John 2.13-22 Nov 9-25 Jesus speaking his truth to power

Send us Fan MailTodays Gospel  is quite different from most others.  In this Gospel we have Jesus aggressively driving the money changes and sellers out of the temple.  At first glance it is quite different from Jesus’ usual way.  There are no immediate teachings, healings or witty dialogue.  It is clear that Jesus is passionate about his faith, and he is not willing to compromise.  Professor David Landry of the University of St. Thomas and many other biblical scholars suggest that "the importance of the episode is signalled by the fact that within a week of this incident, Jesus is dead”. This event likely functioned as the 'trigger' for Jesus' death.  The Scribes and Pharisees tolerated Jesus.   They did not like the fact that Jesus was popular with the people, his insightful teachings and the fact that Jesus won every debate with them.  It was not until Jesus attacked their financial interests did, they escalate their intentions to stop him.  Before I go any further, should  you wish to follow up on this theory, I invite you to check out David Landry’s article "God in the Details: The Cleansing of the Temple in Four Jesus Films". published in 2009 in the Journal of Religion & Film. Complete our 1 Minute Survey