GOSPEL
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money-changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.
During his stay in Jerusalem for the Passover many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he gave, but Jesus knew them all and did not trust himself to them; he never needed evidence about any man; he could tell what a man had in him.
(John 2:13–25)
DID YOU KNOW?
Points of interest and Catholic lore
- The only coins acceptable in the temple were half shekels. Roman coins were not acceptable because they were imprinted with the image of the emperor, and the Commandments clearly state that there should be no graven images used by Jews. The money-changers were actually performing a necessary task for the proper functioning of the religious life of Israel. What may Jesus really have been angry about?
- The trade in animals was necessary for sacrifice at the temple. Ordinary people needed to sacrifice for a number of religious reasons—for example, to become ritually clean again after childbirth (See Luke 2:22–25). But this trade was under a monopoly of the wealthy and elite Sadducees who controlled the temple cult. What may Jesus really have been angry about?
- Herod the Great (37–4 bce) began a massive rebuilding of the temple in the hope of winning favour with the Jewish people, who saw him as a usurper of the throne (he was not even Jewish, yet was ‘King of the Jews’) and a Roman lackey. It took many years to complete.
EXPLORING THE WORD
In John’s Gospel, hostility exists between Jesus and the Jews from the very beginning of his public ministry. This is probably a reflection of the situation in which John’s community finds itself: that of being excluded from the practice of Judaism after Christians had been ousted from synagogue worship. We should not, therefore, read this text as a criticism by Jesus of Judaism generally.
If we read this text only as an example of Jesus’ righteous anger over the greed of those who controlled commerce in the temple precinct, we miss much of the point that John is making. The Jews believed that the offering of sacrifice to God in the temple was a central part of their religious observance. Jesus now brings that practice to an end. He speaks of his own body as the new temple, the new centre of worship. Effectively, Jesus is reinterpreting the religious traditions of the Jews to centre in himself. He becomes the physical embodiment of ‘my Father’s house’. He is the living temple of the Father’s presence among us.
- In what ways does the Church represent ‘the sanctuary of his body’ to the world today?
- How does the Church ‘embody’ Christ and act to bring about the reign of God?
- How does Jesus help us to understand God more fully and to worship God differently?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
- What are the abuses we should be angry about today?
- What are some ways we can respond to those abuses?
- Express some ‘righteous anger’ this week about something that disorders our world—for example, inequality, human rights abuse, exclusion. How are Christians called to respond to these injustices?
- Exchange stories of times when you may have becaome enraged over an injustice. How did you manifest that anger? What actions did you take to right that disorder? What are some appropriate responses to that which disorders our world today?
- This week’s psalm response offers great wisdom:
Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. - Use it often this week.
SHARING THE TRADITION
A closer look at the Scripture of the day, to see how it makes more explicit God’s word to us through the teachings of Jesus Christ
The gospel readings for the next three weeks are taken from the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel was the last one written down, probably close to the end of the first century. The followers of Jesus had had seventy years to contemplate who Jesus was and the meaning of his ministry. Thus we find a very different tone in John from the other three gospels, known as the Synoptics.
Each of the gospels for these three weeks reflects in some way on the paschal mystery—that is, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus in his own time, but also as it continues to be made present and powerful in the faith of the Church in all ages.
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains a lengthy section on the paschal mystery and its meaning (see §§571ff). This would provide ample material for discussion and exploration.
- The elect will soon enter into the paschal mystery. What are their thoughts and feelings about this as they near the end of their journey to baptism? Is there a changed way of being?
SYMBOLS AND IMAGES
For the Jewish people, the temple was the centre of worship of God. God’s dwelling place on earth was the Holy of Holies. But now Jesus declares himself the new temple. True worship of God is now centered in Jesus himself, the embodiment of God. Members of the Church, the continuing presence of Christ in the world, are sometimes referred to as ‘temples’ of the Holy Spirit.
LIVING THE WORD
Practical ideas for group leaders to employ in connecting Scripture and daily life, with suggestions for music and environment
- Did the community celebrate the First Scrutiny together? You may like to discuss the ways in which the journey of the elect is enriching the life of the parish and of the individual members, most of whom were probably baptised as babies. How can the catechumenal journey bring others in the community to deeper faith and understanding?
- Continue to use the cross as a focus for prayer. You could sing ‘A new heart for a new world’ (GA 438). Pray for each other as you draw closer to becoming members of the Church. Conclude with the prayer over the elect in RCIA at §122A.