The Temple

Every Jewish male who lived within 20 miles of Jerusalem was obligated to go to the Temple for Passover. It was a pilgrimage every Jew strove to make in their lifetime. Jesus went every year. For seven days, beginning with the Passover meal, they remembered God’s deliverance, God saying to Moses and Aaron “Speak to the whole community of Israel. Tell them that on the tenth day of this month each man must get a lamb from his flock. 5 The animals you choose must be males that are a year old. They must not have any flaws. You may choose either sheep or goats. Then the whole community of Israel must kill them when the sun goes down. 7 Take some of the blood. Put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where you eat the lambs. 8 That same night eat the meat cooked over a fire. Also eat bitter plants. And eat bread made without yeast.

12 “That same night I will pass through Egypt. I will strike down all those born first among the people and animals. And I will judge all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood on your houses will be a sign for you. When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” 14 “Always remember this day. You and your children after you must celebrate this day as a feast to honor the LORD. You must do this for all time to come. It is a law that will last forever. 15 For seven days eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your homes. On the first and seventh days, come together for a sacred assembly.”

It was the biggest Feast of the year. The Temple was packed with people – over two million pilgrims came yearly (Barclay). And they all brought the currency of their local area and needed to exchange it for Jewish coins, because foreign currencies were considered unclean. Every Jew over 19 needed to pay the Temple tax of a half-shekel – it was the equivalent of 2 days wages. So, the money-changers were there to make the exchange. Only, they were taking advantage of the pilgrims. The exchange fee was one ma’ah for every half-shekel, and if you brought a coin to exchange that was larger than a half-shekel, an additional ma’ah for every half-shekel you got in change. A ma’ah was worth a quarter of a days’ wages. So, if you brought a coin worth a week’s wages, your fee to get change would be about a day’s wages, so that you could pay the tax of two days’ wages. (Barclay)

At other tables, Temple authorities were inspecting animals. The Passover lamb was to be perfect, without blemish. The fee for inspection was a ma’ah. Most of the time, animals brought in from home were not approved. But, you could buy one just at the next table. (Barclay)

Jesus is angry. All four Gospels record the scene. Matthew, Mark, and Luke place the cleansing of the Temple at the end of Jesus’ ministry. John places it at the beginning, just after Jesus changes water into wine at the wedding in Cana. The placement is intentional. John tells us that the stone jars of water were used for the rites of purification. Jesus turns the purification water into party wine. By the time of Jesus, a long list of impurities had been developed, and it deepened divisions– pure and impure, Jew and Gentile, righteous and sinner, male and female, rich and poor… (Borg, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time). When Jesus changes purification water into party wine, he is breaking down barriers. John puts these two stories together because Jesus is changing the way God’s presence in the world is perceived.

Jesus enters the court of the Gentiles, the nearest a Gentile could get to God, and he sees the crowds. No one can move. There is a sign in Greek that reads, “No foreigner shall enter within the balustrade of the temple, or within the precinct, and whosoever shall be caught shall be responsible for the death that will follow in consequence of trespassing.” (Arnold) The authorities have set up tables to change money and inspect animals for sacrifice and sell animals for sacrifice. If a Jew can’t afford the Temple tax, he or she will go no further either.

Jesus’ passion and love overcome him, and he is angry. He drives out the sheep and oxen, pours out the coins of the money-changers, and overturns their tables. This scene doesn’t match the image many of us have of Jesus. We tend to picture him as calm and gentle. Rather than focusing on how we see Jesus, though, to really see this scene we need to focus on what those who were there saw.

The disciples saw one more sign that Jesus was the Messiah. They saw enacted the words of Psalm 69:9, “Because zeal, passion, love for your house has consumed me, the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me!” Jesus’ passion, his love for worship, has consumed him. The authorities are taking advantage of God’s people, who are coming faithfully. Jesus looks around and sees the injustice, the greed, the deceit and he sees the poor and faithful, the struggling and hopeful, coming hungry for God to the Temple to worship, trusting the ways of the authorities as the way to connect. And the insult of the scene against God lands on him.

The Jews recognized Jesus’ actions as a claim of being the Messiah too, and they asked for a sign, a wonder. There were plenty of false prophets, people who claimed to be the Messiah, so they wanted some proof. Jesus’ answer could not have satisfied them; they could not see what we now know. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Confused, they look around at the continuing construction, “We’ve been under construction for 46 years.” It was still only two-thirds finished, we know that building continued another 20 years. “It’s going to take you three days?” They didn’t understand. No one there understood.

But on the third day, when the tomb was empty. On the third day, when Jesus was among them again. The disciples understood.

The Jews knew that the Temple was the location of the presence of God in the world. It was where you went to be close to God. The Temple was the place of access, connection, to God.

At his resurrection, the disciples knew what he meant. Jesus’ body is now the Temple. Christ’s body is the location of the presence of God. Jesus is where you go to be close to God. Jesus is the way of access, connection, to God.

Now we are the body of Christ, the Temple. The community gathered, two or more together in the name of Jesus, is the location of the presence of God. Here, may we welcome all, without barriers or stumbling blocks or discrimination. Here is where we come to be close to God. Here is our access, our connection, to God. Here, may we be overcome with the zeal, the passion, the love of Jesus.