On the Back Porch
The 3rd Sunday of Lent, Year B
What We Celebrate
The scene of Jesus’ cleansing the Temple is popularly interpreted as an example of Jesus’ anger and hence his humanity. But that is to miss the point of why John the Evangelist places this encounter at the beginning of his gospel unlike the other gospel writers who place this event during the last days of Jesus’ earthly life. Could Jesus have “cleansed” the Temple twice? All scholars agree that is not likely. But then what was St. John’s reason for placing this event early in the public ministry of Jesus?
There is a lot more to this gospel. Sit with it for a moment on the back porch.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary on the Gospel
Christ Driving the Money Changers out of the Temple by Valentin (1618) | Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, Rome | PD-US
The Temple
Israel’s temple in the Bible is described as the place where God’s space and humanity’s space are one. In fact, the whole biblical drama can be told as a story about God’s temple. In the opening pages of Genesis, God creates a cosmic temple, and in the person of Jesus, God takes up personal residence in his temple-world. By the end of the biblical story, all of creation has become God’s sacred temple.
Take a moment to consider the importance of the Jerusalem Temple in the story of Jesus.