There is a funny little meme about today’s gospel. For those who don’t know what a meme is, it is defined as an activity, concept, catchphrase or piece of media which spreads, often as mimicry, from person to person via the Internet. It usually takes the form of a video, picture, website, or hashtag). In this case, the meme I saw is a painting of Jesus driving out the money changers and the caption reads: “When someone asks you ‘what would Jesus do’, remember that a valid option is to make a whip and turn over tables.” This light-hearted explanation of what happens between Our Lord and the temple authorities is getting at something deeper; why is Jesus, the one who tells us to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, and practice forgiveness,— why is he acting this way? Is he off his meds, is he having a bad day, or is he showing us that we can fly off the handle if something is bothering us? The answer of course, is none of the above. The cleansing of the temple is a very special moment in the life of Christ because it teaches us how repulsive it is to God when something sacred is profaned.
Let’s start with the source of tension, the money-changers. We might wonder why these guys are in the temple in the first place. There is actually a good reason for their presence. It was the sacred obligation of each able-bodied Jewish man to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the three major feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles and offer a sacrifice in the temple for himself and his family.The journey to Jerusalem was often long and tough; bringing the animal to be slaughtered would have been difficult. The selling of animals to be sacrificed was a lucrative business and central to the temple economy. [[In addition, this was also the time when the temple priests collected the temple tax, which was supposed to atone for the donor's sins and contribute to the operation of the temple.
Those selling animals were providing a service to those who needed a sacrifice during Feast time. This had been approved by the Jewish leaders in the temple and was considered a great convenience to Jews traveling great distances. Since they didn’t have livestock in tow, they could buy the necessary sacrificial animals right at the temple.]]
Places to change money were also needed because the temple tax was also being collected from every Israelite man who was twenty years or older. However, one could not pay the tax with a foreign currency because those coins were engraved with the image of persons and other living things, which was forbidden in the Jewish Law. So, pilgrims arriving from many different places, had to have Jewish coins, which forced those who came from foreign parts to have their money exchanged.
People knew that the service of providing animals for sacrifice and changing currency would not be free. It was reasonable to expect a small markup on both these services in order that the people providing them could make a living. But these merchants took advantage of the pilgrims’ situation for their own profit. Knowing they had the market cornered and that people were forced to buy their animals and accept their exchange rates, the money changers and animal sellers raised their prices, charged heavy fees, and engaged in other dishonest practices to enrich themselves. Their greed polluted the temple and made it burdensome for people to fulfill their obligation towards God. Taking advantage of people trying to worship God and using religion to get rich was, and is, just about as low as you can go. This was one reason Jesus was filled with indignation and righteous anger.
The second reason for Christ’s unusual behavior involved the same two groups. In the temple, the buying and selling of animals and the exchange of currency was tolerated only in the outermost section of this sacred place. To bring this mundane business into the inner parts of the temple was to contaminate its holiness and make it profane. Some think that these merchants, over time, had encroached closer and closer to the holier parts of the temple, constantly pushing the limit and seeking an advantage. Even more offensive than their physical trespass onto holy ground was the fact that many of them now saw the temple as something to serve their desire for wealth. This was completely backwards and wrong! The temple did not exist to make them rich or successful; they were supposed to serve the Lord in the temple, caring for it and making it possible for pilgrims to easily offer their sacrifice to the God. How maddening it must have been for Jesus to see this dysfunctional reversal?! To see people using his Father’s house for their own gain?
It could be easy for us to see this whole event as an interesting history lesson and nothing more. Because the temple has been destroyed, what could this story possibly teach us? In our faith, as christians, we are now the temple of God. Each person’s body and soul becomes a dwelling of the divine where God is meant to be praised. Every human being, from the moment of conception to the moment of death, is holy ground, sacred, meant to reflect the beauty and goodness of the creator. And yet, how often, despite this lofty calling, do we use our gifts solely for our personal gain? Isn’t it true that many times we see our bodies, minds, and souls as instruments to serve our needs, wants and desires, rather than those of God? How sad that we often reduce this sacred mind, body, and soul to serving the goals of making more money, living a more comfortable life, getting more stuff, and thinking mostly about ourselves.
Every time we pray, each time we come into church, Jesus enters into our temple. I think this is why we shy away from prayer and Mass sometime; we are afraid of what Jesus might see when he looks at us. We are afraid that he might get mad and throw a fit. But when Jesus purifies us, he doesn’t do it out of anger or disappointment. He does it out of love, knowing how potentially beautiful and holy we can be. He doesn’t want us to settle for less!Ask yourselves the following questions: When Christ enters the temple of our lives, will he find things in proper order? Will he see a heart that is trying to love him and stay holy? Will he see the right priorities, that I am trying to live a life that glorifies God and considers others? Or will he find a life that is selfish, self-centered and greedy? Is the temple of our lives a place where generous sacrifice is being offered to God on a regular basis? Or is it a place where I only look out for myself, for what benefits me, no matter the cost to others, even my own family?
If we are honest, There are parts of our lives that need to be cleansed, just like the temple. There are areas that need to be reorganized and put in their proper place. We can receive the correction of Jesus, which is often given through the sacraments, prayer, the teaching of the Church or the challenge of loving friends; letting our lives be changed. Or like the merchants in the temple, we can resist and resent this holy correction, rationalize why it doesn’t apply to us, and try to destroy the One who is challenging us. The decision is yours. What will you choose?
