John 2:13-22

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

We recently visited Westminster Abbey. It’s an amazing place, of course. But do you know how much it costs to get in? £20 for an adult. There were three of us in our party, so that’s 60 quid. And we had a cup of tea and a piece of cake in the refectory. That’s another 20 quid. So, it’s not a cheap day out! Of course, they are very keen to tell you that there is no charge to worship or pray at the Abbey: the money from visitors is a charge that enables them to maintain a historic building, a world class visitor attraction. They are very aware that it might give the wrong impression: a Christian church is not a money-making enterprise but a place of worship which is free for anyone to enter. Most places of worship that don’t charge for entry still make it very clear that they would appreciate some contribution towards the running costs. ‘Donations welcome’.

We might sympathise with the Abbey’s dilemma. Or we might quote Jesus:

“My house shall be called the house of prayer;
but you have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:13)

John tells us that Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. (John places this incident at the start of Jesus’s ministry. Matthew, Mark and Luke all place it as part of the events of Holy Week.) In the Temple forecourt Jesus finds merchants selling animals for sacrifice and money-changers. The merchants will guarantee that their animals are suitable for sacrifice. The money-changers are there because the coins in everyday use were produced by the pagan authorities and had idolatrous images on them. They couldn’t be used to pay the temple tax but had to be exchanged for coins that were acceptable. These were legitimate activities and we may be surprised by the violence of Jesus’s response:

Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’
(John 2:15, 16)

Weapons were forbidden in the Temple but Jesus makes himself a whip! Whatever happened to ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild’? He has shut down the Temple by force!

The Temple system was used to enrich some and oppress others. As if access to God could be bought and sold. This is not a temper tantrum but a burst of righteous anger against a system that was weighted against the poor and vulnerable, and tipped in favour of the wealthy and powerful. The Roman powers and the Jewish collaborators with that power are an unholy alliance that prevents ordinary people from living their lives as God would have them do. Jesus says that God cannot be party to such injustice. Jesus is not speaking and acting against the legitimate business of the Temple – prayer and worship – but against the use of religion as a tool of injustice and oppression.

Accessible God

During Lent we are invited to consider our lives as Christians and the vision we have to serve our communities as Christ’s people. Jesus’s words and actions in the Temple show that his concern is that ordinary people should know that God is accessible to them, not just to the rich and powerful. How can we make sure that our worship and the life of our church is accessible? Not just to us, but to our neighbours?

In particular, we are thinking about how we can support the vision we have:

• Sharing the love of Jesus, with all, through friendship, prayer and service. (St Matthew’s)
• Reaching out in God’s love and friendship. (St Cross)

The emphasis on giving that we are making during Lent is an invitation to ‘buy into’ that vision of a church that shares God’s love and reaches out to all. We don’t charge anyone to come here and pray. There is no admission charge for worship. But we can only do that because of the generosity and sacrificial giving of those who are committed to the vision.