Do not use the toaster in the bathtub!

Father, all those words and thoughts that come from you, will you bless them and make them fruitful, and all those words that come not from you but from our own vanity, will you forgive. Amen.

You are on the plane and find a packet full of nuts with the instruction “Open packet, eat nuts”. Do you need such an instruction? Well, at least you will not be trying to eat the nuts before first opening the packet.

Sometimes those instructions are not very helpful and leave you puzzled. For example, the instructions on a toaster will tell you “do not use in the bath tub”.

In our First Reading today, God gives the Israelites the 10 Commandments. We can call them God’s basic instructions. Here is a manual for a good life. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus radically reinforces the Ten Commandments. The Jewish scripture (our Old Testament) requires a court trial for a murderer, and Jesus says that anyone who is angry with a brother or a sister shall be subjected to a judgement.

However, in today’s Gospel, we see Jesus himself angry. He uses a whip to drive the moneychangers out of the temple.

Before delving into the profound implications of this passage, let us grasp its contextual significance. Jesus arrives in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, a sacred time of remembrance and renewal for the Jewish people. As he enters the temple precincts, he is confronted with a scene of commercialism and exploitation. The once hallowed halls of prayer have been transformed into a bustling marketplace, where merchants and money changers exploit the devout pilgrims who seek to worship God in purity and reverence. This desecration of the temple, the very dwelling place of God's presence among his people, stirs within Jesus a righteous anger.

Jesus' reaction to the scene before him is one of righteous indignation. He fashions a whip from cords and drives out the merchants and money changers, overturning their tables and declaring, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade." In this moment, Jesus reveals his zeal for the sanctity of God's house and his unwavering commitment to purging anything that defiles it. His actions speak volumes about his devotion to the glory of God and the spiritual well-being of his people.

As the religious leaders challenge Jesus' authority to take such bold action, he responds enigmatically, saying, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Little do they realise that Jesus speaks not of the physical temple but of his own body. Here, Jesus introduces a profound shift in understanding—the temple is no longer confined to a brick-and-mortar structure but extends to the very essence of his being. He himself embodies the true dwelling place of God among humanity, the living temple in which the fullness of God's presence resides.

Only in hindsight do the disciples fully grasp the significance of Jesus' words when he is raised from the dead. In his resurrection, Jesus fulfills his promise to rebuild the temple in three days, signifying the ultimate triumph over sin and death. This spiritual temple, which is Christ himself, transcends the physical realm and resides within the hearts of believers. Through his sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, Jesus inaugurates a new covenant in which believers become living stones, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

What, then, does this passage mean for us today? Firstly, it calls us to examine the condition of our own hearts and lives. Just as Jesus cleansed the temple of physical impurities, so too must we allow him to cleanse our hearts of sin and worldly distractions. We are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit, vessels through which God's love and light shine forth in a dark and broken world.

To cultivate holiness within ourselves, we must emulate Jesus' example of righteous indignation against sin and injustice. This means standing up against persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters, speaking out for - and helping - the marginalised, and living lives of integrity and compassion. Just as Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers, we must overturn the idols that have taken residence in our hearts—whether they be greed, pride, or selfish ambition. We must be vigilant in guarding the sanctity of our inner temples, allowing nothing to detract from our single-minded devotion to God.

Furthermore, we must surrender ourselves fully to Christ, allowing him to be the cornerstone of our lives. Like the temple rebuilt in three days, Christ promises to transform us from the inside out, renewing our minds and hearts by the power of his resurrection. This transformation is not a one-time event but an ongoing process of sanctification, as we yield ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit and cooperate with God's grace. As we abide in Christ, he abides in us, producing fruit in our lives that bears witness to his saving grace and transforming power.

In conclusion, the cleansing of the temple in John 2:13-22 serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of cultivating holiness within ourselves. We are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit, consecrated for God's glory and filled with his presence. May we heed the call to righteous indignation against sin, surrendering ourselves fully to Christ's transformative power. As we do so, may our lives become a living testimony to the reality of God's kingdom, reflecting the light of Christ to a world in desperate need of redemption. May we, like living stones, be built into a spiritual house, offering up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.