Gospel of John, chapter 2:19

The account of Jesus’ cleansing of the temple appears in all four Gospels. Today, we read St. John’s account of this extraordinary event (John 2:13-25).

In the mind of the people of Jesus’ time, the temple had come to be identified with the place where authentic worship of God took place. The average worshiper saw nothing amiss in having special things such as animals and coins set aside for sacrificial use within the temple. Jesus had a different perception, however.

In the St. John’s Gospel, Jesus identifies not WITH the temple, but AS the temple. What Jesus did when he knocked over the money changers’ tables was to indicate a drastic shift in what it means to worship God, to be in God’s presence. Jesus becomes the new temple as the focus of worship. He refers to Himself as the new temple which can not be destroyed. “Destroy this temple,” He says, “and in three days I will raise it up.”

The only way one can be in relationship with God is to worship in an entirely new way in and through Jesus. To be one with God, we are to be one with Jesus. The commandments, in themselves, are not the whole will of God for us. We can-not base our spiritual life on the commandments ALONE. To do so would be to delude ourselves into thinking that God’s will for us is contained only in the law. And living only legally can lead to great acts of immorality as happened in the murder of Jesus who was condemned by the law: “We have the law, and according to the law He (Jesus) must die” (John 19:7). Jesus did not abrogate the commandments. Rather, He placed them in a new light. The person and example of Jesus is the sign of the new covenant. By following His example, our worship is perfected in spirit and in truth.

Fr. Hugh Duffy