John 2:13-22 Exodus 20:1-17 1 Cor 1:18-25
Standards have slipped in this household during lockdown. A couple of weeks ago Stephen celebrated a big O birthday. My present to him was a hamper made up of all his favourite junk food, items I would never normally sanction! He was delighted! One of the desired goodies was a large Easter egg. Normally, there is a strict protocol here that eggs are not touched until after church on Easter Day. But everything is different now, and by the end of that day the egg was, needless to say, no more!
Lockdown has wearied my resolve. But it’s more than that; for better or worse our attitudes to many aspects of our life have had a change in direction over the last year. The pandemic has forced us to do and see things differently.
Lent is often associated with a change in direction. On Ash Wednesday it is customary to receive the imposition of the ashes on our foreheads as we are asked to turn away from sin and to turn to Christ. We are also asked to repent, which simply means to do and see things differently.
Today in the gospel Jesus demands a similar change of direction in our hearts – this time of attitude and practise.
In this passage we see a rather different side to Jesus. In anger Jesus uses a whip made of cords to clear the temple: he drives out cattle, sheep and doves and then overturns the tables of the temple money-changers. It was Passover – a holy time of year, and people in the temple courts were only doing what was required of them to do under Jewish law. They were buying and selling animals to offer God as a sacrifice in the temple. Its most likely Jesus felt anger because people had lost the original sense of what the temple was for. They had changed direction and turned it into a marketplace for the convenience of everyone. They had become so focussed on the sacrificial system that it had lost touch with the grace of God.
Jesus was also annoyed because he wanted the temple to be a place for everyone, Jews and non-Jews alike. The area in which the buying and selling took place was the court of the Gentiles. This was the only area of the temple that the Gentiles could gather, the other areas were for Jews only. Jesus clearly didn’t want this, so he cleansed the temple to make room for the Gentiles. He wanted to make it clear that everyone is welcome into God’s family.
But we need to remind ourselves that this is John’s gospel, therefore, there is always a deeper truth that needs to be discerned. This comes in the claim Jesus then makes referring to his future passion and death.
“Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days” John 2:19
This was an extraordinary claim!
For the Jewish nation, the temple was the place of God’s presence among his people, the beating heart of their faith and worship. By referring to the temple of his body Jesus was effectively claiming that the cult, the focus, of the temple was now over. The presence of God upon earth was now embodied not in a building but in Christ himself.
In a way perhaps we are reminded of this fact, as forbidden to worship in our churches, we must assure ourselves that by the power of the Holy Spirit Christ walks alongside us in and out of church, he never abandons us at the church door.
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus reminds us. Matthew 28:20
We may not be together in person at present, we are still all members of God’s family, the Body of Christ.
“So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:5
Please not that on Wednesday 10th March 7pm there is a Lent Zoom discussion for about 30 mins or so, just a chance to share our experience of the Ignatius retreat, see each other and exchange any other general thoughts we may have. I will send the email invitation separately.
The Sunday Eucharist will be available at 11am online. You can access it on this link at that time. http://www.scotland.anglican.org/broadcast-sunday-worship/
Alternatively, you can access it by going straight onto the Scottish Episcopal Church website.
I will look forward to joining you all again via YouTube on Thursday for our morning Eucharist.
Please feel free to telephone me at any time.
My love and prayers to you all as always
Andrea
The Collect for The Second Sunday in Lent
ALMIGHTY God, you see that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.