Jesus is the only temple that matters.  He is “God-with-us,” the fullest presence of God among human beings.

Jesus feels outrage when he finds in the temple area sellers of animals and money-changers.  They probably think they foster worship of God.  But Jesus apparently sees them as backers of worship of money; he drives them all out.

So then, he cleanses the temple, nay, he gets rid of it.  That is because he replies to those who demand signs, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”

The sign that Jesus gives is that of the resurrection.  This is clear from the explanation that he is speaking about the temple of his body.  And, of course, we are to understand better than his questioners do, so that we may believe in him.

Yes, Jesus replaces the temple.   He is the one that guarantees the unfailing presence of God among us.  After all, he is “God-with-us,” the Word made flesh who dwells among us.  And rising up after the authorities have destroyed him, with his Father, he becomes, in his very humanity, the true temple.

But do we truly believe in him?  Do we really acknowledge him as the new temple?

Christians prove themselves by keeping their eyes on Jesus.  He is the center of their religion.  Accordingly, devotional practices and ceremonies do not make them lose sight of Jesus (see SV.EN I:80-81).  Nor do they allow the words of Jesus and the commandments of God to get lost among doctrines and traditions (see EG 35).

Authentic Christians recognize also that the temple of God is not compatible with idols.  And, surely, greed, selfishness or worrying about security and well-being makes idols of not a few things.  True disciples guard themselves, yes, against the root of all evil.

And who are the believers in Jesus to whom he would trust himself?  They are those who catch the loving solidarity of the one whose name is Emmanuel.  So, thankful to the one who looks upon their weakness and turns it into strength, they follow his example.  That is to say, they do for others what he does for them; they welcome others, especially the poor.  In that way, their celebration of the Lord’s Supper, their proclamation of his death until he comes, becomes praiseworthy.

“God-with-us,” bring us one day to the new Jerusalem, where the temple is the Lord God almighty and you, the Lamb.

4 March 2018
Third Sunday of Lent (B)
Ex 20, 1-17; 1 Cor 1, 22-25; Jn 2, 13-25