Gospel Reading for the Third Sunday in Lent: Year B
“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!” (John 2: 15 and16)
Some people, and even pastors, have tried to use these verses from John to show a violent side of Jesus. But they are wrong. Just as a net is used for fishing, and a rod and staff are used for guiding sheep, so too, a whip is used to move live stock of many varieties from one place to another. One might even say this was the “cowboy” Jesus.
What we should be paying closer attention to is the reference Jesus made about his body being the Temple. And that he would raise it again when destroyed. But then, even the writer of the Gospel according to John saw fit to put these connecting words before us so as to inform us about our own souls and bodies.
Sometimes we have things in us that we are not able to rid ourselves of. In fact, we, like those in our Gospel passage, we have become used to them and have accepted their presence in us where they should not be.
Lent is a time of cleansing. Our Lord Jesus is still trying to be in our inner temple, leading us, guiding us, and loving us. But we must pay attention to the housekeeping of our souls. We must pay attention to distractions and actions that clutter the resting place for Jesus within us. We do this through prayer, for ourselves, and for others.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and our schools including St Augustine in Raleigh, North Carolina.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do.
Let us pray:
My Lord Jesus, who fashioned a whip to drive away those things that corrupted your temple, I ask you, do you still have that cleansing whip? We pray you dear Lord Jesus, drive away those things that defile your temple place in our souls. Drive away racial prejudice, love of money above people, political anger, and all distractions that block our love of you, you who now dwell in that temple not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Amen.
onewhoponders 