I’m always amazed with the story of Jesus cleansing the temple when it comes up in the lectionary. In the synoptic gospels, this act of Jesus comes right before his arrest and trial; in the Gospel of John, this action comes right after his first set of miracles (which began with the wedding at Cana and the turning of water into wine)...following the chronology of John, it’s at least two years before the arrest and trial of Jesus. So it’s a bit unclear, from a historical perspective, when exactly the cleansing of the temple happened in the course of Jesus’ ministry.
But history and chronology aren’t what I find amazing about this story. John Calvin, the great Methodist theologian, wrote that Jesus has three roles--prophet, priest and king. According to Calvin, the cleansing of the temple is an example of when Jesus acted as a prophet. In the Jewish tradition a prophet was someone who pointed out to the leadership when things had gone awry in relationship to God. If you go back to the Old Testament...even today’s reading about the 10 Commandments...it is the voice of the prophet that calls people back into right relationship with God. When the people of the covenant fall out of right relationship, the prophet is their to lead them back. We have a great history of this, beginning of course with Moses, all the way through to John the Baptist. So Jesus as a prophet cleansing the temple is an interesting interpretation. At the time of this story, the Jewish temple was existing in a world that was surrounded by “pagan” influences. For obedient Jews to come to the temple for worship, prayer and sacrifice, they needed to exchange their secular goods for sacred goods. While this exchange may have best been done outside of the walls of the temple, for whatever reason, it had become acceptable practice to allow the exchange within the temple courtyard. The sacredness of the temple had become a bit lazy in trying to accommodate the secular culture. Jesus the prophet is calling attention to this laziness, this sliding down the slippery slope, to remind people that the temple was a sacred place, not a place of commerce. But Jesus also acts as the priest and king in this passage because of his foreshadowing of his own death and resurrection. By taking on the role of the temple--by becoming the place of God--as priest, he is offering an opportunity for reconciliation, and as king, he is claiming his identity as the Messiah. Again, all of this is interesting and really great stuff to chew on, but it isn’t what I find amazing in this story. I think what I find amazing is Jesus’ anger. It’s an anger that I find both frightening and energizing. Throughout the gospel, we are presented with a Jesus who is humble, who is a healer and teacher, who is concerned for the “least of these”. Yet, here we have a Jesus who is fired up, angry, and frankly, dangerous. What happens in the temple is more than disruptive...it’s violent. Tables are turned over. In my imagination, I see coins being thrown around the room, doves escaping their cages, grains spilled on the floor, people cowering in corners, trying to find a safe place to hide from his whip. In my imagination, there is yelling and perhaps even crying, and I see the disciples gathered together whispering to each other trying to understand what is happening. The scene has exploded. For a years, theologians and spiritual activists have used this scene to illustrate the church’s call to fight against the powers of domination and oppression. I remember being taught in seminary that if change was going to happen, we needed to be prepared to turn over tables. And that’s exciting and dramatic! To overturn oppression, to serve as the prophetic voices in our communities, to reclaim the sacredness of life, we were prepared to be fired up and call attention to problems! This is good, juicy stuff! But what does any of that have to do with where we are in our Lenten journey at this time and place in our lives? So what if this scene in the temple becomes a metaphor for our inner lives. Where in your life has the sacred been replaced by the secular? When have you chosen the option that is easier, more popular, less inconvenient, as opposed to making a choice that may be harder, but is more just or equitable? When have you compromised your integrity or your values, your sense of knowing who you are, in order to make someone else happy, or to please them? I know these are things that I am constantly wrestling with, and surely, I’m not alone. Perhaps this scene in the temple is a metaphor for when Jesus comes back in and claims us as sacred. Perhaps he is turning over our inner tables--our conflict, self-doubt, and feelings of incompetence or unworthiness--in order to help us be right relationship with God and ourselves. And that’s part of our Lenten journey. We’re wandering in the wilderness, being faced by temptations and wild beasts, so that we can be resurrected with Jesus into new life--a new life of wholeness, healing, and restoration. Our tables need be turned over from time to time to help us remember this. Admittedly, I can’t take full credit for this idea of inner tables being turned over. I found this amazing prayer from Jessica Gazzola on a blog I follow: It’s hard to identify exactly when they moved in – the voices making promises, selling their fixes, displaying their idols. Echoing inside our head, the temple has become a noisy marketplace. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. It’s foolishness! There’s nothing to quell our desire, no law to bring peace to our troubled souls. But the One who was sent knows human nature well. Christ have mercy. Christ have mercy. Cleanse, purge, drive out all that bullies you. Let zeal for your house consume you. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. (http://revgalblogpals.org/2015/03/03/revised-common-lectionary-turning-the-tables-edition/#comments)
2 Comments
Michael Racine
7/22/2018 05:52:13 pm
Great article but Calvin was not Methodist. That was some time later in England.
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Mike Freeman
5/21/2019 12:59:12 pm
Mr Racine is quite right. John Calvin was, of course, Calvinist! Methodism is more closely associated with John Wesley, his brother, Charles, and George Whitfield.
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AuthorI don't know what the future of the church is, but I know that we will continue to be a place of sanctuary and hope, working towards healing in the world. Archives
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