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Thursday 23 February 2017

Destroy this temple... I will raise it up

"I ask for the desire to pray, and meditate regularly.  I ask for humility, patience, tolerance, gentleness, compassion and empathy.  I ask to abstain from anger, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, discouragement and shame.  I ask to know Jesus more intimately, love him more deeply and follow him more closely.  I ask to experience myself and others as made in the image and likeness of God.  I ask for the grace to discern the path for my community of faith in these challenging times."


John 2:13-25
13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. 15Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ 17His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ 18The Jews then said to him, ‘What sign can you show us for doing this?’ 19Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ 20The Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’ 21But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
23 When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. 24But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.


1) "Stop making my Father's house a market-place;" "Zeal... will consume me;" "...and in three days I will raise it up;" "...because they saw signs;" "...he himself knew;" "Zeal for your house will consume me;" "What sign..." "


2) it strikes me that we move from one literal reading to another: the Temple to "the temple of his body;" This is the Jesus that teaches constantly to look for the other meaning; 46 years of construction... how many things have we been trying for 46 years and it still isn't working?  We've gotten distracted along the way, making a "market-place" of ourselves instead of a temple?  A market place full of noise and distraction, self-interest, consumerism, injustice (charging for prayers, over charging), selling "faith;" turning faith into a consumer product; meeting individual needs rather than pursuing the will of God?  What Temple does Jesus call us to destroy?


3) What is the invitation in all this?  Stop building a market-place.  Stop attempting to cater to individual wants and desires.  Stop marketing Jesus.  Listen more ardently for God.  Return to building a temple that honours God.  Do as Christ did, offering himself for the common good.


"Holy One, help me to trust that the only temple that matters is the heart that holds you close, the heart that seeks justice, loves kindness, and walks humbly with you.  All other temples may be torn down, and you will raise up temples for yourself."


Breathprayer: "Destroy this temple... I will raise it up."



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