We often are most comfortable with the meek and mild Jesus, or the Jesus that takes children into his lap to bless them. But we do ourselves and our churches a disservice when we look past the stories of Jesus like the one found in John 2:13-22. Jesus is in a rage. Some people perhaps would like to try to soften the image, but this painting well captures the tumult of Jesus cleansing the temple. Yet too often in the past this story has bee seen in a distorted way, as if this is about Christianity vs Judaism. The reality is that Jesus was Jewish practicing his faith in Judaism, and the lesson is one for all of religion worldwide. Many commentators agree that what incited Jesus, was the practice of placing the currency exchange (Roman coinage had to be transferred into temple coinage) in the court of the Gentiles, the one place that non-Jews could come to worship. This goes to the heart of a problem with all of religion, especially Christianity. How often do we unintentionally place barriers for others preventing them from coming to worship? Can our own prejudices, blindspots, or even practices prevent all from coming to worship. Jesus preached and acted against a system so embedded in its own pragmatic concerns that it was insensitive to the needs of its worshippers. Today, we still see issues of racism and social injustice prevalent. Perhaps we should take time during this lenten season to reflect on ways that we can reach out to others making our churches a place that is welcoming. We also should have the same passion that Jesus had to see justice and mercy extended to all.
