THE NEW TEMPLE

The Cleansing of the Temple performed by Jesus (John 2:13-22) is narrated by all four evangelists. The Gospel of John highlights Jesus as the New Temple because He is the font of salvation. From Him flows the healing and life giving water for the renewal of the world. He is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Ezekiel (47:1-12) when he saw the vision of the renewed temple where life giving stream flows from it. It is a vision of regeneration that symbolizes the healing and salvation that would result from the new covenant promised by Yahweh in the messianic future. The cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem is a radical action of Jesus challenging the authority of the religious leaders. Ezekiel already declares that the glory of God has left the temple because of corruption, exploitation, greed and false worship. Jesus manifests His zeal and anger by driving out the merchants and money changers stationed inside the temple calling them to stop making the House of God a marketplace. It is an act of God’s judgment upon the temple. Jesus’ anger manifests His passion to set things right and that the House of God must be treated with reverence. Jesus is the New Temple because He is the new place of right praise, to encounter and worship God. In Him we meet God as never before. In Him we have full access to God. The Cross is the ultimate cleansing of Jesus reconciling the whole of creation to the Father by giving His all and loving to the end. By His blood we are saved and by His wounds we are healed. On the Cross, a soldier pierced His side and blood and water flow from it. This is the birth of the Church and the sacraments flowing from His side for the renewal of the world. St. Paul declares that every Christian community is a living temple of God because the Spirit of God dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:9-17). Jesus is the Head and we are His Mystical Body and we are called to be the conduits of His grace and healing for the renewal of the world. We are therefore reminded of our sacred task to manifest God’s love into the world. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit and we are called to respect and value one another. We are also reminded of our numerous failures and of the shortcomings of the Church as a whole. We are indeed in constant need of cleansing by Jesus who continues to make all things new, complete and whole.