The Passover feast is a feast that is holy to the Lord. The Jewish faith is anchored on this. It is the story of their existence. They are a people because God has chosen to be His very own. The ten commandments is a covenant, a pact or agreement with His people. It is how God wishes his people to behave. For by the commandments the nations will know them. It is an intimate relation that God wishes to have with His people. So, when Jesus went into the temple, He was indignant to say the least at the sight of vendors and money changers. He was reminded of God’s resentment to the way Israel treated the temple. Instead of the holiness of the temple many of its religious leaders turned it into an opportunity for gain. Jesus was enraged because the people used the temple for their gain by whatever means it takes. They have made it a place of economic opportunity: the only money accepted was the shekel, and so the money changers; the pilgrims need not bring their sacrificial offerings because they are guaranteed unblemished animal sacrifices but at an exorbitant price. Jesus’ anger was for the people who disregarded the holiness of the temple. They have forgotten the proper behavior towards God. Holiness is how God wants His people to behave and by extension through Jesus Christ His son through the commandment of love given to us the new Israel. If you were a pious Jew, you would have considered Jesus’ action as one who has gone berserk. The temple area mentioned was a place where even the gentiles, non-Jews were allowed to enter and pray. But even then, it was a place of prayer. So, the temple authorities asked him by what sign or authority do you this? Or they want to know if he is a prophet. Jesus’ answer was beyond them. It was a future revelation of who he is. The dwelling place of God in Israel underwent a kind of gradated presence. First His dwelling was on the mountain, Horeb. Then God dwelt in a tent and went with his people. He was in a so to speak mobile tabernacle, then He dwelt in a temple. There is a gradation of nearness to his people. And then Jesus speaks of His temple as His body. And the height of His nearness and the Father’s nearness to us is that they the trinity find their dwelling place in our hearts. And sadly, Jesus finds the same thing as He did in the temple. We have made God’s temple, namely, our body our being, the temple of the Holy Spirit, into a marketplace of consumer desires, of evil desires of the flesh and power and all manner of unholiness that contradicts the behavior that God wishes from us through the covenant of Love. We are no better than the Jews of Jesus time. But just like in the days of old. God’s love is constant in His love for his children, and He offers his help and grace especially in this time of lent. It is the time when Jesus wishes to clean our temple if we allow Him. On our own we will not clean it ourselves for we have been attached too much and for too long to the things we think will give meaning and security to our existence. We go to our present temples, our churches, out of obligations. Our relationship with God is not an obligation but a desire to be with Him together with his people. It is desire for the goodness of God, to be in His presence. To rejoice in his unconditional love and not making our worship as a fulfilment of a law as if to protect us from the wrath of God if we do not worship him on the Sabbath: This people worship me with their lips not with their hearts. There is still a lot of cleansing to do in the temple. There are hidden nooks and corners in our own temple that is overlooked or perhaps purposely hidden, that needs cleaning. Lent is the time to invite God to come into our temple with all humility and allow His Son to clean it and ask the Holy Spirit to give us the courage and humility to allow Jesus our Lord to clean it thoroughly. Lent is a time to return to God with a contrite heart. But how can we turn to God who is not an endearing God. Many Christians, despite His love for us in Jesus Christ still have the image of a God who scrutinizes every nook and corner of our temple to condemn us. Jesus Christ the Lord cleans the temple to give space to God His father who finds delight in his children, who do not wish the sinner to die but to live. He takes no pleasure in the death of a sinner. But He together with the host of heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents. Lent is not possible if God is not an endearing God for us. If we do not appreciate what God has done for us in His Son, if we do not accept His love unconditionally on our part then it will be exceedingly difficult to return to God. Our pride makes us accept God’s love only on our own terms. Jesus needs to clean us more. If not, we will be spending our lives making it up with God and … this is very tiresome.