Easter Monday, April 5, 2021
Bernardino Mei: Christ Cleansing the Temple
Clearing Out
Lent is a time for introspection, examination and evaluation. Lent is a time for starting over, beginning again, for clearing out. Lent is a time for deep preparation, intense consideration and profound joy.
Easter is a time of celebration, regeneration, and commitment. Easter is a time for union, inclusion, and invitation. Easter Is a feast of eight days that rejoice in the journey we have made with Christ to Jerusalem. During this Easter Week we will explore our journey of hope and joy, and the commitment we make to continue our journey beyond the holiday.
Jesus travels to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and when he enters the Temple area he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.
Jesus does not delude himself about who and what he sees. He does not explain away or excuse the corruption he finds.
He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves he said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.
Jesus brings salvation to any who welcome their own redemption. He speaks in terms his listeners do not understand.
Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body.
Christ calls to each of us that we might follow. The Spirit guides each of us that we might go. God protects each if us so that we might clear out, renew and begin again.
So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
As we continue our Easter journey, let us consider the many paths we might take to achieve our own clearing out and redemption.
For another Noontime reflection on these verses, enter the words Clearing Out the Temple into the blog search bar and explore, and use the Amazing Paths link to a Microsoft Word ® document on that post or the link here amazing-paths to reflect on the many ways of return that God offers us in in our lifetime journey.
The Noontimes 
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