Temple Cleansing!

Cleansing of the Temple was a major event in the life of Jesus. All the Evangelists recorded it even though they differed on the timing of this particular event. The Synoptic Gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke) placed the Cleansing of the Temple towards the end of his public ministry as its climax. For Mathew, Mark and Luke, this incident was the immediate reason for the provocation of the religious leaders that in turn resulted in His Crucifixion. However, John placed the cleansing event at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry right after the wedding in Cana (Jn 2:13-21).

Who is right? Is there any contradiction? Very often people raise this question. Scholars differ in their views. Some argue that the Cleansing of the Temple happened two times in his ministry, one in the beginning and the other towards the end. The evangelists reported this incident as it suited to their theological purposes. However most of the scholars are of the opinion that this had taken place only once and that was at the climax of his ministry.

John the Evangelist was primarily a theologian. His intention was not to present a historical account of Jesus’ life but a theological backing to his teaching and ministry. Naturally John did not follow the chronological order of the events but its theological significance.

John placed the Cleansing Event immediately after narrating the wedding feast at Cana. To have a better understanding of the Temple Event, we must read this event as a continuation of the first story. The messages of these two stories are intrinsically related.

The miracle of Cana revealed an important truth about the purpose and nature of Jesus’ mission. Jesus came to replace the Old (covenant) with the New (covenant). Wine symbolizes divine grace. The shortage of wine at Cana indicates the imperfection of the Old Testament in bringing the fullness of life. The Old must be replaced by the New. This theological motif was symbolically accomplished through the miracle of the changing of the water. Jesus ordered to the servants to ‘fill the water jars’. These jars were used to preserve the water for ceremonial washings, the old way of purification. The water in the Jar, the Old Testament, must be replaced by the water and blood flowed from the heart of Jesus. Now changing the water into wine, Jesus was prophetically announcing the new purification (salvation) that would take place through his blood. This became a reality at the last supper where Jesus established the New Covenant with his blood. At the last supper, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” (Lk 22:20).

The miracle of changing water into wine drew the attention of people and many, including his Disciples, believed in him. Jesus, however, did not want to leave the impression that he was going to bring salvation through ‘magic and prove his divinity by the display of power’. The salvation would result from a great sacrifice, even at the cost of breaking his body and shedding his blood. To bring this message home John placed the Temple Event at the very outset of his ministry. The synoptic gospels also shared the same view. For example, when Peter declared the Divinity of Jesus, He warned Peter not to tell anyone about this until he rises from the dead (Mk 8:29-30).

Two things are important here. First of all, Jesus was glorified not through a display of power but by his supreme obedience. Paul says, “…He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this God greatly exalted him” (Phil 2:9). The Centurion recognized the divinity of Jesus while Jesus was dying on the cross. He said, “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mk 15:39). Jesus brought salvation through his supreme obedience which he proved on the cross.

Secondly, there is no shortcut to glory. There is no free lunch. If we take our salvation seriously, then we need to get into the temple of our life and make a thorough examination. We need to cleanse our body, which is the temple of God, by removing everything that pushes God to the periphery. In this process our guidelines are the Ten Commandments, Teachings of the Church and the Traditions of the Church.