophet Malachi when the Lord promised that he would come and inspect the Temple and purify it:

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.

“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty. – Malachi 3:1-5

…and again through the Prophet Zechariah:

…and on that day there will no longer be a merchant in the house of the LORD Almighty – Zechariah 14:21

…and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”…

Jesus is angry for three reasons:

1. God’s House has been turned into a marketplace

The Evangelist sets before us both natures of Christ: the human in that His mother accompanied Him to Capernaum; the divine, in that He said, Make not My Father’s house an house of merchandise – St. Bede

2. The Gentiles are being robbed of the opportunity to worship because of all the commotion

3. The Israelites are being exploited through inflated exchange rates

The Lord’s aggressive actions are a prophetic sign that the Temple’s days are numbered. Jesus alludes to this when He speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well:

 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem…a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” – John 4:24

…and the subject comes up again when He visits the Temple with His disciples:

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” – Mark 13:1-2

The Temple is destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, Jerusalem is leveled and over a million Jews were killed.

His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me”

This citation comes from Psalm 69:9, a psalm which speaks of the suffering of the righteous while sinners taunt God.

Alcuin gives us a definition of “zeal”:

Zeal, taken in a good sense, is a certain fervor of the Spirit, by which the mind, all human fears forgotten, is stirred up to the defense of the truth – Alcuin

At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 

These “Jews” were most likely the Temple authorities (since they had a vested interested in these activities).

As noted by St. Paul in the Second Reading, the Jews wanted signs.

But were signs necessary for His putting a stop to evil practices? Was not the having such zeal for the house of God, the greatest sign of His virtue? They did not however remember the prophecy, but asked for a sign; at once irritated at the loss of their base gains, and wishing to prevent Him from going further. For this dilemma, they thought, would oblige Him either to work miracles, or give up His present course – St. John Chrysostom

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?”  

Jesus offers them a different kind of sign to the one they were expecting, and over this they trip.

Jesus is saying that he will be crucified (“destroy[ed]”) and he will rise from the dead (“raise it up”). Ironically, Jesus is taunted on the cross in this misunderstanding:

“You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” – Matthew 27:40

One might wonder why Jesus talks about His resurrection in response to their request. St. John Chrysostom says:

But why does He give them the sign of His resurrection? Because this was the greatest proof that He was not a mere man; showing, as it did, that He could triumph over death, and in a moment overthrow its long tyranny – St. John Chrysostom

In saying that He will raise up “this temple” (His body), we see Jesus expressing something of the relationship between the Father and the Son:

…the Father raised Him up, so did the Son also: even as He said below, “I and My Father are one” – St. Augustine

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.

Christ’s own body will replace the Temple. He is the new sanctuary:

Our Lord’s Body is called the temple, because as the temple contained the glory of God dwelling therein, so the Body of Christ, which represents the Church, contains the Only-Begotten, Who is the image and glory of God – Origen

I would encourage you to listen to the talk by Dr. Timothy O’Donnell at the Institute Of Catholic Culture for a more complete treatment of this topic.

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? – 1 Corinthians 3:16

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit – Ephesians 2:22

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” – 1 Peter 2:4-6

As can be seen from the passages above, by being united to Christ, we have a share in this new temple:

Both those, i.e. both the Body of Jesus and the temple, seem to me to be a type of the Church, which with lively stones is built up into a spiritual house, into an holy priesthood; according to St. Paul, You are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

And though the structure of stones seem to be broken up, and all the bones of Christ scattered by adversities and tribulations, yet shall the temple be restored, and raised up again in three days, and established in the new heaven and the new earth.

For as that sensible body of Christ was crucified and buried, and afterward rose again; so the whole body of Christ’s saints was crucified with Christ, (each glorying in that cross, by which He Himself too was crucified to the world,) and, after being buried with Christ, has also risen with Him, walking in newness of life – Origen

If we are temples, might we too need cleansing? Through an allegorical interpretation of this passage the ecclesiastical writer Origen gives us something to ponder during this season of Lent:

“The sanctuary is the undisciplined soul, filled, not with animals and merchants, but with earthly and senseless attachments. Christ must expel them with the whip of his divine doctrine to make spiritual worship possible” – Origen

What areas of our own lives need clearing out?

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.

To believe in a “name” is a semitic idiom which indicates belief in the person who bears that name.

By saying “he knew them all” John is saying that Jesus had supernatural knowledge, as is often demonstrated in the Gospels:

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” – John 4:39

In this final section of the passage Jesus encounters those who are impressed with His miracles (and probably His teaching) but who are still found lacking, most likely lacking in faith.