31st Week in Ord. Time, Saturday – 09th November 2019 — Gospel: Jn 2,13-22
Revolutionary Jesus
The temple narrative in John consists of two parts: Jesus’ actions in the Temple and Jesus’ foretelling about the destruction of the Temple. Jesus revolutionary actions reveal to us a very different person of Jesus. Why did Jesus, who was so merciful and compassionate, turned violent in the temple? For the Israelites, the Jerusalem temple symbolized the center of the cosmos, the meeting place between heaven and earth. It is the center to which distant communities would send delegations to offer worship. It was also a potent symbol of God’s victory over His enemies. It was referred to as the ‘House of God or Lord’. The temple was also a symbol of holiness, set apart for spiritual and holy sacrifices. Jesus being the Son of God could rightly call this temple, “My Father’s House”. When Jesus saw his Father’s house being defiled, he could no longer tolerate it and he moved into action.
