Walking with Jesus: Third Sunday in Lent B

Exodus  20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25

Three weeks from today is the Feast of Palm Sunday, beginning the holiest week of the year. Holy Week features Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday and culminates with Easter Sunday, the most important feast of our faith. How much does Jesus love me … love you? Early in His ministry Jesus directed His answer to this question to Nicodemus. This man was an important Pharisee, most likely a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest council of the Jewish courts with 71 judges who acted as the Supreme Court. Jesus explained His love, God’s love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” [John 3:16]

Since God totally loves me, how do I go about responding to His love? The Gospel shows how Jesus reacts to those who disregard God and live life just for themselves. In the first reading, Moses responds to the people by delivering by Ten Commandments God gave him for them. These Commandments summarize God’s expectation of Israel’s partnership in their covenant with God.   Moses explains how God has delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. In the second reading Paul marvels at the many, many gifts God gives us. There is no way that we could ever thank God enough for all He has done. Do we even try? Satan’s distraction is that we deserve all these gifts. Why? What have we done to deserve any gift? Lent is the time set aside to look into God’s love and His gifts to us.

Long ago we learned about the commandments. Most of us “had to” memorize them. Many of didn’t concern us, or so we felt; some just seemed too hard; others we didn’t want to follow because they took the “fun” out of life. Have we ever looked on these as a summary of God’s expectations from us? A few verses earlier, God explains His actions and why He has taken them: “Moses went up the mountain to God. Then the Lord called to him and said, ‘Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob; tell the Israelites: You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagles' wings and brought you here to Myself.’ Therefore, if you hearken to My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My special possession, dearer to Me than all other people, though all the earth is mine, You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” [Exodus 19:3-6]

So of all the nations on earth, the Israelites are being shaped by God to show everyone who God is … what He is like. These commandments are the minimum standard for Israel's conduct, both as a people and as individuals. This is to show others that this holy nation reflects God. If the world does not see holiness and honesty from them, how will the rest of the world discover God’s love? If people are grateful, they will show their respect for God and in turn respect others. This is like a snowball rolling down a hill: Gratitude for the gifts of life provides incentives to others for solid ground from which people can reach ever higher standards of life. This is what a holy nation is all about. God has structured our MO to be His holy people united in love. Paul puts our life and sufferings into perspective: “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” [1 Corinthians 1:22] The world does not see wisdom in the cross. People do not see any value in suffering. Paul says that Divine Wisdom is found in the cross of Christ. Christ has shown us God’s total, unconditional love in creating us ... Christ has redeemed us by suffering on the cross and we still struggle, and the love of Christ promises us life because of God’s undying love. Death is now no longer the end. Life is more than material success. People say life is about being happy and loving self; Jesus says life is about loving others by using the gifts and love God has given us. Am I doing this?

In the Gospel, Jesus is confronting those who are looking out for themselves. Jesus stops them ... this is enough: My house is a house of prayer, a place of welcoming and caring, a home supplying charity and kindness. Self-interest and greed is about “me” … not about love. Is our church a house of God where people find compassion and the needy find support? Are we making idols of wealth, riches, possessions and pleasure, and avoiding sharing our gifts? Are we too concerned about worshipping our own safe, undemanding image of God, concerned about keeping a comfortable distance from those we don’t want anything to do with? Everywhere Jesus goes He drives out sickness, demons, ignorance, hopelessness. “Zeal for His house” consumes Him. Does it consume us? His house is the body of Christ … we are the Body of Christ. Do we see ourselves as that?

So I reflect on:

• The first commandment in all seriousness tells us that God is our God: We have no other gods before Him. What are the “idols” that are most important? Things? Accomplishments? Pleasures I am obsessed with? Have I made these my “gods?”
• Our society is crying out for a cure for the VIRUS that has infected us ... racism, greed, prejudice, polarization, violence … am I part of the cure or part of the virus?
  

Sacred Space 2021 states:

“I imagine myself visiting the temple when Jesus enters. I am accustomed to the moneychangers and to the hucksters who convenience worshippers by selling cattle, sheep, and doves for the ritual sacrifices. The fury of Jesus startles and upsets me, makes me think. Surely these guys are making a few honest bucks?

“But this is the house of God. When money creeps in, it tends to take over. Are there any of the Christian sacraments untouched by commercialism? Christening parties, First Communion money, Confirmation dances, wedding feasts … they are meant to be the touch of God at key moments in our lives; but can God get a hearing amid the clatter of coins?”