Chapter 2 (part 2 of 3)

Here we begin part two of the three-part section on the second chapter of this Gospel. In an attempt at brevity for the sake of the nature of this blog, I will make a recommendation for further study rather than expound on (what is really a key) idea in this section. It would be of benefit to the reader to do a bit of research concerning the principles of the “Passover of the Jews” as referred to in this chapter. I do not mean that you should become familiar with simply the rituals or history, but with the essential meaning of this idea.

13. The Passover of the Jews was approaching and The Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14. He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves and the moneychangers who were sitting.
15. He made for himself a whip from cords and all of them he drove out from the temple even the sheep and oxen and moneychangers. He poured out their exchange money and their tables he overturned.
16. To those who were selling doves he said, “Take these away from here and do not make the house of my Father a house of bartering.”

Let us look now at this passage in the way we introduced in the introduction to the first part of the commentary to this chapter. Let’s identify the “players.” We have Jesus, who is the manifestation of the Word of God. We have those expelled from the Temple, the authorities of the Temple, the disciples, and the Temple area itself is an important “player” here as well. All of the non-Jesus elements come together to form a picture of you.

People are often described as the Temple of the Spirit. So, the Temple area is synonymous with your spirit. Here Jesus enters the temple of your spirit and finds an attitude of belief that presumes God can be bartered with. He finds ideas that animalistic sacrifice can somehow buy God’s love. What’s worse is that he finds ideas that think money can be used and translated into favor with God. Still worse is the thought that after exchanging worldly money for “godly money” that one can buy other creatures and sacrifice them in place of one’s self (we won’t even address the fact that God does not desire sacrifice at all). All together Jesus finds myriad wrong ideas about God. Do you have these same or similar ideas in the temple of your thoughts?

In addition to the wrong ideas represented by the actions visible, we have the cast of players who personify these ideas and perpetuate them. The moneychangers represent many personifications. They exist on the idea of slavery in that they depend on the peoples’ enslavement to money. They also perpetuate the idea of slavery in that they presume to own God’s creatures and so they believe they have the right to sell them to the unsuspecting penitent who comes to the Temple desperate to gain favor with God. The Temple authorities certify these beliefs and advocate them. The authorities personify the systems of the world that seek to replace God by usurping divine authority and replacing God’s thought with their own thoughts.

Are you the moneychangers in life? Are you the Temple authorities? Are you the unsuspecting penitents? You will know for sure which group best personifies you by your reaction to Jesus when he enters the thoughts of your temple area. Will you react like the moneychangers and cling to all that represents worldly wealthy, making it your god? Will you challenge the authority of Jesus like the Temple authorities will? or will you recognize the truth he speaks and free yourself from unnecessary burdens that have not been imposed on you from God but from worldly creatures?

17. His disciples remembered that it is written that “the zeal of your house has devoured me.”

This verse is important. I do not interpret it the way many theologians have. I do not believe it is a reference to the zeal with which Jesus cleanses the Temple of ungodliness. I believe that it refers to the fact that if one is over zealous about the things of outward appearance (like worldly ritual, reputation, and wealth) that such an attitude of belief literally devours (consumes) the truth that God speaks into the heart. This attitude thinks (in error) that God’s voice is a consumable, disposable commodity that can be bought, sold, and controlled by worldly authority. This thinking has the potential to make slaves of God’s creatures if the Voice of God’s truth is rejected.

18. The Jews answered and said, “What can you do to show us you have the authority to do these things?”
19. The Jesus answered, “Tear down this temple and after three days I will raise it.”
20. The Jews said to him, “forty and six years built this temple and you will raise it in three days?”
21. But he was speaking about the temple of his body.

Jesus represents God’s power to expel wrong thoughts. Notice that Jesus did not need any “permission” to expel the moneychangers. His mere presence in the Temple area was enough to expel them. The authorities were powerless to do anything. All they could do is question him. Even their questions were in a sense dismissed by Jesus. He doesn’t answer their question. He doesn’t need to prove anything to them. The truth is that the authorities know this. They question him often but they can do nothing to force him to do anything. They do not even have the power to make him answer their meaningless questions. Worldly authority does this from time to time also. The truth is that once you have Jesus’s authority in the Temple of your spirit, there is not one single thing that worldly authority can do to you unless you permit it. Just command with the authority of Jesus in your Temple of thought and the “authority” of the world must obey.

Jesus proves that any authority that tries to enslave God’s children is powerless. Worldly authority (which is personified in this passage---as it often is in the world---by religious authority) presumes (and depends upon the hope) that you will submit to it rather than claim your divine right to be free. Listen to the Voice of God, personified by Jesus in this lesson. You are free by right of the fact that you hear and recognize the divine Voice. Do not submit to any authority that claims to be God’s authority. God---in Jesus---frees you from any outside rule. By virtue of Jesus in the temple of your spirit, God is with you and no worldly power has any authority over you no matter how much that “authority” may try to convince you. You are free.

22. When he rose from the grave his disciples remembered that he said this and they believed the scriptures and the word that The Jesus had said.
23. While this was taking place and The Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast many believed in him when they saw the miracles that he did.

What is this rising from the grave spoken of when it comes to Jesus? I pray that this rising from the grave is happening for you now. Jesus (God’s own true thoughts and words) was buried in you (as in a tomb) when you were born in the flesh. The world (personified by the moneychangers and “authorities” in this passage) had tried to keep this Jesus in the tomb of your heart and mind by suppressing your divine freedom and by trying to keep you submissive to false-worldly authority. The moment you recognize this Jesus buried within you and believe, you roll away the heavy stone placed before the tomb and God is able to rise in you. This is your resurrection also. This is your third day. This is your liberation. This is the moment that “in your hearing, the scripture is fulfilled.”

24. The Jesus did not turn himself over to them because he did understand every man
25. And he did not depend on men to testify to him concerning any of them because he knew what was in man.

Jesus doesn’t allow himself to be used by anyone who will try to harm, control, or enslave you. Your litmus test for anyone (whether they present themselves as secular or religious authority) should be love, mercy, and forgiveness. Any “authority” that tries to lord over you or that tries to remind you of any past fault or “sin” is not from God. Love alone comes from God. Love does not enslave. Love does not remember past faults. Love does not judge or condemn.

Jesus will cleanse the temple of your thoughts. Once he does, continue to live in your freedom. Do not fall back under any authority that tries to enslave you.

In part three we will discuss the juxtaposition of the miracle at Cana and the cleansing of the Temple. We will see how the Gospel highlights the fact that God’s life and joy is found in the beauty of love relationships and not in the law of religion and sacrifice.

Please e-mail me with your thoughts or comments at dominicanvocations@hotmail.com