Today’s Gospel – Gospel of John 2:13 – “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”
Why was Jesus so angry? I never really understood this passage about Jesus’ anger before. But today, something changed. What? Well, today, I meditated silently for 15mins. after hearing it read. And then, reading it for myself later on, I meditated again. The silence allowed it to speak to me or rather to penetrate my heart space and reveal itself to me. What was going on inside of Jesus and why was He so very angry?
WHY?…Because it implied Priestly corruption. The Priests were turning away the animal offerings brought by the people claiming some imperfection in order to disqualify them from having followed the Word of God regarding the selection of a perfect animal without blemish. In that way, they would have to purchase an offering from the Sellers on the staircase to the Temple in order to enter. And since their currency was not the same as that of the area they had travelled to, they also had to exchange their money with the money changers for a fee. The Priest would then receive a profit from the Sellers and the Money Changers. This entire enterprise was a grave perversion against the actual Law of the Lord and its requirements which were to be followed strictly in obedience to God’s Covenant with them.
Think about that for a moment. The scene Jesus must have witnessed when he arrived at the Temple and found animals moving about all over, being bought and sold like at a Market, people all crowded onto the steps exchanging their money, loud talking…
Jesus knew immediately that this could not be taking place without the Priest’s consent. And right on the steps of His Father’s House….
On this 4th Sunday of Lent, lets ponder this a while together using another of our dear brother Mark’s instrumental meditations:
May God Open Our Hearts To Hear His Word!
+Theresa HHC
Hermits of the Holy Cross 
It was so special listening to Bro. Mark’s instrumental meditative composition! Thank you for including this, Theresa!
I can’t count how many times I would go to visit him…..and he’d be exploring some new melodies on his guitar. He’d usually ask, “Do you like ‘this one’ or do you like ‘this other one’??…and then he would play me both to get feedback. I miss him so much.
Thank you for continuing with these wonderful posts!
Matt
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Matt, I can just picture that scene; him sitting on his bed, guitar in hand. And, I know how much he loved Scripture. So I hope to be able to continue to post Biblical reflections using Scripture and his music together. Thank you for sharing your feelings! Love to your family! 🙏✝️
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Thank you so much, Theresa, for sharing your personal meditation and for sharing Brother Mark’s music. I always noticed his guitar in the background on our Zoom meetings but had never heard any of his musical compositions. This one was intricate and peaceful at the same time.
I’ve always wondered about this scripture of Jesus cleansing the temple, too. It’s the only time he shows anger. He has come to set things right in the kingdom of God and discovers the most sacred institution of the culture ( His Father’s house, the TEMPLE) being exploited in a most materialistic way. This is the second time he shows himself as Jesus the Warrior. And this act gets him arrested. He will be the Temple, destroyed and raised again in 3 days. Thanks for letting me share.
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Thank you, Roberta for sharing your Scripture reflections and your thoughts on Bro. Mark’s music. And I agree with you that this particular piece was more complex. It was my hope that it might help reveal the many layers of Jesus’ anguish over this scene, such as the ones you most insightfully expressed.
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