by Fr. Jose “Joesum” Sumampong, Jr.
March 7, 2021
Third Sunday of Lent (Year B)
Exodus 20: 1-3, 7-8, 12-17 / Psalm 19: 8-11 /
1 Corinthians 1: 22-25 / John 2: 13-15
JESUS’ DEFENSE OF THE TEMPLE
Word: Because Mark’s gospel is short, we turn to John’s gospel for these three Sundays of Lent. Today we have John’s account of the cleansing of the temple. Many biblical scholars have found it strange at first because John, in contrast to the other evangelists, puts the cleansing of the Temple at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. So why use John today as we approach the commemoration of the passion?
A certain L. Mick, a biblical scholar, writes: “This passage is appropriate for today because John uses the incident to indicate the meaning of Jesus’ whole ministry.”
The reading begins with the cleansing incident, which is an action story with great excitement. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables… (Jn 2:14-15).
Christian artists in great numbers painted this picturesque and lively scene: an angry Jesus, whip in his hand, “chasing the merchants of the Temple.” But we must go beyond the incident to reach the theological substance of the narrative.
We already remark, in this sentence, how Jesus deals in a special way with the sellers of doves, whom he seems to approach much more gently than he does the others. The gospel narrates that to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace” (Jn 2:16). The doves were “the sacrifice of the poor”. Here Jesus expresses his constant preference for the poor.
Let us listen once again, meditatively, to the surprising phrase which Jesus uses, speaking of the Temple: “The house of my Father”. We may be too familiar with this phrase to realize that it plunges us into the deepest identity of this man, Jesus of Nazareth. What secret and mystery is hidden in his person! What an intimate love between him and God! He is at home in the sacred Temple of the Most High. It is right there in this Holy of Holies—the sanctuary into which the high priest alone could enter and that too, once a year. He is inside the most Holy Place set apart from its surroundings, and which no one could touch or still less enter without being struck dead. This is the building of which Jesus says without any ado that it is “the House of his Father, and his won home as Son!” Jesus had already said the same thing at the age of twelve—but on one had understood it, not even His mother: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49).
Yes, what matters most in the worship we render to God is not the gesture we may make (the offering of oxen, sheep or doves) but the filial heart with which we make the gestures.
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Order: The Lord is challenging us to be delivered from our ritualistic and formalistic concerns. The key is this passage: His disciples recalled the words of scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me” (Jn 2:17).
The Love of the Father literally consumes Jesus in the same way as fire consumes the twigs. His sacrifice will not be ‘ritual’, exterior to him. He will offer himself—his life and death—in sacrifice.
And what is my way of worshipping? Do I merely “attend” Mass, or am I participating in it? Am I, like Jesus, burning with zeal, consumed by love, fascinated by God?
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Realities: 1. A doctor was busy in his study when his small son came in and stood silently by. The doctor, busy with his work, put his hand into his pocket, took out a coin and offered it to the lad. “I don’t want any money, daddy,” the boy said.
After a few moments, the doctor opened a drawer of his desk took out a candy bar and offered this to his son. Again he was refused. A little impatient, the busy doctor asked, “Well, what do you want?” “I don’t want anything,” replied the boy. “I only wanted to be with you.” (Lovasik, PARENTS’ PRESENCE)
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2. During Christ’s life there were times when even the devils had to admit that he was working miracles and doing good. And sometimes he had to shut them up. This same can happen to us when enemies of God and virtue by their actions admit that they really believe in us and that we are doing good ….
A good example was the renegade outlaw named Calles who ruled Mexico and brought it to its knees during the late 1920s, making it a special point to strangle the Church. It was the time of the martyrdom of the likes of Fr. Pro and others… To this day his decree against wearing a religious habit in public still stands – for Sisters also. No cleric may vote.
Once, Colles came down with some serious illness that required surgery. He would not make use of any of the state-run hospitals for ‘this, being wary that the physicians might take his life. The only hospitals he could trust were those being run by the Sisters … No matter how much he had persecuted them, he knew that their belief in doing good to one’s enemy would come through.
He went, had his operation successfully, recuperated, and went right back to making life miserable for the likes of the Catholic Sisters ….
Another example happened in Papua New Guinea when a renegade rascal who had often robbed from the mission came down with a tropical ulcer and promptly betook himself to the mission clinic. The nurse in charge seeing him, of all people, gave him studied neglect…. He got upset and screamed, “You’ve got to help me. That’s why you came to PNG.”
Or the recent case of one oft he murderers of a nun in Papua, who when he was pursued by his own villagers, ran to the convent of the very Sister he had murdered…. for his own safety, knowing that no matter what happened, the Sisters would not harm him …. (Frank Mihalic, ENEMIES BELIEVE IN YOUR GOOD WORK)
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3. An atheist once asked a little girl to say some special words every night before going to sleep. He wrote them down so she would not forget: “God is nowhere.” The child studied the writing and spelled out the letters: G- o-d God i-s is n-o-w now he-re here. She said, “That’s easy! I’ll start my prayers by saying, ‘God is now here.” (Bruno Hagspiel, GOD’S PRESENCE)
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4. For most Filipinos, the Church is very familiar, perhaps in a sense “too familiar”. For some, “Church” simply means the building where people go to pray. For many “Church” spontaneously evokes the image of bishops, priests and religious, or particular Church organizations. Moreover, whereas in earlier times Church meant the “Catholic Church,” in today’s Philippine society it can refer to many different Christian churches and sects too numerous to count. (Catechism for Filipino Catholics, no. 1351).
Direction: Eternal Father, you are a mystery for us that if left to ourselves we would never have discovered. Your living Word, your Son, Jesus of Nazareth, came among us to reveal the way that leads to you. O Father, may you be thanked and praised for this way which is discovered by all who come together in Jesus’ Name to pray to you with one heart For in that case you listen to them as if your Son himself were asking you to listen to us and respond. Praise to you for this great assurance which you have granted us. (People’s Prayer Book, Prayer of Thanks for the Father’s Revelation in Christ)