Everything about Our Lord was infinitely perfect. Given the state of affairs, established gradually over time, it would have been futile to employ gentleness to persuade those who had turned the Temple of God into a veritable marketplace.
Gospel of Third Sunday in Lent
13 “Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. 15 He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, 16 and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” 17 His disciples recalled the words of scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.
23 While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. 24 But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, 25 and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well” (Jn 2:13-25).
I – The Temple
“And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who will endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s lye. He will sit refining and purifying (silver), and he will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver” (Mal 3:1-3).
The Holy Spirit prophesies thus, by the pen of Malachi, concerning the beginning of the ministry of the official preaching of the Messiah. Accordingly, He was to start in the Temple that was located in the city of Jerusalem.
By this revelation, it became clear to those of goodwill that the appearance of the King awaited by the Jewish people would not be marked by the manifestation of political or economic power (dominion over all peoples or an end to taxes), but by a clearly sanctifying action. He would go, in fact, to the Temple to purify and refine the sons of Levi.
According to St. John’s narration, the miracle of the Wedding of Cana took place a short time before Jesus set out for Capharnaum, where He remained some days with Mary and His disciples. He could not have chosen a better moment to begin His public mission. The Holy City and the Temple itself were overflowing with men and women from all over Israel.
If the people had fervently accepted the preaching of the Precursor—“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert” (Jn 1:23), they would have been prepared to see, in Jesus’s entrance into the Temple, an unmistakable sign of the appearance of the Messiah: “…that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord.” Malachi continues—“Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord, as in days of old, as in years gone by” (Mal 3:3-4).
The Court of the Gentiles
The collection of buildings making up the Temple formed a quadrilateral of five hundred cubits 1 on either side, protected by walls. It was accessed through eight enormous gates equipped with watchtowers. Inside, there were three especially sacred courts: that of the priests, where the naos was found—also a square structure, made of white marble adorned with gold, located in the northwest corner; toward the east, the court of the men, followed by that of the women.
Encircling these three courts was a large area bound by columns, which was called the Court of the Gentiles or of the Pagans—the only part open to the non-Jewish. It was there that, with the tacit consent of the authorities of the Temple, exchange booths and a veritable market had been set up.
In contrast with the other three, which were considered sacred, this court took on the character of an oriental bazaar. Salt, olive oil, wine, doves—which women offered for their purification—sheep, and even calves, for greater sacrifices, were all sold there. Foreign coins were also exchanged—Greek or Roman, for example—for the sacred ones used to pay the tax determined by God for the maintenance of the Temple (cf. Ex 30:13-16).
The Court of the Gentiles allowed access to all of the others, and whoever did not use it as a shortcut would have to go all the way around the Temple. Therefore, an area that should have maintained a somewhat sacred tone became a dissipated and hectic “den of thieves.”
The mission of the Messiah becomes official
The Temple was the reference point most imbued with religious, and even national, symbolism in Israel. There was nothing holier in the entire nation. God Himself had selected that place in which to interact with the Chosen People. For these and other reasons, no Jewish person could be consoled if his hour of death arrived before he had been able to pass through its porticos, corridors and edifices to pray and offer sacrifices. To this day, the great dream of every Israeli is to walk among those ruins, to touch them, kiss them and bathe them with their tears, in this way bolstering their hope.
Crossing the threshold of one of the eight external porticos, one entered the immense Court of the Gentiles, open to all: Jewish or pagan, orthodox or heretic, clean or unclean. From there, to enter the courts reserved exclusively for the Jewish, there were thirteen doors with a column in front of each, bearing inscriptions prohibiting entry of unworthy persons, under penalty of death.
It was in these courts that many of the scenes of the public life of Our Lord took place. And it is precisely in this episode, narrated by St. John in the Gospel of today, that the mission of the Messiah is officially inaugurated. Before this day, He had frequented the Temple as a simple Jew, without pronouncing any judgement regarding the conduct of the local authorities.
II – Jesus expels the money-changers
13 “Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”
On great feasts, especially during the celebration of Passover, the streets of Jerusalem teemed with Jewish people from all over.
Jesus also fulfilled the precepts of the Law, however, with a much more elevated spiritual disposition than all of the other Jewish people, as Origen comments: “Perhaps because there are two sorts of Passover, one human, which is celebrated in a way very different from the design of Scripture; another the true and Divine, which is kept in spirit and in truth. To distinguish it then from the Divine, it is said, of the Jews […] The Lord gave us an example of the great care we should take in the fulfilment of the divine precepts.” 2
And, according to Bossuet, “Jesus should present Himself in the Temple, not only to offer the highest form of worship to God, but also ‘as son of the house’ (Heb 3:6), to put in order everything that the Father, who had sent Him, had ordained.” 3
And St. Bede concludes: “Our Lord on coming to Jerusalem, immediately entered the temple to pray; giving us an example that, wherever we go, our first visit should be to the house of God to pray.” 4
The sacred precinct is made a marketplace
14 “He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there.”
Besides the usual multitude that circulated through the Temple on the great feast days, Jesus once again came upon noisy commotion and jostling. Money-changers bellowed, offering a “good deal” in the exchange of sacred coins for foreign currency, which could not be used there. In this way they disregarded the Law and created an intolerable climate of trade.
Haggling over the value of this or that coin was not the only sacrilegious din. The animals—veritable flocks!—lambs, sheep, oxen and bulls, mingled their cries with the vendors’; not to mention the sparrows, doves and other fowl that contributed their shrill chatter to the general cacophony, shockingly contrary to the sacred essence of the site. To all of this were added the famous drawn out and frequent debates between the Pharisees and Sadducees.
One can imagine how the vendors’ greed for profit, and the buyers’ greed for bargains, must have undermined the religious, decorous and recollected spirit with which pilgrims wished to enter the Temple of God. Thus, this edifice destined for prayer and sacrifice was transformed into a showground of raucous and appalling abuses, in a profane and vulgar marketplace!
“Jesus enters the Temple by the Court of the Gentiles, as evident by the commerce present there. Yet, due to the proximity of the Sanctuary, the rabbis prohibited—more in theory than in practice—its use as a mere shortcut or in a manner less becoming. ‘One must not approach the Temple with a staff, nor with sandals or purse, nor even with dust on one’s feet. The Temple must not be used as a shortcut’ (Berakoth 9.5; cf, STRACK-B. Kommentar II, p. 27). This same detail is also noted by Mark (11:16). Nevertheless, despite these good measures taken to preserve the Temple’s sanctity, it was not respected, as real profanations were committed within the sacred precinct.” 5
Act of righteous anger of a perfect temperament
15 “He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, 16 and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
Jesus had, on other occasions, observed that profanation—a true spectacle of profound tendential and revolutionary consequences: the Temple was no longer a house of prayer; it had been turned into a marketplace. On other occasions, He had suffered in silence, restraining His indignation, but now the moment to intervene had come.
Jesus is God and entirely Man, with a divine personality. Later on, He would weep over Jerusalem and the death of Lazarus; those tears would signify His mercy, kindness, tenderness and love. Here, He wields the scourge of wrath, revenge and justice. These two extremes denote the unsurpassable perfection of His temperament.
It was an act of righteous anger. In itself, wrath is a neutral passion of the irascible appetite—that is, neither good nor evil. If it is in accordance with right reason, it is good; if not, it is evil. In Jesus Christ, all the passions were always well ordered and good. In the concrete case presented in today’s Gospel, not only should His act of vengeance never be thought to possess a sinful character, nor even one that is imperfect, but, much to the contrary, it should be seen to represent the practice of the virtue of zeal to a heroic degree. With this attitude, Jesus sought to admonish the abuses and offences against His adored Father. 6
Let us fear the Lord’s indignation
In his Meditations on the Life of Christ, St. Bonaventure comments on this passage: “The Lord expelled the buyers and sellers from the Temple twice (cf. Jn 2; Mt 21), which is counted among His greatest miracles. For, though they had disregarded Him on other occasions, this time all of them fled without resistance, despite their great numbers; and He expelled them single-handedly, armed with cords alone. He accomplished all of this by facing them with a fearsome countenance. He expelled them because, with their buying and selling, they dishonoured the Father in the exact place where He should be most honoured. And Jesus, moved by an ardent zeal for the House of God, could not tolerate such disorder. Consider this carefully and sympathize with Him, because He is filled with sorrow and compassion. And never cease to fear Him, because if we—who were, by a special grace, chosen to be the temple and dwelling place of God, and have the obligation to ever attend to His praise—busy and engross ourselves in worldly affairs, as did those merchants, we can and should rightly fear that He will become indignant and expel us. If you do not wish to be tormented by this fear, do not dare, under any pretext, become absorbed by temporal concerns and affairs. Neither should you concern yourself with works of mere curiosity, which pertain to worldly pomps and rob the time due to God’s praise.” 7
Everything about Our Lord was of unlimited perfection. In that state of affairs, established gradually over time, it would have been futile to employ gentleness to persuade the wrongdoers. We should base ourselves on the infallible principle: if this was how Jesus proceeded, nothing could have been better. Logical and rational arguments imbued with sweetness, would never have prevailed in that situation.
It is better to correct oneself than to be flogged
St. Augustine, in his untiring zeal for souls, draws a wise lesson for the spiritual life from this episode:
“The Lord did not spare them. He, who would later be scourged by them, did the same to them first. Brethren, the Lord made a whip from cords and flogged those unruly men who did business in the temple of God, and there is some symbolism in this.
“Each weaves a cord for himself with his sins. As the Prophet said: ‘Woe to those who tug at guilt with cords of perversity’ (Is 5:18). Who makes this cord? Whoever heaps sin upon sin. How are sins heaped upon sins? When one covers sins already committed with new sins.
“One who has stolen goes to consult a soothsayer to avoid being discovered as the thief. It is already bad enough to be known as a thief; why add another sin to the one already committed? Now there are two sins. As it is prohibited to consult a soothsayer, he blasphemes against his bishop. Now there are three sins. When he expels him from the Church, he says: ‘Now I will go to the Donatists.’ Now there are four sins. The cord continues to grow. It is cause for fear. It is better to make amends when flogged, so as not to hear this sentence in the end: ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside’ (Mt 22:13).
“‘In the meshes of his own sin he will be held fast’ (Prv 5:22). The Lord and another book of Scripture both said it. In any case, it is always the Lord who says it. Men are bound by their own sins, and cast into the darkness outside.” 8
A greater deed than changing water into wine
This position which Jesus adopted must have delighted many people, not only on that occasion, but also throughout history. Seeing His intransigence in opposing the merchants, even of holy things, within the sacred confines of the Temple, hampering the devotion of the pilgrims and faithful, certainly must have awakened sympathies. The daring of one who stands up against abuses, always elicits applause from the common people. Furthermore, we should not be surprised that He, who is the Quam suavis, reacted in this way, as Origen ponders:
“Should it appear something out of the order of things, that the Son of God should make a scourge of small cords, to drive them out of the temple? We have one answer in which some take refuge, viz. the divine power of Jesus, Who, when He pleased, could extinguish the wrath of His enemies however innumerable, and quiet the tumult of their minds: The Lord brings the counsel of the heathen to naught. This act indeed exhibits no less power, than His more positive miracles; nay rather, more than the miracle by which water was converted into wine: there the subject-matter was inanimate, here, the minds of so many thousands of men are overcome.” 9
Jesus’ zeal awakens the admiration of the people
17 “His disciples recalled the words of scripture, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me’
(Ps 68:10).”
A man as of yet practically unknown, relying exclusively on His own resources and strength, imposes Himself without holding any official office. He does this with such vigour, energy and intransigence as to expel the money-changers with their animals and belongings, instilling fear and respect in the multitude, the guards and even the magistrates of the Temple. This could not fail to cause a divine power to shine forth from Him. Such a person could only be a prophet, a reformer—the Messiah.
A man seized by rage is discredited whenever he seems to have lost control of himself, and to have become a brute as a result. In this scene, on the contrary, Jesus maintains His full majesty, is in full command of Himself, and assumes the bearing of a Man whose Soul enjoys the beatific vision of God. It is a zeal that blazes for total love of God. True zeal, as Alcuin affirms, “Taken in a good sense, is a certain fervour of the Spirit, by which the mind, all human fears forgotten, is stirred up to the defence of the truth.” 10
It should not be surprising that the people welcomed Jesus’ bold action. A courageous and fearless attitude, above all when it is just and religious, promotes general approbation. Therein also lies the cause of the four disciples’ surprise in witnessing the triumph of Jesus, to discover just how much the Divine Master’s benevolence was matched by an opposite attribute, nonetheless entirely harmonious with it.
However, while the disciples saw the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy in that deed, and grew in their faith, the Jews rationalized and objected.
III – The Jews ask for a sign
A question motivated by incredulity, jealousy and animosity
18 “At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?”
Evidently, “the Jews”, here, are the authorities of the Temple. The question is asked with hostility and in a manner typical of the Pharisees. To demand a proof to justify an action, which from the moral perspective, is justified in and of itself, manifests their desire a priori to discredit the sign given them. An endless debate ensues. St. John Chrysostom rightly comments: “But were signs necessary for His putting a stop to evil practices? Was not having such zeal for the house of God, the greatest sign of His virtue? They did not however remember the prophecy, but asked for a sign; at once irritated at the loss of their base gains, and wishing to prevent Him from going further. Infamous ones!” 11
The question is charged with incredulity, jealousy and animosity. They wanted a second proof, although the first, by itself, was more than enough to convince anybody with the least trace of common sense.
This is how those who possess a Pharisaical mentality are; when they sent emissaries to the Precursor, they were ready to accept—as they themselves attested—the affirmation that he was the Messiah, but were unwilling to tolerate that John the Baptist would point to Jesus Christ as Saviour. In other words, when the facts oppose their interests, no sign will satisfy them.
Jesus’ mysterious response
19 “Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking about the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.”
This would not be the only time that Jesus would answer his interlocutors in a mysterious manner. The revelations made by the Divine Master were not always comprehensible to them. However, the future would make them evident through their clear fulfillment, as occurred in this particular case, since He undoubtedly rested His hand upon His sacred breast when He said: “Destroy this Temple…”
Naturally, they all misinterpreted the statement, thinking that He was referring to the building from which the money-changers had been routed. Yet their shock was even greater when He affirmed that He had the power to rebuild it in three days. We know the reality of what transpired from an eyewitness worthy of total trust, who most likely perceived the gestures of the Divine Master’s hand as He uttered this prophecy. For this reason, in writing his Gospel, after what the Divine Master had foretold had been fulfilled, St. John did not entertain the least doubt regarding the precision and verity of those words, and he thus affirmed with entire assurance: “But He was speaking about the temple of His body.”
The disciples of Jesus accept the sign
Yet, because of His infinite mercy, He gave them a further unmistakable sign, which would sustain the faith of all: His Resurrection. “But why does He give them the sign of His Resurrection? Because this was the greatest proof that He was not a mere man; showing, as it did, that He could triumph over death, and in a moment overthrow its long tyranny.” 12
However, only the disciples present would accept what the Divine Master said, without understanding its meaning. They had begun to travel the road that is paved with faith and confidence, without barriers, in Him whom they did not yet see as God and Man.
Three years later, this would all become clear to them because of the fidelity they had maintained despite their varied shortcomings. It serves as an example of the love with which we ought to embrace the teachings of Holy Church, especially those coming from the infallible Chair of Peter. To zealously follow the guidance of the Holy Church is an act of filial love to Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself: “Whoever listens to you listens to Me” (Lk 10:16).
The thoughts of Cardinal Isidro Gomá y Tomás on the matter are valuable: “The temple to which Jesus alludes—says Origen—is not only the temple of His Body, but also that of the Holy Church, which, being built of living stones—each and every one of us Christians— is destroyed in them every day, because children of the Church die everyday; and each day in its history it seems to die as an institution, because, as a whole, it is subject to all the tribulations and apparent dissolutions of human things. Nevertheless, it always rises up again, as did the lifeless Body of Jesus. It rises again in this world, because the moments of torment and of apparent defeat are followed by tranquillity and glorious triumph. It will rise up definitively at the coming of the new heaven and new earth, of which the Apocalypse speaks, through the resurrection of all its members, namely us. Let us be members of Christ, let us suffer and die with Him: it is the indispensable condition for our resurrection with Him. This doctrine is repeated many times by the Apostle. Let us live in this holy Faith and sweet Hope.” 13
The deep resentment of those in power
The Jews did not grasp the true meaning of Jesus’ words, because, as St. Augustine tells us, “they were carnal. They only valued things for their carnal quality, and the Lord spoke to them in a spiritual sense.” 14 In fact, pride and self-love always blind those that give themselves over to them, and inevitably substitute the action of God with personal and human action.
By condemning and chastising these disorders with such vehemence, Jesus manifested the sovereign and divine right of His genuine Messianic mission and His eternal sonship. This scene would be repeated two years later, once again without result, as everything would return to how it always was. However, in face of history, the religious authorities and the multitude, Jesus immortalized the fact that He is the true Son of God and, therefore, Lord of the Temple.
Despite the enchantment of some, the episode provoked profound resentment among those in power. Thus began the battle between Him and the religious authorities, which would culminate in the cry: “His blood be upon us and upon our children” (Mt 27:25). They were so wounded by this just intervention that they managed to distort the words the Saviour uttered on this occasion, so as to condemn Him to crucifixion, accusing Him of having wanted to destroy the Temple—a heinous and sacrilegious crime, of which they themselves would be guilty when they committed the deicide.
Jesus, in turn, did nothing but proclaim that He would conquer death by His Autoresurrection, thus providing irrefutable proof of the authentic reality of His mission, as He would later affirm: “Do not be afraid! I have overcome the world!” (Jn 16:33).
Capricious and pragmatic reactions of the multitude
23 “While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. 24 But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, 25 and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well. ”
This is undoubtedly a reference to the first Passover that Jesus spent in Jerusalem, soon after having performed the miracle at the Wedding of Cana. And why did He not confide in those that began to believe because of the miracles?
Their capricious, inconstant and pragmatic hearts were imbued with admiration at the outset; yet, in less than three years, they preferred Barabbas to the miracles. In reality, they did not love the truth in theory, and even less in substance. The later remark of a French politician—that the people revenge their own applause—would aptly apply.
“What is at the root of this inconstancy which deterred Christ from fully confiding in them? They were amazed by the miracles and spoke of them as ‘signs’ of the Messianic power and dignity of Christ, but an undertone, an attitude of reserve remained in them. More than a lack of faith, it was most likely a reluctance to give themselves entirely to Christ. Perhaps they sought to follow Him in a manner similar to that of a disciple of the famous masters Hillel or Shammai, but not render themselves to Him unconditionally nor assume the moral and religious consequences of such a commitment (cf. Jo 3, 16.18.21; 6, 28.30). Already ‘in this first contact with the multitudes of Jerusalem, they showed themselves to be as they would always appear in the Gospel of John: easily impressionable and quickly won over by the miracles of Jesus, but superficial and precarious in their adhesion.’” 15
On the other hand, the testimony of men is very often blind, as it is based on external appearances. How little importance we should give to the talk, thoughts and gossip of others about us! When they are praising, they should never incite our pride, nor should they perturb us when criticizing and contrary. And in our relationship with Jesus, what He desires is “the surrender, of our thoughts and will, to His guidance; He does not want us to remain in the spiritual egoism of one who half-heartedly surrenders his thoughts and will. Jesus knows everything: He does not require the testimony of men, because His gaze penetrates to the deepest recesses of our thoughts and our heart. Let us not make excuses, let us generously give ourselves over to His graces.” 16
IV – Final considerations
Churches are the houses of God; sacred edifices in which the Lamb of God is immolated every day upon the altar. It is there that we are elevated to the dignity of children of God, purified of our sins, nourished with the Bread of Angels, instructed in the truths of salvation and sanctified by grace.
Respect, devotion and piety are indispensable virtues necessary to worthily enter such a sacred precinct. Let us pray with confidence, holy fear and enthusiasm before its shrines. Let us avidly listen to the Word of God, proffered by its ministers, or that interior voice of the Holy Spirit. Let us gratefully receive the Sacraments and make the firm resolution to diligently frequent the church to adore the benevolent Jesus and to deepen our devotion to Mary. And let us fear to be the object of the divine wrath, because of poor comportment, as Alcuin warns: “God enters His Church spiritually every day, and marks each one’s behaviour there. Let us be careful then, when we are in God’s Church, that we indulge not in stories, or jokes, or hatreds, or lusts, lest of a sudden He come and scourge us, and drive us out of His Church.” 17
Alcuin did not live in our days. If he knew the degradation of customs and fashion of the present time, he would not have failed to recommend sensitivity of conscience to those women—and those men—who enter the sacred Temple, not to pray, but to be seen, to incite others to sin and to lead souls to eternal perdition. ◊
