Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

- John 2:13-25

In yesterday's reading, we read about the wedding in Cana. Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were there. When they ran out of wine at the wedding, Jesus' mother said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus asked what this had to do with Him or her. "My hour has not yet come," He told her. His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." At the wedding were six large waterpots of stone, for ritual purification. Jesus told the servants to fill them to the brim with water. Then He told them to draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. The master of the feast told the bridegroom, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. Then Jesus, His mother, brothers and disciples went for a short time to Capernaum.

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In John's Gospel, we will read about three different Passover feasts Jesus attends during His ministry. Scholars believe this three year span is historically accurate. My study bible points out that "Jesus performs His miracles during the major Jewish feasts, demonstrating that the Old Law is fulfilled in Jesus Himself." As a devout Jew, He worships at Jerusalem during the feasts.

And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. In the other Gospels, this incident takes place during Holy Week, just before His Passion. But John places it at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. St. John Chrysostom believed that there were actually two such cleansings of the temple, at the beginning and at the end of Jesus' ministry. My study bible notes that, "by transferring this incident from Holy Week (where it is related in the synoptic Gospels) to the beginning of Jesus' ministry, John emphasizes that Jesus' ministry is not, like that of the prophets, merely to renew faith under the Old Covenant. Rather, He is instituting a new kind of worship altogether." Jesus' public ministry is startling in this context, opening, in a sense, with a violent act. He's shaking things up. Confrontation with the established order is necessary from the beginning.

And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." Here is the fulfillment of a prophecy about Him. Jesus is stating quite clearly something powerful and unavoidable: the gifts of God to us don't have a price-tag to put upon them. They're not exploitable. They're not merchandise, commodities. They are given by grace and through God's love. God's truth is not for sale. My study bible says, "By this cleansing, Jesus vigorously protects the purity of worship against commercialism. Likewise, He zealously desires His Church to be a holy, pure house of prayer."

So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. Here we begin the refrain of the leadership: "Show us a sign." Jesus' ministry already has signs (such as in yesterday's reading of the wedding at Cana), and will have many more. But the authorities demand proofs of His identity and authority; they will show their lack of capacity for faith. In Matthew's Gospel, we've just read that false witnesses will arise against Jesus for making this statement. He was also mocked while being crucified for the same.

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. John's Gospel tells us that after all, there are many people who believed in His name after seeing the signs He did. But He doesn't trust Himself to them; He understands what they are about. And this is clearly the problem with a reliance on signs. Faith is the real key to understanding who He is and what His authority is. My study bible says, "In His divine foreknowledge Jesus knew many were misreading His signs."

There are a lot of elements to consider in today's reading. There's first of all the violent explosion upon the consciousness of all at the temple of this cleansing by Jesus. It makes a great impact, startles and shakes things up. He's not the usual preacher! He acts with authority and command of Messiah. He challenges things in a profound way. Furthermore He makes a bold pronouncement (quoting Scripture) against commodifying what is holy: "Do not make my Father's house a house of merchandise!" God's holy things are only "bought and sold" by those who think like thieves, who cannot understand the power of true faith which is of the heart and soul. He makes a bold prediction of the greatest sign of all, His Resurrection, and yet it will be misused, misunderstood and misinterpreted by those without faith in Him. So this statement is like His preaching in parables: it's for those with ears to hear, hearts that can receive it. In one of the endless ironies of the Gospels, the sign the leadership demands is one they cannot read. And yet, there's still more: there are those here who believe in His name because of His many signs (what they are, we're not told -- John will report seven in all), and yet Jesus in turn does not trust them, does not commit Himself to them, because He knows all men and what is in their hearts. Jesus has no need of testimony about anyone: He has the knowledge already and the gift of absolute discernment. So we have to think again about relationship in this context. How would you know Christ and understand His authority? How do we resist the powerful human impulse to commodify everything, to turn everything into something to exploit, put a price on? For that we truly do need eyes to see, the right spiritual eyes. We need to find a value that's not in money, but of the heart. And that's where we need the eyes to see with faith. Otherwise, we'll never get it, we'll miss it. How does Jesus' faith challenge you and shake you up? What things do you treasure so much that they can't have a price put on them? What's worth selling all for and cherishing in your heart above everything else? What comes first? Jesus challenges the temple authorities, He shakes up the established order. What is He challenging them to see and to know? Ultimately, they will all seek to judge the One who is truly the Judge, and in whom all things are reconciled. How does His faith shake up your life? What does He teach you to love?