Originally posted at the The Big Bible Project on 10 Mar 2010
http://bigbible.org.uk/2012/03/week-2-saturday-10th-march-2012-john-213-22-bigread12/#comments
Week 2 Saturday 10th March 2012 : John 2:13-22 #bigread12
Jesus Clears the Temple
Jesus Clears the Temple.[1]
Reading these passage today, I can imagine the scene as Jesus strides through the temple frontage, knocking over tables, whirling the whip around his head and flailing around with it. Haranging those who had brought his ‘Fathers House’ down from a sacred space to a market place. Reading between the lines, it wasn’t just usary and moneychanging that was going on, possibly other, less salubrious transactions also took place in this central meeting place for the people of Jerusalem, Pilgrims and Visitors alike. I have a vision of a wild eyed, longhaired, bearded, man shouting and flailing around with the whip at all and sundry. Nobody escaping his wrath. Putting it into context, if this happened today, say at the entrance of St Paul’s Cathedral, imagine the response. Consternation, panic and rapid calls to the Police to come and round up this unruly interloper. I wonder if anyone would take the time to stop and ask him why he was so angy? The common cockney response would perhaps be “e’s got a bee under his bonnet, lets get out of his way”. There’s a more serious underlying message as Jesus goes onto answer his challengers by telling them to “Knock this temple down and I will rebuild it in three days”(John 2:13-20). He was of course alluding to his own death on the cross and the resurrection to come, his disciples listened and remembered this later.
I have pondered this in the light of the recent events concerning the Occupy London Stock Exchange Movement (@OccupyLSX) and the relatively peaceful occupation of the churchyard at the front of St Paul’s Cathedral. They came in peace, they came to protest. Jesus came to pray and was driven to protest by what he saw going on in the temple. The occupy protesters were seeking change in how our whole financial system is managed, at how unfair and immoral some of their business practices are considered to be. Jesus protested against the defilement of ‘His Father’s House’ by what was going on. Two seemingly different agenda’s, but linked. In the eyes of the occupy protesters (and many others) the whole financial services industry has defiled our culture and society. They’ve brought great hardship and suffering to many, not just their industry, but world wide, where the ‘credit crunch’ and its after effects will be felt for many years to come. The financial institutions meanwhile seem in denial and carry on regardless, even continuing to pay obscene bonuses, metaphorically, spitting in the face of anyone who dares to criticise them.
Ultimately, Jesus was crucified by those who hated him. He died, but rose again with the promise of new life and hope for us all. This promise and hope which we hold to, provides the inspiration for change of heart, mind, transformation of lives. In some way, the motives of the occupy protesters were aligned with this. They wanted change, transformation of a system unfit for purpose. They wanted new hope for everyone, that fairness and transparency and ethical behaviour would be introduced either by government or through their highlighting the shame of those responsible for the mess they created.
Now, Jesus is alive again, he lives in and with us all of the time. His name is called on and blessed. The Holy Spirit works in us and in the wider world. Occupy has been challenged, sued, moved on, but their spirt is unbowed. They will keep on campaigning for the things contained in the Gospel stories, New hope, new life and doing what we do for the greater benefit of all, not for a narrow minority.
Jesus and @OccupyLSX have much in common.
[1]Image of Christ in the Templehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Driving_the_Money_Changers_from_the_Temple_(El_Greco,_Washington)
