
All that glitters….
A few thousand years before Jesus cleanses the temple on this same mount, a man now famous for his faith brought a pile of sticks and wood to sacrifice his son. An outdoor altar, on which to honour God and His presence. This in time becomes an elaborate carved box containing the Tablets of the law, in a humble tent. Then under David it becomes a static tent, and in time a grand building under Solomon. This Grand Temple is destroyed by the Babylonians and another simpler building is rebuilt nearly 100 years later at the same site by Ezra and repatriated Jews. The Ark of the Covenant, however has disappeared.
More years of warring and unrest follow until the arrival of the Romans who place Herod in charge as King of Judea in 37BCE.
This is where our Gospel story starts today. Herod is in power, flaky part time Jew, puppet king to the Romans and a man with name to make. Herod builds on the temple, doubles its size, with outer walls, inner walls, barriers to the gentiles, barriers for the women, barriers to the male Israelites and the inner courtyard for only the priests. The office of High priest is replaced by Herods kingship and the Temple is run by his elected priesthood. No longer following the line of Aaron.
The Temple did look like an impressive honouring of God. Golden spikes to keep the birds from resting, gleaming white marble. Huge jaw dropping engineering feats. If you weren’t blown away by its splendour at first by the time you had walked around it seven times you would have caught the vibe.
But for all this it became the means by which ordinary people were distanced from worship.
Just like the Laws given in the first reading this Sunday, there were embellishments and expansions added until the original purpose became distorted and unrecognisable. The beautiful covenant of a merciful God is turned into a legalistic money earner. The priests are recorded as being constantly sick from eating too much meat from the sacrifices, becoming rich off the leather from the hides. Meanwhile the poor substance farmers scraped and struggled in a bid just to be right with their God under the rules
It’s no wonder Jesus was angry. The God who wished to dwell amongst his beloved people was watching them being exploited and held at arms length in a vain bid to reach him.
But God wasn’t behind those barriers, God was right in their midst, in the centre of that courtyard, chasing out the barriers and burdens that made worship onerous, difficult and costly.
Here’s a thing….Jesus is just as filled with zeal for you. You are a Temple of the Holy Spirit. I’m wondering what barriers to intimacy have been given space around the courtyards of your temple? What shiny “additions” are we struggling under the weight of?
Have we bought into a manufactured spiritual thinking of what Holy is? A thinking that maybe if we could just manage the more costly sacrifice then we would be more acceptable? That what we have to offer has to fit a certain criteria to be worthy?
What are we truly being asked to give to God? What are we distracting ourselves with in the pursuit of perfection that actually only sets our eyes on ourselves and our failings rather than Christ before us just waiting for us to look up and notice Him?
What barriers are in our hearts that tell us that what we have arrived with is not acceptable to the very God who created us? That it in some way has to be changed and modified before we can dare approach, that we need to almost not be in need of the Mercy before we are fit to ask for it.
I think Lent should be the best time to refocus on not what we are doing for God but on what He is desperately trying to do for us. I’m learning this looks more like submission than commission. That whilst I’m trying to get through the next barrier, my goal is actually right beside me, fighting for me with his whip of cords. Seizing up all those snares of “I should…”
In reality I should….only be still.
I’m praying you see the beauty of the temple God has built in you today. That you put down the burdens he hasn’t asked you to carry and delight in His easy yoke.