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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." The 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.
- John 2:13-22
In yesterday's reading, we read about the first sign in the Gospel of John. Jesus has just gone with His disciples to Galilee. On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filed them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, "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. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. It's interesting that right from the beginning of John's Gospel, we have Jesus in so many places around Israel. First there was the Baptism at the Jordan and John the Baptist handing over of his disciples to Christ, then He traveled with His disciples to Galilee. Here, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Passover. Throughout His ministry, in John's Gospel, Jesus will be in Jerusalem for several religious festivals. Correspondingly, His statements about Himself and His revelation in His ministry will reflect these events commemorated at the festivals. This visit to the temple during Passover comes right at the beginning of Jesus' ministry in John's Gospel. My study bible says, "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. Interestingly, St. John Chrysostom believes Jesus cleansed the temple twice, at the beginning and again at the end of His public ministry. The Passover: Jesus performs His miracles during the major Jewish feasts demonstrating that the Old Law is fulfilled in Jesus Himself."
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!" My study bible tells us that "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."
Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." Scripture corresponds to events in Jesus' life and ministry, and reflects His fulfillment of them. The disciples remembered the Scripture; it is part of the illumination of faith about Jesus, part of what it is to be in discipleship.
So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" A reasonable question, given that Jesus has just -- seemingly with all authority -- cleansed the temple. My study bible explains that this question concerns this authority. This is an act of Messiah. It notes, "He answers in a hidden way: the ultimate sign will be His death and Resurrection." Again, we're prompted by the text to understand the part that memory, reflection and illumination play in understanding and coming more fully into faith. Jesus' "hidden" answer will require insight, the answers of the heart. It will prompt deeper meaning as we go further and deeper into faith.
The 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. The leadership ("the Jews" is frequently the way that John will refer to the leadership) can't really see what Jesus is talking about. They think He's referring to a spectacular sign having literally to do with rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem, which was an extraordinary structure, a feat of building begun by Herod the Great in 20 B.C.
In today's reading, John's gospel relays for us something essential to our faith, a deepening and clarifying understanding that grows as we advance into it. Perhaps also we should remind ourselves that new questions and deeper Mysteries also invite us in throughout a lifetime of faith. But here in the Gospel, John is telling us something in a particular way. For the disciples, there are repeated reflections and remembering. There is insight into the words of Jesus. Jesus' words are given in deliberate riddles and mysteries (as will also happen when He preaches in parables), designed so that those who really want to know, who have a thirst for what He is offering, will continue to explore and to find deeper meanings and connections in the heart, in faith. Reflection and remembrance make it possible for His disciples to recall the Scripture quoted above from Psalm 69. John also tells us that after Jesus was risen from the dead, long after this incident reported today took place, the disciples recalled His words to the leadership, and gained insight into them, found meaning and truth and faith, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. John's gospel will be characterized by this further revelation, and this deeper drawing in. We will read in several incidents where Jesus reveals Himself gradually, through faith, to those who will become His followers, believers. And so it should happen also in our lives. Why do we reflect on Scripture? Because deeper insights and meanings can also come through our own faith, insight into our own experiences, and especially the recognition of God's love and Christ's grace at work in our own lives come through reflection and remembrance and insight. It's a question of listening with the heart, a gradual growth. This doesn't depend on extraordinary learning or a high intelligence quotient or a particularly great background in all sorts of education of one type or another. It depends on faith and grace. Jesus' disciples are fishermen of His time and place; they're not particularly learned at all for their own place, and yet they are the ones He chose. We each bring to God whatever we are, and God works with us in our heart. Remembrance and reflection can happen sitting in church, at prayer, or even while driving your car or walking down the street. Let us remember what the Gospel teaches us; faith leads us more deeply to this place.
