A Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent, Year B (John 2:13-22)

We hear today an incident in the life and ministry of Jesus that occurs in all four Gospels, an incident known as the Cleansing of the Temple. That may not seem significant, but there aren’t many stories that actually do. Only a handful of the major events of Jesus’ life and ministry appear in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which would suggest that to the earliest Christians, these are among the most important moments of Jesus’ life and ministry, ones to be remembered and used for instruction.

What is different about this incident is that in Matthew, Mark and Luke, the Cleansing of the Temple occurs during Holy Week, at the end of Jesus’ life and ministry. But, if you look at today’s Gospel lesson as printed in your bulletin, you’ll see that today’s text comes from John, chapter two! Yes, in John’s gospel, the account of the Temple cleansing is at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Biblical scholars have debated this striking variation for generations, but I have chosen to refrain from any such speculation this morning. Those who craft the lectionary, the schedule of Bible lessons that we follow, have chosen John’s version of the story, and so we’ll go with it!

It’s more important to ask what do we need to take away from this passage, this story in the life of Jesus. Now, many lessons are taken away from this story, many wrong ones, in my estimation. I frequently hear people, well-meaning people, mind you, who demand that this incident clearly shows that there should be no money-changing-hands on church grounds, no yard sales, no bingo. But is this moment in the life of Jesus really about money?

We need to ask who were these money-changers? Why did they have animals in the Temple?  Where does this happen in the Temple? And why is Jesus angry?

When Jews came to Jerusalem, they were obligated to make a sacrifice at the Temple. This would entail buying a sacrificial animal for their entire family. Some could afford sheep or cattle, which were expensive, but those of more meager means could only afford doves as an offering.  But before they could buy these animals, these obedient Jews had to exchange the coins they had for different ones. Legal tender was the Roman coin, perhaps made most famous later when Jesus says, “Render Unto Caesar.” The problem was, those coins bore the image of Caesar on them, a graven image, and therefore violated one of the Ten Commandments. It was clearly against Jewish law to carry Roman coins into the Temple. So, they had to exchange their Roman coins for Jewish ones.

All of this activity was taking place in the outer court of the Temple, a large open space, which must have seemed quite handy. The real “religious” business of the Temple took place in the inner court, where only Jewish men were allowed to enter. Only they could enter in, representing their families with a sacrifice and offer prayers. By law, the outer court was a place reserved for everyone else. It was where women could pray. It was a place where gentiles were welcome to come and pray as well.

What does Jesus find? He finds this outer court, a place reserved for prayer, filled with noise and commerce instead. In some of the other Gospel accounts, there is a suggestion that people were being cheated in these transactions, but not here. No, Jesus overturns a system of money changing and buying and selling of animals because this space was set aside for something else, for prayer.

What I see in Jesus’ actions is highly symbolic. Again, I don’t find here a prohibition against having bake sales at church, but rather a symbolic moment where Jesus restores a place for prayer for those on the outside. Women and gentiles were not allowed to enter into the inner court, the only place they had was the outer court. In some of the other accounts, Jesus rebukes them by saying, “My Father’s house is a house of prayer for all nations!” underlining this significance.

And Jesus also uses this moment even so early here in John to look forward to his death. “Tear this temple down, and in three days I will raise it up again!” And the writer of John reminds us it is about his body, not the building.

In our minds we might envision Jesus’ action on a large scale, but in reality, his driving out of the money changers and animal sellers most likely didn’t stop the practice, but only disrupted it in a part of the outer court for part of a day. After all, who was this guy? Some trouble-making rabbi from Judea? It may have appeared in the Jerusalem Gazette the next morning, but it probably wasn’t headline news. This moment should tell us more about the scope and message of Jesus’ ministry, reaching out to those on the outside, making a place for them, rather than simply being angry about money. Jesus turned tables all the time, and here it took on more than symbolic form.

It was as if the people of God had forgotten the essence of the Ten Commandments, which we heard in our Old Testament reading. These commandments are about proper relationships, relationships between God and God’s children, but also relationships between God’s children too. Do not steal, do not covet, honor your father and mother. These are all ways that we can best live out God’s plans and designs as the people of God, for the good of the whole world.

When asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus does not quote from this list, but rather summarizes the Law in a way we hear every Sunday during Rite I, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” This is how we can best be the people of God.

And when we picture Jesus on the Temple Mount, whip in hand, overturning tables and driving out money changers, let us remember the passion driving him was one of serving God and making a space for all people to draw near in prayer. Love God, love your neighbor as yourself.  These are the marks of the people of God.  Amen.