March 7, 2021: THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT

"Constant Amidst Exploitation"

March 7, 2021, Third Sunday in Lent,

Exodus 20:1-17; Psalms 19:7-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22

Bishop Ariel P. Santos

The gospel from John is popularly known as the Cleansing of the Temple. In the eyes of the Jews, the Temple was heaven on earth. The intention of God for it was good. The Psalmist said that Zion, the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth, was referring to the Temple in Jerusalem.

God made Israel a kingdom of priests, just like He made us today, the Church, a kingdom of priests. Israel was the chosen people of God, God’s workmanship, and His witness to the world. But they, like some of us Christians today, thought that it was about exclusivity - more favored than others; blessed and others were cursed; more important and better than others in the eyes of God and the rest of the world. Like today, churches claim that they are the one true church so we have 40 different denominations saying the same thing.

The Jews misrepresented God and His kingdom by not opening the Temple to the whole world. There was the stratification or classification in the Temple. The Gentiles could not come close to the Holy Place. They had the court of the Gentiles where there was a section for female and male Gentiles. There was the court for the female and male Jews; a court for the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes; section for priests, high priests. Once a year, only one person, the high priest, could come into the holy of Holies. The Israelites assumed that they enjoyed a more privileged standing than the rest of the world. There was religious discrimination that included the bias against Galileans, Samaritans, sinners (those who were not very pious Jews) and on the tax collectors.

In the world, there are different kinds of people: the rich and poor; the male and female; predator and prey; strong and weak; but not in the kingdom of God, and not so among us. There should not be bullying in the kingdom of God. People should not think highly of themselves than others because it can affect the hearts and the minds of people. This is the opposite of the message of the Cross. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1 that the message of the Cross is foolishness to the world, but wisdom to us. The message is: Jesus humbly offering His life to unworthy sinners who could not be any less worthy of being forgiven and being given life.

Jesus stripped Himself of His privileges. He is the only One who can say that He is moral and of highness than us, and yet He humbly served us and gave His life for us. St. Paul encourages us to have this attitude of Jesus in Philippians 2:3: “Do not try to prove you are better than others. Do not be proud of yourselves. Instead, be humble. Value others more than yourselves.” All of us are unworthy sinners forgiven by God and given grace by God. The most morally and upright person falls short of the glory of God and cannot boast. All of us receive the mercy of God and so, like us, people need mercy and encouragement.

God plays no favorites and saves all. We are the apple of His eye and this is our worth! Our worth is not defined by money, race, sex, gender, or IQ. Be secure that God is immutable and He loves us and He doesn’t change. Therefore, encourage others. Affirm our brothers who are down. Parents should affirm their children; encourage them; never have favoritism. Ephesians 4 says, "Speak no unwholesome word, only what edifies, and gives grace." St. Paul says in Romans 14, “Don't insist too much on being right; don’t be too dogmatic. Pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” Take this from the learned and erudite St Paul. The point is so that no one is deceived by devil and thinks highly of himself.

Scriptures said, “But Jesus Christ said there will be the greatest and the least in kingdom.” Yes, but the reward in the kingdom of God is not more of God's favor but the joy we get in being like Christ. The kingdom of God is right here and now! The reward is in us, in being humble, and finding the joy in serving others.

The Cleansing of the Temple is Jesus transforming the Kingdom from being exclusive and hierarchical to being inclusive and egalitarian. No more borders and barriers. There is freedom, equality and brotherhood. Jesus is fulfilling what is written in Isaiah 56:3-7, “I will bring the Gentiles, the eunuchs to My holy mountain; their offerings will be acceptable; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples, nations even Gentiles.” Gentiles can be full pledged members in the kingdom of God.

The Old Testament was ambiguous on the policy on foreigners. Leviticus 19 said to treat foreigners residing among you as one of your people; love him as ourselves, for we were also foreigners in Egypt. But in Ezra 9 it says that intermingling with Gentiles is an abomination. Deuteronomy 23:1 says that eunuchs, those with cutoff tools, the illegitimate children and their descendants, etc., are not allowed in the temple to offer sacrifices. In Leviticus 21:17-23, priests with defect can’t offer sacrifice. The blind, the lame, the deformed, those with a cleft lip, arms and legs that are long or short cannot enter the kingdom of God. King James Version says that those with flat noses cannot come and offer sacrifices in the kingdom of God, so what about Filipinos? This was the stratification.

Can we see why James and John were resentful of Samaritans where they thought that they are better than the Samaritans? Even in the New Testament, Peter and the apostles struggled with accepting the Gentiles in the Church. This was their faith and Jesus destroyed this culture of stratification. Jesus prophesied the destruction of the Temple (and its system). He said, “Destroy the temple, and I’ll rebuild it in three days.” The system, the temple was replaced by the Body of Christ." What price did Jesus pay? It is the temple of His body – the giving of His life.

Ephesians 2:11-19 says, “11 Therefore remember that previously you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, [a]excluded from [b]the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away [c]have been brought near [d]by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the [e]barrier of the dividing wall, 15 [f]by abolishing [g]in His flesh the hostility, which is the Law composed of commandments expressed in ordinances, so that in Himself He might [h]make the two one new person, in this way establishing peace; 16 and that He might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, [i]by it having put to death the hostility. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the [j]saints, and are of God’s household.”

Don't be like the brother of prodigal son who thought he was better because he stayed in his father’s house. Don’t condemn those we think are inferior morally, socially, racially, physically, and mentally, etc. Be like Jesus; have compassion, bring people near, and reconcile them to God because we are not the judges or separatists but the ambassadors of reconciliation. This is our calling and this is the way it is in the kingdom of our God.