March 11th Reflection by Bill Lynch

Third Sunday in Lent
John 2:13-22 (NRSV)
The cleansing of the temple
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making 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. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After 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.

Reflection
How we take our offerings and what God desires of them and turn them into forms of monetary and individual gain appalled Jesus. This was the temple of God and human acts of selfishness were taking place rather than offerings from the heart to honor and praise God. This temple had turned sour.

Jesus, knowing the sacrifice required, wanted to show that the real temple of his body would be slain and rise again to glory. Through Jesus each one of us will make up the Temple of God. Each of our bodies as individual temples will house God and be reunited with spirit to the Spirit of God.

And it's this that we slowly begin to grasp, after the events of the resurrection. We see the Word of God revealed. Just as today we see the Word revealed to us slowly and meaningful for daily living. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, show me how to maintain a clean spirit and mind as I dedicate myself as a living sacrifice to you this day. --- Amen