3rd Sunday of Lent YEAR B
Exodus 20:1-17    1 Corinthians 1:18, 22-25    John 2:13-25
A young Nigerian priest wrote a small book entitled, Selling God at a Discount. The book is a sharp criticism of the so-called prosperity gospel which dominates much of the preaching in the new religious movements in Christianity. According to these modern-day preachers, immediate personal prosperity, good health and wealth, are signs of true faith. God has promised to bless those who come to Him and this blessing always and invariably takes the form of visible, material prosperity. Even though this teaching is found more in newfound churches and ministries than in traditional, mainline ones, there is actually nothing new in prosperity theology. Prosperity theology was found among the Jews of old. St Paul in today’s second reading from 1 Corinthians condemns religious thinking which does not recognize the cross as an essential part of true Christianity faith.
For Paul the Christian message, far from being a prosperity gospel, is the message of the cross. “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Paul recognizes that this message, which for true believers is the power of God, is perceived as nothing but foolishness by non-believers. The theology of the cross, unlike prosperity theology, recognizes that hardships and contradictions can, and often do, go along with true belief in the crucified and risen Lord. Ultimately, the reward for true faith is out of this world. Believing that the reward for righteousness is always found in this life is nothing but materialism in religious garb.
Paul recognizes that true Christian teaching, the theology of the cross, does not make sense by human standards. The cross represents the weakness and the foolishness of God. But, as Paul says, “God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:25).
Paul finds examples of human thinking in the response of the Jews and Greeks of his time to the preaching of the Christian message. “For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:22-24).
Jews demanded signs. According to their belief, the Messiah, the Son of God would have to prove it by signs and wonders. But Jesus fundamentally said no to a life of signs and wonders. When the devil tempted him to jump down from the pinnacle of the temple and amaze the people into believing, he turned it down. When the onlookers at the crucifixion taunted him, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him” (Matthew 27:42) did he act up to their expectations? No. Jesus challenged the dominant prosperity theology of the Jews at every point. As if this were not enough, Jesus gave them a negative sign. The cross was a negative sign. The Hebrew Scriptures have it that “Anyone that is hanged is accursed by God” (Deuteronomy 21:23). To the Jews the fact that Jesus was hanged on the cross, far from proving that Jesus was the Son of God, disproved it. The Jews looked for signs and wonders. What they got instead was the cross, a negative sign.
The Greeks, on the other hand, demanded wisdom. They had developed a logical philosophy of God and expected God to act in accordance with their philosophy. For example, they believed that God cannot suffer. So anyone who suffers and dies on the cross cannot claim to be divine. Here again, the crucifixion of Christ becomes an obstacle in accepting the Christian message.
The cross was an obstacle to true Christian faith to the Jews and the Greeks of Paul’s time. What about us today? It still is a problem. Do we still believe in the prosperity gospel? We worship and praise God when things are going well for us. But will we still worship and praise Him when things are hard for us? May God give us true faith such that we can love and serve Him unconditionally, to continue believing in the sun even when it isn’t shining, to keep believing, loving and serving God, even when we are hanging on the cross apparently abandoned by God.
Like the desert (Lent week 1) and the mountain (week 2), the Temple is a place of special encounter with God. But today we are not going to see the glorious face of Jesus; we are going to see his angry face. Jesus is not happy with what he sees precisely because the way the Temple worship has been organised no longer reflects God’s original idea of a worshipping community. Two reasons can be given for this, namely, (a) the religious leaders had put rituals over morality, and (b) they had put particularity over universality.
The religious administrators of the Temple worship took pains to see that worshippers were duly supplied with high quality cattle, sheep and doves for sacrifice. They even made sure that the “dirty” money people brought with them could be exchanged for the “holy” Temple money. At the same time, however, they were plotting against Jesus. If they took all that trouble to please God in worship, why couldn’t they take the trouble to investigate the claims of Jesus rather than condemn him so readily? For them pleasing God had become something you do in the rituals of the Temple and not in your relationship with people. This kind of religiosity makes Jesus really angry.
The story is told of a priest who was coming back to his parish house one evening in the dark only to be accosted by a robber who pulled a gun at him and demanded, “Your money or your life!” As the priest reached his hand into his coat pocket the robber saw his Roman collar and said, “So you are a priest? Then you can go.” The priest was rather surprised at this unexpected show of piety and so tried to reciprocate by offering the robber his packet of cigarettes, to which the robber replied, “No, Father, I don’t smoke during Lent.” You can see how this robber is trying to keep the pious observance of not smoking during Lent while forgetting the more fundamental commandment of God, “Thou shalt not steal.”
The second reason why Jesus was mad with the Temple priests was their practice of religious particularity over against universality, of exclusiveness over inclusiveness. Some knowledge of the design of the Temple will help us here. The Temple had five sections or courts: (1) holy of holies (2) court of priests (3) court of Israel (4) court of women (5) court of Gentiles. Though these were seen as five concentric circles of sanctity, the design made room for everybody in the house of God. It was a universal house of God “for all the nations” where every man or woman on earth would find a place in which to pray. But the Temple priests forgot that and thought that it was meant for Jews alone. So they decided to turn the court of the Gentiles into a “holy” market place for selling the animals required for sacrifice and for exchanging money. You could bring Roman money as far as the court of the Gentiles but not into the other four courts. The court of Gentiles was no longer regarded as part and parcel of the house of God, it had become a market place, pure and simple. Now it was this court of Gentiles that Jesus cleansed. In so doing he was making the point that the Gentile section was just as holy as the Jewish sections. God is God of all and not God of a select group. Like the Jews of the time of Jesus, some Christians today still think that God belongs to them alone and not to others as well.
A certain man died and went to heaven and St Peter was showing him round. St Peter pointed to different mansions: “Here are the Jews, here the Buddhists, here the Moslems, etc.” Then they came to a large compound surrounded by a high wall and inside they could hear singing and laughter. “Who are those?” asked the new arrival. And St Peter hushed him, “Hush! They’re the Christians – but they think they’re the only ones here.” Believers like these need a Temple court experience to awaken them to the universal love of God and bring them back to true worship.
By Rt. Rev. Prof. Kasomo Daniel
Bishop of the Society of St. Peter and Paul

or

HOMILY FOR MARCH 7, 2021-THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT-B CYCLE*

Exodus 20: 1-17;               Psalm 19: 8, 9, 10, 11;       1 Corinthians 1: 22-25;       John 2: 13-25

 

*THE GOD OF RELATIONSHIP *

 

God establishes relationship with humanity. Our readings speak about different aspects of our covenant relationship with God. The readings focus on what it means to being bound again to the God who loves us.  It moves us to seek God's plan for our lives. We are being called today to reflect on how God takes the initiative in developing a relationship with us.  The Lord Jesus desires that we be bound again with the God who loves us.  God cares for us much more than we can understand. It is only in living in a closer relationship with this God of relationships that we can further develop our "knowledge" of how much God loves us.

 

The first reading presents the covenant relationship in the Ten Commandments (Decalogue). Here, we are given one of the two versions of the Ten Commandments. The other version is Deuteronomy 5: 6-21. The first few commandments deal with how the people are to relate to God (Vertical Dimension of the Relationship). The last ones deal with relationship to other people (Horizontal Dimension of the Relationship). *The purpose of the commandments are to reassure the people that they are bound again with God and God's people through the covenant of relationships.*

 

The psalm praises the value of God's laws and commandments. The commandments are meant to provide life for those who follow them.  The psalmist describes the results of those who keep their end of the covenant relationship and obey God's commands:  refreshed souls, wisdom for the simple, rejoicing hearts, and enlightened eyes.  Doing the will of God is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey.

 

In the second reading, Paul describes the wisdom and strength of God's plan of salvation in and through Jesus. Paul proclaims that the message of Jesus is hard to accept for Jews and non-Jews alike. The stumbling block (σκανδαλον - skandalon) – scandal – for the Jews is that Jesus announces that He is the Son of God, completely One with the God of Hebrew Scriptures.  The Jews cannot accept that the One and Only God can somehow be Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This is scandalous and sacrilegious for an orthodox Jew. The Gentiles can accept that Jesus is the Son of God, truly divine and truly human. For them the problem is the illogical belief that Jesus, the Son of God, died on a cross in order to save humanity. This is a contradiction in their understanding of God.  Paul end this passage by proclaiming that even the weakest power of God is so powerful that it can get over any stumbling block placed in the path of Jews and God's foolishness (illogicality) is more wise than best human wisdom. *God's covenant relationship is beyond human comprehension.* We are call to apprehend the covenant relationship by accepting all that Jesus and His faithful disciples have taught.

 

In the Gospel, Jesus shows His love for the sanctity of God's presence among the people and His abhorrence of those who put restrictions on experiencing God's presence. Jesus cleanses the Temple at the very beginning of His ministry. The Temple is the dwelling place of God's presence. Being in relationship with His Father, Jesus is upset with the way people have changed having a relationship with God to a for-profit business.  "Prophets" (spokespersons for God) have given way to "profits" (financial gains). True religion means to be "bound again" with God and others – to deepen one's relationships. It is not a financial arrangement to deepen the pocketbooks of some people.

 

Dear Sisters and brothers, today's readings remind me once again what it is that God wants for us and from us. God wants us to be in relationship with the Almighty, and not adherents to strict rules, regulations, and the almighty dollar, pounds and Euro. God has revealed the Ten Commandments not to enslave us but to free us to be in closer connection (covenant relationship) with Him.  The people with whom Moses shared God's Ten Commandments had just been released from slavery in Egypt. God wanted them to experience life – life in relationship with God. The Decalogue was meant to reinforce the people's bond with God and with each other – it was a sign of the covenant which God had made with them. Because God was blessing them with the Divine Presence and an intimate connection with the Lord, He wanted them to realize how they were to live out that covenant. God is pictured as "jealous."  Because God has established the link with them, they were to show their union with God by having nothing to do with the belief in other so-called gods.  Because God had called them by name, they were to use God's name in a holy and proper way, going so far as to never even audibly voice God's proper name (YHWH).  Because God had taken the time to interface with them and free them from captivity, they were to take the time weekly to be in covenant relationship with God by observing the Sabbath as the Day of the Lord.  Because they as a community of believers were being bound again with God, they were also being bound with the other members of their community. They must be in proper covenant relationship not only with God, but also with their parents and with all the other people of God.  Being in relationship with others meant being honest, respecting others and their property, and caring for others.  For many people, it is easier to understand what a relationship is all about by stating what activities violate a covenant relationship:  disrespect, murder, stealing, lying, breaking promises and vows, and desiring what others have.

 

Obviously this understanding of covenant relationship reaches its greatest fulfillment in Jesus and His ministry.  Yet, those who are caught up in legal interpretation, logical thinking, and a desire to make a profit from others are not going to accept Jesus and His message.  It means that they would have to change their behavior to reflect a God of relationship rather than a religion of rules, human logic, and financial gains.  It is no wonder that Paul describes Jesus and His Good News of a relational God as a scandal (stumbling block) to some of the heart-hardened Jews and a folly to many of the analytical Gentiles.  The God of relationships demands a whole new way of thinking and being. Having a relationship with such a God demands obedience, but such an obedience frees those who obey to having a closer and deeper covenant relationship with the God Who is Relational.  It also empowers the faithful followers to be in a more loving and caring relationship with others.

 

May we join the psalmist and experience the freedom of the children of God by fulfilling all the commands of the Lord Jesus, especially as summarized in Jesus' command, "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 13: 34).

 

*MEDITATION* Do I see how the God whom Jesus reveals could be a stumbling block to His fellow Jews and utter foolishness to the sophisticated Greek? How does having a God of Relationships fit into my understanding of God and my practice of my faith? What value do rules, commandments, and precepts have in my life, particularly in binding me again to God and to others?  How can I better live out my relationship with God and others today?  This week?

 

*PRAYER* Lord God, with the limitations of our wisdom and being misled by the deceits of others and the enemy, we have misunderstood Your plan and have built our own interpretation of how we should respond to Your offer of a deeper relationship with You.  We have institutionalized the precepts which were meant to free us to love You more and we have imposed unbearable burdens on ourselves and others, all in Your name.  At times we have sought our own earthly gains at the expense of others and their relationship with You and with us.  For the stumbling blocks we have placed in our own or others' way to You, we seek Your pardon and forgiveness.  For the false wisdom which leads us away from You, we seek Your healing.  Help us to enjoy the refreshment, wisdom, joy, enlightenment, richness, and sweetness of being in relationship with You and to share it with others.  Through Christ Our Lord.  Amen.