My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a 'den of thieves

 

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"

 

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do you hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise'?" 

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea, it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 

- Matthew 21:12-22 

 

Yesterday we read that when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!" And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."   

 

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"   My study Bible tells us that those who bought and sold were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers were a necessary part of these transactions, as they traded Roman coins for Jewish coins.  This is because Roman coins bore the image of Caesar (portrayed as a god) and were therefore considered to be defiling in the temple.  The cleansing of the temple, my study Bible notes, also points to the necessity of keeping the Church free from earthly pursuits.  Each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), and so this also presents to us a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11.  

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do you hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.   My study Bible cites a verse from the Orthodox Vespers service of Palm Sunday:  "Keep the feast with the children, and holding branches in your hands, sing 'Hosanna.'"  It notes that there are many liturgical hymns of this day (Palm Sunday, the day in which we celebrate Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem -- see yesterday's reading, above), which emphasize the perfect praise of the children, which my study Bible says was unlike that of the adults; the praise of the children was innocent, fitting, unashamed, and from hearts of pure love.  It notes that we are called to glorify Christ in the same spirit (see Matthew 18:1-4).  In contrast, the praise of the adults carried earthly expectations and agendas which, when left unfulfilled, led them to rebel against Christ just five days later (Matthew 27:20-23).  Jesus quotes from Psalm 8:2.

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.   The fig tree, my study Bible explains, is a symbol of prosperity and peace.  But here it withers as it is fruitless; this is a prophetic act by Jesus, directed at the nation, for after three years of Christ's preaching, teaching, and healing, both the leaders and the crowds were destitute of spiritual fruit.  Jesus curses this tree also as a warning to each generation of what will befall anyone who fails to listen to His message.  

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea, it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."  My study Bible comments here that while it is not recorded that an apostle literally moved a mountain, in patristic commentary it's clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen (certain saints did make crevices appear in mountains).  Moreover, not all things come by the apostles was written down.  Beyond this literal meaning, Christ's promise is also an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of life.  My study Bible quotes Theophylact:  "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritually profitable things.

Jesus cleanses the temple in today's reading.  In the commentary on this passage, my study Bible reminds us of St. Paul's teaching in (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), that we are each, in fact, a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in each one.  Effectively, since this is so, we are reminded that we also need to be aware of our own need for either regular "cleansing" ourselves, or to be on our guard against the kinds of things that would necessitate such cleansing.  In the case of ourselves as a temple of God, this practice is often called guarding the heart, and what it indicates is that we need our own vigilance regarding the things we take in from the world and allow to grow to become a part of ourselves.  In Galatians 5, St. Paul speaks of a kind of battle going on between the desires of the flesh and those of the Spirit.  He says, "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish" (Galatians 5:17).  He then lists the works of the flesh:  "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like" (Galatians 5:19-21).  We note that these are things that begin within us, as Jesus has explicitly taught in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:21-30).  There, as well as in chapter 18, Jesus has taught about taking decisive action to "cleanse" ourselves (He likened it to amputation of a diseased body part), in order to save the whole of ourselves (Matthew 18:6-9).  Here in today's reading, Jesus cleanses the temple of those who profit from the people's need for pilgrimage and sacrifice, we presume particularly at the expense of the poor.  Matthew tells us that Jesus overturned the seats of those who sold doves.  Doves were the small sacrifice affordable to the poor.  But we might note that what remains necessary to get at the root of the things that defile temple is simply repentance -- and remind ourselves that from the beginning of the Gospel, John the Baptist comes preaching the same message in preparation for the coming of Christ, and Christ echoes His teaching (Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17).  The same is true of the impulses we take on from the world around ourselves that lead to such outcomes.  In a "fallen" world that abounds with sin, we know about all the passions and desires that come from lusting after wealth, or another person's property, or envy, or myriad other impulses that can lead to what St. Paul calls the "works of the flesh."  These are things that cross the line of sin and trespass.  To guard the heart, then, is to be aware of our own mind and heart and the impulses we nurture and indulge ourselves in, fanning the flame of the desires that lead to such works.  We are meant to be rational sheep, obedient to Christ, but highly aware of ourselves and our capacity for failure, especially our own personal weaknesses.  So the elements of our own cleansing as temples of God may take on forms of repentance or "change of mind" that involve guarding our own thinking and correcting ourselves when necessary, or making more formal amends once the indulgence of such patterns of thought result in bad works, things that ultimately cause harm.  It's easy to be confused in the modern world we inhabit, especially now through the pervasive and ubiquitous influence of social media that works like a worldwide machine to make all kinds of harmful behaviors, and personal attitudes that lead to such behaviors, seem, in fact, "normal."  The need for this ongoing awareness, and work within ourselves and our hearts and minds, actually highlights Christ's later teaching on the power of prayer and faith.  This is because the only way to make our prayer truly effective is through hearts that are pure in the sense that we work at what kind of persons we are, that we develop the kind of discipline that makes our prayer life strong and clear -- so that we may nurture desire in prayer for what Theophylact calls "spiritually profitable" things.  The cleansing and guarding of our hearts and minds therefore is linked to the effectiveness and power of our prayer lives, even to the insights we may gain from prayer.  For, without cultivating the regular practice of such personal spiritual discipline, how to we come to the clarity we want in prayer, to discern the ways God wants us to go forward in life, from the ways that we're called to go by "the flesh" as St. Paul calls it?  That is, the endless desires for all kinds of things cultivated in us by the influence of the world around us, such as the competition for the best car or house, the things we envy that others have, a certain circle of friends or influence or power, for vengeance, for exploitation of others, and so on; the list can go on ad infinitum and extends into the future until the seemingly inexhaustible fantasies and imaginings of the wider web of the internet or any form of public dissemination crowd out the message of the gospel within us.  In this sense, our lives of worship -- whether in the personal and unique temple that each of us are, or in our public forms of worship in Churches -- really depend upon Christ's examples and teachings to us.  To be aware of what we tolerate in one sense or another that we should not, then, becomes essential to the effectiveness of prayer and the quality of our faith.  Let us endeavor to adopt His discipline for ourselves, asking God for guidance and direction, and the wisdom for what we need to let go, as well as the wisdom to know what to pray for and what we truly need. 

Is it not written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?" But you have made it a den of thieves"

 

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He wold not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 

- Mark 11:12–26 

 

On Saturday, we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"  And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

 

  Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  That it was not the season for figs means that this fig tree had sprouted an early full foliage, my study Bible comments.  This would indicate a first crop, but without bearing any fruit.  Jesus -- having found not a single fig -- condemns it.  In Scripture, my study Bible explains, a fig tree is often a symbol of Israel (Hosea 9:10).  Israel's fruitfulness has ceased (hinting at the rejection of Christ), so the Kingdom will be taken from her and given to another people, my study Bible says; that is, a people who are called to bear spiritual fruit (see Matthew 21:43; Galatians 5:22-23).

 

 So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He wold not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a "den of thieves.'  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.   My study Bible explains that those who bought and sold were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers were trading roman coins for Jewish coins.  This is because Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and so were therefore considered to be defiling in the temple.  My study Bible adds that the cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), it is also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters, my study Bible says.   In condemning the activities within the temple, Jesus cites Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."  My study Bible says that the cursing and withering of the fig tree is a prophetic act, and that it signifies the judgment of Israel.  This is a visible way for the disciples to learn that the old covenant with Israel is becoming "obsolete" and will "vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13).  They will establish Christ's Church, ultimately to be filled with both Gentiles and Jews, and, as my study Bible frames it, they need assurance that they are following His will.  The fig tree will thus be an indelible image of this moment in their minds.  

It's very interesting to consider the money changers, as they are being so scrupulous in following the Law by exchanging coins bearing the image of Caesar for Jewish coins to use in the temple treasury.  But once again, Jesus' act -- and this time a very visceral and dramatic act -- centers on the aims of the Law, and against the legalism of the ruling Council.  He says that instead of Isaiah's "house of prayer," the temple has been reduced to Jeremiah's "den of thieves" through the machinations of the system, and how it no doubt penalized the poor who could not afford a good sacrifice.   One suspects, however, that there was more to it than this.  Possibly -- as can happen in so many Churches today -- the whole focus of Passover was becoming this great business of doing business in the temple, with less emphasis on the prayer for which purpose it was meant.  We should remember that the animals being sold in the temple (for which purpose Roman money was being exchanged  for Jewish coins in the first place), were for sacrificial offerings to the Lord Himself.  It reminds us that the Psalmist writes, "For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:16-17).  Indeed, the interactions of Jesus with the Council all seem to point to the lack of "broken and contrite hearts" among them, so rigorous are they in their legalism and absolutely assured of their own righteousness.  In today's reading we have what might be the two most dramatically "violent" acts of Christ:  the cleansing of the temple and also the withering of the fig tree.  But they both go hand in hand.  They are the very visible signs of the Lord's own judgment regarding what He sees, and also what He fails to see.  It is the righteousness of true self-sacrifice and the spiritual fruits of humility before God that He does not see here.  The withering of the fig tree is an act of judgment aimed at those who put on a good show, but who fail to produce true spiritual fruit.  Let us keep in mind that the final judgment is yet to come for all of us, and that repentance always remains a possibility.  But Jesus has pronounced clearly in these acts His judgment about what is happening in real time, what He witnesses.  We cannot forget that He also as Messiah is the Lord of the temple, the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).  As such He has surveyed what He sees (in Saturday's reading, above), and He has now given His judgment, with His authority.  The scrupulosity of money exchanges cannot cover the mechanisms for hypocrisy, legalism, and corruption that He sees -- and also the absent spiritual fruit that He doesn't see.  Bede comments on today's passage using images of the marketplace, "What, my beloved, do you suppose our Lord would do if he should discover people involved in disputes, wasting time gossiping, indulging in unseemly laughter, or engaged in any other sort of wicked actions?" (Exposition on the Gospel of Mark 2.1).   Let us consider for our own time precisely this rough and vigorous display of judgment in today's reading, for all of it applies equally to us when we lose ourselves to commerce, profit, useful mechanisms to turn church into mere marketplace -- and leave behind the real purpose of worship and prayer and the spiritual fruit that must go with it.  For this is not about the past alone.  Christ's message is meant for us, and to be with us, even as He is as yet with us when we worship as well (Matthew 18:20).  

Take these things away! 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. 

 

- John 2:13–22 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the sixth day given of seven in John's Gospel, telling the story of the beginning of Christ's public ministry, 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 filled 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. Today's reading gives us the story of the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem.  In the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this event occurs at the end of Christ's ministry.  But John places it at the beginning, which sets a strong tone for the Gospel.  My study Bible notes that some patristic commentary holds that Christ performed this act twice.   John's Gospel gives us three occasions on which Jesus participates in the Passover festival during Jesus' ministry, teaching us that His ministry lasted three years.  

 

 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."  Those who sold oxen and sheep and doves were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins, since Roman coins bore the image of Ceasar and were considered to be defiling in the temple.  John gives us the detail that Jesus made a whip of cords, giving us an image of His decisive and strong action here.  It is also here in John's account that we're told the disciples remembered the words of the Psalm:  "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up" (Psalm 69:9), also giving us a picture of the strength and energy of Jesus.  My study Bible reminds us that the cleansing of the temple points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  Additionally, as each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19), it is a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  Jesus' energetic and decisive response is reminiscent of His language illustrating decisive action to separate ourselves from sin (see for example Matthew 18:8-9).

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.   As Jesus is not a Levitical priest, His authority to cleanse the temple is challenged by the religious leaders.  My study Bible reminds us that by the time of John's Gospel, early Jewish Christians had been subject to persecution.  Hence the term "the Jews" is used most often as a political term here, and does not mean the Jewish people.  It is most frequently used specifically to refer to the Jewish leadership at the time of Christ.  In this case, it's referring to the chief priests and the elders (see Matthew 21:23).  We would do well to remember that Jesus and all of His disciples, including the author of this Gospel, were Jews.  My study Bible comments that, as Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, HE answers in a hidden way  the ultimate sign will be His death and Resurrection.  These words, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" will be twisted and used against Him by false witnesses at His trial (Matthew 26:60-61).

 

Today's reading gives us an image of Christ that is dynamic and powerful.  In the cleansing of the temple, it shows Him as a man who is ready to take decisive action, and who can use strength for the right purposes.  Many people seem to get the impression from Christ's preaching, such as in the Sermon on the Mount (where we are taught, for example, to pray for our enemies), that Jesus was a man of very passive nature.  But to see Christ this way is not to understand Him or His strength, or even His teaching in a full perspective.  To know Christ is to know the great and true passion and dynamism in Him, even in the way that the disciples understand the line from the Psalm, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."   In Matthew 5:5, we read iJesus teaching (in NKJV English), "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."  In Matthew 11:29, we read Him saying, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."    "Meek" in the first case, and "gentle" in the second case, are both translated from the same Greek word.  That word is πραΰς/prays (pronounced pra-EES).  This can also mean humble, but it is more than that.  It indicates not weakness, as is often imaged by English translations, but rather God's exercising strength under God's control.  That is (according to HELPS Word-Studies), "demonstrating power without undue harshness."  This kind of gentleness is a blend of both reserve and strength.  So John's picture of the dynamic Jesus here gives us a fullness of Christ we're apt to miss at times.  Although He comes into the world as a human being without social or material power, He is the Incarnate Son.  As such, He manifests and pronounces judgment and justice.  Therefore His actions in the temple represent this, as do His powerful words to the religious leaders as well -- see Matthew 23 for His vivid critique of their habits.  This is not a shrinking violet, not the meekness of someone who shows any fear whatsoever, but the supreme confidence of One who takes absolute nature and strength and judgment from God (and who is God), and One who has come into the world to show us what that is ("He who has seen Me has seen the Father" - John 14:9).  If we are to model Christ in our lives, we must take an understanding from the fullness of what we are taught in the Gospels, and our understanding must come not from contradiction between strength and meekness, but from a comprehension of what grace is and does, and the power of God's truth and judgment.  Moreover, the phrase "strength under control" could serve as a model for what real discipleship will make of us.  Above all, we rely on God, as does Jesus in the example He sets before us.  This is where we take confidence, and where Christ derives His supreme confidence.  In one other example of this we might note, when Jesus is arrested in Gethsemane, He says to His disciple who took up a sword, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" (Matthew 26:52-54).  In citing the "more than twelve legions of angels" Jesus reminds us all of who He is, of His strength that He has available to Him.  But we are given to understand yet again that He is the Son of Man, on a mission, and that mission must be fulfilled as the supreme command for Him; it is the line He will not cross.  Let us understand meekness and gentleness not as weakness but as power under grace, strength under God's command -- a reserve that knows its boundaries and mission, with discipline and ultimate service.  Let us not be like those who cannot see for their blindness to God's grace.

 

Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said to this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said

 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 to this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
 
- John 2:13–22 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given the sixth and seventh days of Jesus' ministry:   On the sixth day given in John's Gospel, there was a wedding in Cana of Galiliee, 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 filled 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 (on the seventh day in John's Gospel) 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.  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."   What is remarkable about this passage is that in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke this episode appears at the end of Christ's ministry, at the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Christ's earthly life.  But John places it squarely at the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  There are some patristic writers who teach that Christ, in fact, performed this act twice.   Also, this is the first of three Passover festivals that Jesus attends according to John's Gospel.  To explain this event, we need to understand that those who sold oxen and sheep and doves were trading in live animals which were to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers doing business were trading Roman coins for Jewish coins.  Roman coins, bearing the image of Caesar, we considered to be defiling in the temple.   My study bible adds that the cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19), it's also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  The disciples remembered Psalm 69:9:  "Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me."  

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 to this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.  In this section of today's reading, we should understand that the term Jews, as used in John's Gospel, frequently is meant to refer specifically to the religious leaders.  In this case it refers to the chief priests and the elders (see Matthew 21:23).  Since Jesus is not a Levitical priest, His authority to cleanse the temple is being challenged by the religious leaders.  My study bible comments that as Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, He answers in a hidden way.  The ultimate sign given to the people will be His death and Resurrection. 

Let us first take note in today's reading of the several references to Scripture that we find.  There is first of all the quotation taken from Psalm 69:9:  "Zeal for your house has eaten me up."   This gives us an important flavor or hint about how Scripture works.  There is no time limit on it, and neither is it specifically limited to one set of experiences or another.  In other words, there are timeless truths to be found in it.  Moreover, so much of Scripture is prophetic that is not necessarily immediately understood as such.  When we read the psalms, we can frequently find ourselves in the psalm.  That is, so often in a normal course of systematic reading of the book of Psalms, we will find that the psalms are speaking for us.  It is as if the author of the Psalms has been through experiences that somehow prefigure our own, and in that moment we find the psalm expressing better than we can what we are going through, and framing it within our moment of faith, be it a crisis or an exaltation of joy in our love for God.  We cannot take Scripture outside of this role, for to do so is to miss the greatest substance of the text, and what distinguishes Scripture from all other types of literature.  There are modern voices that seem to clamour to do this (to limit each piece of literature to the specific time in which it was produced) but that is indeed a grave mistake, and outside of the tradition of the use of Scripture for thousands of years.  I would bet on tradition every time.  It is the Gospels themselves that teach us to understand and use Scripture in this way, given that so frequently Jesus Himself refers to the Old Testament Scripture and Himself as fulfillment of that Scripture.  Here in this particular reference, it is His disciples who later recognize in Scripture what was happening with their Lord in the temple.  And so may we come to recognize ourselves in what we read, and especially in the book of Psalms.  Next we find that Jesus has given a strange and mysterious saying to the religious leadership when questioned as to His authority to cleanse the temple.  He says, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Jesus' own word requires of us -- as it did of the disciples then -- a mysterious kind of understanding within the image He gives.  Only later do they understand the fulfillment of this saying in Christ's Resurrection, and that He is referring to the temple of His body.  John adds:  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said to this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.   It's a little bit mysterious as to which "Scripture" John is referring, but it is clearly put together with "the word which Jesus had said."  No doubt there are several passages in Scripture which are seen as pointing to Christ's Resurrection.  St. Paul affirms the same thought when he writes that Jesus "was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures"  (1 Corinthians 15:4).  We say the same when we recite the Nicene Creed, and that "the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures."  When we are moved by Scripture, when we are moved by the words of Jesus in His teachings, in His parables, and in His discourses such as the final word to the disciples at the Last Supper which John gives us in this Gospel (John 14 - 16), we might hear words that move and comfort us in any time of need and inspiration.   In the Armenian Apostolic Church tradition, all of Scripture is called "the Breath of God."  In this title we recognize that all of it is the Word, the work of the Holy Spirit, just as in this Scripture in today's reading both "the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said" are fittingly juxtaposed together.    All of it is a timeless gift.  We should accept just as it has been given to us, and continue to find its meanings as has always been done.

Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that on the sixth day given in John's Gospel, 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 filled 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 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.  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."   In the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this event occurs at the end of the ministry of Jesus, the first action of Christ in Jerusalem during Holy Week.  Here, John puts this event of cleansing the temple right at the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  There are certain patristic writers who teach that Christ performed this act twice.   Those who sold oxen and sheep and doves are trading in live animals used for sacrifices; the money changers exchange Roman coins (considered to be defiling in the temple as they bore the image of Caesar) for Jewish coins.  My study bible comments that the cleansing of the temple points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  Also, each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19), so this is also a sign that our hearts and minds should be cleansed of earthly matters.

 

  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.  Jesus is not a Levitical priest, and so His authority to cleanse the temple is questioned and challenged.  Only the Messiah would be one with such authority otherwise.  It is the beginning of the constant pattern of the religious leadership, that they will be demanding a sign from Christ to prove His identity to them.   John sets out parties and factions right away in his Gospel.  We should keep in mind that the term Jews in this Gospel frequently refers specifically to the leadership; in this case it is a reference to the chief priests and the elders (see Matthew 21:23).  Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, and so He answers in a hidden way.  The ultimate sign will be His death and Resurrection.  Here we encounter the perspective of John's Gospel, the last of the Gospels to be written, where in the perspective of the Church and the events to come after Christ's death, this statement by Jesus was understood as a reference to Resurrection. 

 

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 gives us the events which occur during several religious festivals, and the attendance of Christ and the disciples at three different Passover Festivals (see also 6:4, 11:55).  This is one way we know that His ministry lasted three years.  Here, John also tells us something important about Jesus, that He is the "heart-knower" (in Greek, kardiognostes/καρδιογνώστης), another property of the divine (Acts 1:24, 15:8-9).

A weekly message from a parish priest reminds me today that now is a time of preparation for commemorating the Virgin Mary on August 15th.  For the Eastern Orthodox, and traditionally in the whole of the Church, the two weeks leading to that feast are a time for fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. (See Jesus' reference to these practices in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter 6, an important central piece of the Sermon.)  These different practices focus and center us more in the place we need to be and in relationship to God and to one another, and there are many ways of practicing each of them.  We don't just fast from certain foods (and there are no "bad" foods for Christians), but we fast from things like gossip, or too much television or internet, or friends who aren't really good for us to be around, or whatever it is that distracts us from where we really need to center in life and for what is good for us.  We might practice charity in a myriad of ways, from simple kindness to donations to work for a cause or giving time to help others.  And prayer, as we know, may take on many beautiful forms and practices.   Today's reading gives us Jesus' cleansing of the temple, and this action is front and center in John's Gospel -- right after Jesus' first sign of turning the water to wine at the wedding in Cana.   This action by Christ not only reinforces the need to refocus our lives and practices around the purpose of worshiping God and what that means for our relationships with one another.  It also teaches us to put aside what distracts from that purpose and that central "good" and what is beneficial for our lives.  It's a vivid example, as we don't necessarily think of Christ creating such dynamic scenes as making a whip of cords, and driving people out of the temple -- quite a scene of physical action!  But that should serve its purpose for us to remind us of the importance of what it teaches.  This isn't simply a prelude or backdrop to Christ's conflicts with the religious leadership.  It is an important illustration of the repeated message by Christ in the Gospels that we need to take decisive action to root out the things that really do us no good, that lead us off the path of our focus and the enrichment of the act of loving God at all times.  When something else starts to shift us away from that love, and into a place where something else becomes a higher priority, we need to refocus, and maybe we need to cut out of our lives what distracts us from our best lives, our true help in life.  Jesus' zeal isn't just a matter of having a deep purpose to fulfill or even His deep love of the Father and His true desire for all of His people.  This zeal is in the right place, shown for us as a matter of dedicated purpose, and for us to follow in our own hearts.  It's not just a temporal dramatic action to show His deep commitment.  My study bible reminds us that each of our bodies is also a temple, and so we must care for ourselves -- and the whole of what it means to be ourselves -- as Christ cares for the temple, with the same zeal, the same need to clean out what is not helpful and good, and the same purposeful refocus on what is to our best benefit in life.  All of life works as an integrated whole, and one piece of our lives isn't separate from the rest.   Just as Christ says that His Father's house should not be a house of merchandise, so our lives as well should not merely be lives of "merchandise," a pure collection of material things.  Let us remember His zeal for us, and take it to heart at this time of preparation for commemoration.  Let us cleanse ourselves from what distracts from true wholeness of life.

Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise

Triumphal Entry, the children welcome Christ with praise.  Medieval Syriac Illuminated Manuscript

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise'?"

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

- Matthew 21:12-22

On Saturday we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then He sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose then and bring them to me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  Those who bought and sold in the temple were trading in live animals to be used in sacrifices for the Passover.  The money changers would exchange Roman coins for Jewish ones, as Roman coins (with the image of Caesar upon them) were considered to be defiling to the temple.  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.  My study bible comments that this cleansing of the temple -- an authoritative act by Christ (or Messiah) -- points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), this is a sign also that our hearts and minds should be cleansed of earthly matters, in the sense that we guard our hearts for the reception of our faith.  Let us note how cleansing and healing go hand in hand in this passage. 

But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,  'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants / You have perfected praise'?"  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  My study bible quotes from Orthodox Vespers of Palm Sunday:  "Keep the feast with the children, and holding branches in your hands, sing 'Hosanna.'"  Many hymns which commemorate this day emphasize the perfect praise of the children in the temple, my study bible says.  In contrast to that of the adults, theirs was innocent, fitting, unashamed, and from hearts of pure love.  We are called to glorify Christ in the same spirit, it adds (see 18:1-4).  By contrast, the praise of the adults carried earthly expectations and agendas, such as the desire for a worldly messiah who would make Israel a great conquering and military kingdom.  When were unfulfilled, the crowds would rebel against Jesus just five days later (27:20-23).

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.   My study bible says that the fig tree is a symbol of prosperity and peace.  But in this story, the tree withers because it is fruitless.  This is a prophetic act directed toward the people, it says, as after three years of preaching, teaching, and healing by Christ, both the leaders and the crowds are destitute of spiritual fruit.  Jesus curses the tree also to warn those in every generation of the fruitlessness of those who do not heed His gospel message.

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."  My study bible says that while it is not recorded that an apostles literally moved a mountain, in the patristic tradition it is clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen.  There are stories of saints who made crevices appear in mountains in order to hide from pursuers.  Moreover, it says, not all the things the apostles accomplished were written down.  More than the mere literal meaning here, this is a vivid promise of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of life.  Theophan comments:  "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritually profitable things.

Recently in a bible study class, I commented to the others that the mountains I have had to move in my life were all within myself.  That is, those were the mountains that Christ moved -- the mountains moved with God's help, for with God all things are possible.  I was speaking about the many mountains I found within myself that I had no idea were there in the first place.  These were mountains encountered in the work of forgiveness, and they were mountains like anger that even I had no idea was deep inside of me, resentment, sadness, defeat, despair, and any number of difficult things necessary to confront on the road to healing in Christ's way for me.  These are mountains because when they are deeply-rooted, when they arise from circumstances beyond one's control -- and especially where others are not responsive to problems they've created in one's life -- they are not remedied through any external form.  The route through faith in Christ is a route through forgiveness, and that can be a very tough row to hoe, as the old saying goes.  It is often seemingly impossible to cope with the things we find are actually within us, as healing can't come from remedying a situation from outside.  Christ's healing comes through our work with Him, work in prayer, work through the action of the Holy Spirit within us, work through the help of the saints and all those in the Church with whom we pray, help through worship services, and especially through the Scriptures -- most notably the Gospels.  Help comes with insistence that we must take a good look at what is inside and start to grapple with it.  Jesus cleanses the temple in today's reading, an act that belongs only to the Christ, or the Messiah (both words mean "Anointed One").  It is for this reason that the religious leaders will continue to insist that He prove to them His authority to do so, and for this reason He will also be sent to His death:  because they cannot accept that He is Son.  But it is precisely for this reason that He has authority within us, in our hearts and in our souls, and for this reason He is the One who can help to heal and cleanse what is within us as well.  It is with His help that we can become healed, and because of Him we can begin to negotiate the difficult road of forgiveness of those who've harmed or hurt us, taking something away that was precious and cannot be regained through worldly means.  Perhaps it is in this context we might read about the perfect praise of the children, for children are so often the ones who are harmed or hurt with a lasting infliction of something unfair or unjust.  We might take that praise and allow it to shape us, as what we need as adults to remedy circumstances beyond our repair and beyond the reach of any hope of change.  Childhood hurts may come to haunt us later in life, long after we can come to terms with that reckoning.  Patterns of behavior take root in childhood -- and it is only much, much later we can come to see the damage they do through time and repetition, and our own need for change and transformation and healing.  And so, in that knowledge, we come to terms with our deep need for Christ, the One with the authority to cleanse and to heal.  It is through the act of forgiveness (as in "forgive us our debts or trespasses" as we forgive others).  In Christ's prescription for our lives, these two acts of forgiveness go hand in hand and are inseparable, as is the practice of mercy when we ask for mercy.  We are met with a quandary:  is it only our needs that must be met to be forgiven, or must we also seek to forgive?  But in that act, we might find there are mountains that need moving within us, and a constant stream of things we'd rather not face and maybe have put off for decades of life when it was easier not to think about them or be aware of them.  Such is the range of mountains I have found in myself, moveable only with God's help, because graspable only through the mercy and love of Christ and of the saints (and especially His mother, Mary, as so many others before me have found).  Let us consider for today, in a world in which seemingly only the external changes we can make are being addressed by popular movements, the idea that we do not live in a perfect world.  It is the rare person indeed who has led a perfect life, with perfect parents and childhood, with perfect justice and perfect experience.  No, we do not live in such a world -- and the greatest and most perfect among us was subject to the worst injustice.  We live in a world where we really do need to move those mountains, for they are within us, and we will encounter them when we truly seek His healing and His love and work in ourselves.  We will find them when we seek His blessing and praise, and to truly follow the Gospel.  We may go to the place where we were as children inside of us, and perfect our praise.  Let us remember His promise for our faith.

Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"

 

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise'?"

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

 

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.

 

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 - Matthew 21:12-22

On Saturday we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall just say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." 

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"   Those who bought and sold traded in live animals which were to be used in sacrifices; pilgrims coming for the Passover could purchase them in the temple for their sacrifice.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins.  As the Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, they were considered to be defiling in the temple.  The cleansing of the temple, my study bible says, also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  Also, as each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), this is a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of the things that don't help us in a faithful life.  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11.

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  In the Eastern Church, my study bible notes, many liturgical hymns of Palm Sunday emphasize the perfect praise of the children.  Unlike that of the adults, the children's praise was innocent, fitting, unashamed, and from hearts of pure love.  We are called to glorify Christ in the same spirit (see 18:1-4).  By contrast, the adults' praise carried earthly expectations and agendas, which, when left unfulfilled, led them to rebel against Jesus just five day s later (27:20-23).  

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  The fig tree, according to my study bible, is a sign of both prosperity and peace.   It withers because it is fruitless.  This is a prophetic act, my study bible says, which is directed toward those who reject Him, since after three years of Christ's preaching, teaching, and healing, both the leaders and the crowds were destitute of spiritual fruit.  He curses the tree also to warn those in every generation about the result of disregarding or rejecting His spiritual message.

 

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."   My study bible notes that while it is not recorded that any apostle literally moved a mountain, the patristic tradition is clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen (there are certain saints who are said to have made crevices appear in mountains).  Moreover, not everything the apostles accomplished was written down.  But beyond the literal meaning of Christ's words here, His promise is also an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in any are of our lives.  Theophan writes, "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritual profitable things. 

What are we to make of Jesus' action?  We can't really recall any other quite so "violent" action by Christ as this one of cleansing the temple.  He does so, of course, in His role as Messiah and as the great high priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).  St. Paul's words in Hebrews characterizing this role of Christ are extremely important for us to pay attention to, in this seeming age of outrage and moral indignation we can find all around ourselves.  He writes, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin."  When Christ cleanses the temple, it is after a three year ministry in which He has gone everywhere throughout Israel, bringing His message.  He has lived among people and as one of them, and not simply as one of the poorest but one without a permanent home, with "nowhere to lay His head" (8:20).  Most importantly, as St. Paul says, He has lived as one of us who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, and who can empathize with our weaknesses.  Christ's judgment is not based on power and authority in a worldly sense.  It is rather based on a power and authority that come precisely from His condescension and humility, and in particular His capacity to empathize with our weaknesses.  Tied to this is His pronouncement on the fig tree, and also His teaching about prayer.  A judgment or curse from Christ could never be made simply out of authority or power in a worldly sense.  Rather, Jesus' judgment comes from empathy and humility, from walking in our shoes as one of us.  The power of prayer rests in the same place of humility.  Unless we really understand what we are praying for and what is best for us, can we expect that our prayers will be answered precisely as we imagine they will?  It is the faith that comes from humility that truly gives us a power and authority -- whether we speak of prayer, or indignation, or even judgment.  Christ's power and authority do not simply come from a title or a position, but rather from living the life of the Cross, His willing sacrifice to be led by the Father through all things, living the life of faith that comes not from popular approval and the voice of the crowds, but rather from the humble dedication to God the Father that asks of us meaningful sacrifices for the life of the Kingdom.  His is not a life of rules and law, but one of love that is learned in weakness.  Neither does He live as national liberator, but rather spiritual liberator for all people.  His prayer, His curse, His correction come not in a form that tells us one group is preferable to another, but rather from the depth of humility that sees each one as his or her own soul before God.  It is a true judgment of the heart that is only possible from a pure heart, tried and tested in the flames of love and the struggle for faith in a fallen and confusing world.  The children who give praise in the temple respond with pure hearts.  Our struggle for faith is not about finding the right "side" to believe in.  It is rather about struggling through the lies about our faith itself, the fear of placing our trust in Christ, especially when things are adverse, unclear, and confusing.  This is the place to which He will take the disciples with Him as He goes to the Cross.  Let our prayer, our judgment, and our faith reflect our willingness to do the same.

I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

- Mark 11:12-26

Yesterday we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!"  And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  This fig tree had sprouted an early full foliage, indicating a first crop of fruit.  But it had not borne any fruit.  Jesus' condemnation is for this lack of bearing fruit, and is considered to be a spiritual teaching.  The fig tree in Scripture is often a symbol of Israel (Hosea 9:10).  This is the image of a spiritually beautiful appearance, but without fruitfulness.  The Kingdom will be taken away from Israel and given to another people, who are called to bear spiritual fruit (see Matthew 21:43; Galatians 5:22-23).  It is related to Christ's Triumphal Entry in yesterday's reading, His welcome into Jerusalem as worldly king:  nationalism as determiner of the elect will not be the key to this Kingdom.  Rather true spiritual fruitfulness will be its currency.

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.  Those who bought and sold are those trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices in the temple.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins -- since Roman coins bore the image of Caesar and were therefore considered to be defiling in the temple.  My study bible says that the cleansing of the temple points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered a temple of God, it tells us (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19), it is a sign also that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of "earthly" matters; that is, life and choices absent our commitment to God.  This is Jesus' first act as "Messiah" in Jerusalem.  He quotes from the prophets:  Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."   Jesus' cursing and withering of the fig tree is a prophetic act.  It signifies the judgment of Israel.  It's a sign that what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away (Hebrews 8:13) -- the old covenant.  These apostles will establish Jesus' Church, which will ultimately be filled with Gentiles and Jews; they need assurance that they are following His will in doing so.  The vivid image of this fig tree will be indelible in their minds.

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."  Jesus ties prayer and faith together.  My study bible says that while it's not recorded than an apostle literally moved a mountain, Tradition is clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen (there are stories also of certain saints making crevices appear in the mountains).  Also, all the things done by the apostles was not written down.  Beyond the literal meaning here, this promise is an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of our lives.  Theophylact says, "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritual profitable things.  The tie with faith is irreversible:  it is faith that teaches us also to seek the will of  God, a humility that puts our own will subservient -- in that spirit, effective prayer becomes part of the life of one who wants what God seeks of us.  Thus, the Spirit may pray in us, teaching us "what we ought to pray for."

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."  Jesus deliberately adds this note on prayer to accompany His statement about prayer and faith.  It is also, we must note, a statement about humility.   Mutual forgiveness between people is a requirement for God's forgiveness.  We who do not forgive are not forgiven.  This is the condition of our minds and hearts in prayer, a requirement that sets the tone for the image of faith.  We give up, in effect, all things to God.

Prayer becomes a key issue immediately following Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem.  Here, on His first day in the city after the Triumphal Entry, He cleanses the temple.  But among the disciples, the discourse is focused on what their lives and His Church must be about, and what is happening during this Passion Week.  The old is giving way to the new, and the new covenant is determined by faith.  Prayer and faith are inseparable in practice and in fact.  One shores up and is an expression of the other.  Each "blooms" inside and with the other:  prayer blooms with faith, faith blooms with prayer.  One writer on contemplative prayer, Fr. Thomas Keating, calls prayer that which deepens "the pool of grace."  Jesus links prayer and faith here for us, and also His call for forgiveness as a part of prayer.  In teaching us about forgiveness, there are a couple of things we notice.  The first is that it is not necessary to wait for someone else to forgive us to take action.  It is not necessary for another person to change their minds, to mediate their behaviors, to ask for our forgiveness, or even to become a friend in any sense.  Forgiveness is about giving things up to God, even people and their behaviors.  When we practice this sort of forgiveness, we are saying that God mediates all our relationships, and we are leaving judgment to God.  Of course, as Jesus is addressing the disciples, He's also speaking about discipline within the Church -- our relationships with one another as faithful.  Thus, there is connected to prayer an even deeper sense of the pool of grace; that is, of communion in God's love.  As such, our relationships to are to be mediated by the love of God.  (Jesus will also give instructions for formal forgiveness and correction within the Church, but this addresses our action in prayer.   Forgiveness does not need to wait for correction of behavior; however, it does depend on discernment for how best we react to the offending party.)   The second thing that Jesus' teaching on mutual forgiveness teaches us is that we are always in the process of receiving and participating in an exchange.  This, in some sense, is what faith is truly all about.  It cuts to the heart of things.  We are either worldly (that is, living in some way with a sense of separation from God), or we are faithful -- living our lives within such connection or communion.  This is the tension in which we live as human beings.  When we forgive -- that is, when we give up situations and people to God for God's will and discernment in navigating our lives  -- we exchange the "worldly" for the a life of faith in which even our worldly lives are governed by this communion.  We may need to forgive a person who has done us a terrible wrong, a great injustice, even grievous injury -- but we also need to pray for guidance as to how best to live our lives with respect to that person.  To forgive does not necessitate contact, and for that matter, neither does love.  But to give up vengeance to God is always possible, to ask God's discernment for proper conduct in light of a difficult situation is always necessary.  Forgiveness does not call us to self-harm; it calls us to true sanity, discernment, and awareness.  It is the beginning of learning how to put our faith into practice and relying on God to teach us how to do that.  This becomes part and parcel of the faith that moves mountains.  It is a key component to the humility that true prayer calls us to, where we put all things before God.  It does not condone all things done to us.  Rather, it sets us free to serve God in our response, and to understand ourselves as faithful.  This is our covenant.  It is the power to make all things new.