Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out all those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves” (Lk 19:45-46).
Luke’s account of Jesus casting out the money changers is the most succinct of all four Gospels. Luke uses the Greek term for “drive or cast out” – ekballō, eight other times. Each time he used it, Luke was making reference to exorcising demons and unclean spirits. The profanation of the body through possession of evil is equivalent to the desecration of the Temple precincts.
Jesus justified his actions of driving the sellers out of the Temple precincts by saying: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn 2:19). Jesus showed the dignity of our humanity, when he, as the Son of God, entered our humanity. He entered into the chaos of our lives, our faults and foibles, as well as our sins, while remaining sinless himself. He showed that even though we have turned away from God, we were not destroyed and lost beyond hope. He reminds us that what God has created is good and that includes us. Even when we turn away, he continually and infinitely reaches out to us in love and calls us back into relationship with him.
One of the wonderful features of the upcoming holidays is that many families seek to come together and to return home. For some coming home has been longer than for others, for some there may be many miles of separation, and for others, coming home is no longer possible because they have changed their address from this life to the next. There are also those suffering today that are estranged from their families, those who are homeless, displaced, refugees and immigrants, or living in fear of deportation.
No matter who or where we are, Jesus remains close. He became one with us to restore our communion with his Father and one another. He provides the living water that quenches the thirst of our deepest longings. Jesus is our Temple, our new covenant, the dwelling place of God. He is alive and present to each one of us in every condition, situation, time, and place. Through his resurrection, ascension, and our participation in his life, we become precious stones of his Temple.
Jesus meets us where we are and loves us as we are, yet he wants the best for us and for us to settle for nothing less. Jesus, please cast out, as you did in the temple precincts, all from our being that would defile, distract, or divide us, and purge anything that would keep us bound in sin. Send the Holy Spirit as a purifying fire that will reign in our hearts so that each thought, word, and action may proceed not from our survival instincts or reactions, but from deciding to think, speak, and act according to our Father’s will.
Photo: Breathe in – Come Holy Spirit – Breathe out – repeat
Spiritual Stepping Stones 