March 08, 2015
3rd Sunday of Lent
1st Reading: Ex 20:1-17
2nd Reading:
1 Cor 1:22-25
Gospel: Jn 2:13-25
As the Passover of the Jews was at hand, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the Temple court he found merchants selling oxen, sheep and doves, and money-changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the Temple court, together with the oxen and sheep. He knocked over the tables of the money-changers, scattering the coins, and ordered the people selling doves, “Take all this away and stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture: Zeal for your House devours me as a fire.
The Jews then questioned Jesus, “Where are the miraculous signs which give you the right to do this?” And Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then replied, “The building of this temple has already taken forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”
Actually, Jesus was referring to the temple of his body. Only when he had risen from the dead did his disciples remember these words; then they believed both the Scripture and the words Jesus had spoken.
Jesus stayed in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival and many believed in his Name when they saw the miraculous signs he performed. But Jesus did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all of them. He had no need of evidence about anyone for he himself knew what there was in each one.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Two camps reacted to what Jesus did at the Temple: the disciples who had faith in Jesus, and some unbelieving Jews. The disciples recalled this Scripture passage: “Zeal for your House devours me as a fire”. But the unbelieving Jews demanded miracles from him to establish his right to regulate activities in the Temple area. Faith made the big difference.
For the unbelieving Jews the merchants had the right to do business in the Temple. They were there to make it easy for worshippers to procure animals for the Temple sacrifice. The money changers were also there to facilitate exchanges so people could drop into the Temple treasury box the coins prescribed by law. The unbelieving Jews saw the practical side of it but failed to see that it was not about selling and money changing but about greater matters of faith. When Jesus said “destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up”, Jesus declared himself as the new temple around which true worship to the Father was to be consolidated.
Let us strive to deepen our faith so that we may not miss the greater truths of our faith. — Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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