This Sunday's Gospel reading form the Revised Common Lectionary, John 2:13-22, tells us of the time when Jesus cleaned out the Temple.
When I see animals like cattle, camels, etc paraded through a church on the Feast of St. Francis, I get this flashback of Jesus coming down, whip in hand, and thrashing all of them out of there.
Our church buildings should be considered as our Father's houses. That is why I get so upset when I see them used for profane blessings and the like.
Keep the beasts and profane blessings outside. Forgiveness awaits inside.
"The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ The Jews then said to him, ‘What sign can you show us for doing this?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken."It struck me that the Temple must have been a pretty smelly place from all the animal droppings. I find it interesting that Jesus puts the whip to the cattle and sheep first.
When I see animals like cattle, camels, etc paraded through a church on the Feast of St. Francis, I get this flashback of Jesus coming down, whip in hand, and thrashing all of them out of there.
The guys selling doves at the Temple got off relatively easy. At least Jesus didn't let the doves out of their cages as some animal rights groups might have him do today. I guess Jesus knew that the bird droppings would have been all over the place if he had let the doves out.
Our church buildings should be considered as our Father's houses. That is why I get so upset when I see them used for profane blessings and the like.
Keep the beasts and profane blessings outside. Forgiveness awaits inside.
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A blessing of the animals can be done very nicely outside. No need to mess up the aisles inside!
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