This week’s gospel upturns our ideas about Jesus upside down. This is not the gentle, loving Jesus we feel drawn to. Instead John shows us Jesus upturning market stalls and driving traders out of the Temple. It is a challenging and disturbing image that we can struggle to accept. Reflecting on this passage Sr Verna Holyhead writes that Jesus’ action represents:
“The reclamation of the holy place from the marketplace to his Father’s house; from empty, atrophied ritual to living worship.”
It’s tempting, and maybe comforting, for us to say that we don’t need that reclamation today, either personally or as church. Yet, especially in Lent, we’re called to allow ourselves to be challenged by Jesus.
In his anger, Jesus cleared the money changers and traders out of the Temple, creating a clear space where people could once again encounter God. Challenging as his actions are they call us to look into our own hearts. He calls us to ask ourselves what clutters up that sacred inner space where we encounter God, stopping us from seeking and discovering God’s presence. He calls us to ask ourselves what practices and habits we need to let go of to rediscover that space. It’s not only a challenge for individuals, but for the community of the Church. John write:
“Destroy this sanctuary and in three days I will raise it up.”
If we are to be part of that sanctuary of living stones that the risen Christ has promised to build, we need to ask ourselves how our rituals and practices enable people to encounter the living God.
How is Christ challenging make space in your heart to encounter God this Lent?