3rd Sunday of Lent - B (March 11, 2012)

Commentary
John 2: 13-25

God's House

Today, we hear of Jesus' cleansing of the Temple. Verses 14 and 15 mention the location of the episode. The Greek word hieron used here for "temple" has the connotation of "a building where people gather." [1]

For Jesus, it is not just a building where people come together, even if it is a temple, or a place of worship. It is His Father's house. And John used a different Greek word here. He used oikos, refering to a dwelling place, or a house. God's house is where God is present among God's people. [2]

And Jesus asserts that he himself is now God's presence among the human race (v. 19). This continues one of the teachings found in the prologue of John's Gospel, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth" (1: 1,14).

In Jesus Christ, God has come to live among us.

This mystery continues in the Church, Christ's Body. The Church is not just a place that gathers people. It is where God lives among the human race.

And whatever is true about the Church is true with each of its members.

How am I God's presence among the human race? How do I live that reality and mystery in my life?

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[1]. Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel of John (Sacra Pagina Series, Volume 4). Collegeville, MN, Liturgical Press, 1998; p. 77.
[2]. Ibid.