A Reflection for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
By James T. Keane
For the reason that Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went as much as Jerusalem. He present in the temple area those that sold oxen, sheep, and doves, in addition to the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove all of them out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those that sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, “Zeal for your home will devour me.” (Jn 2: 13-17)
“Mark you this, Bassanio,” Antonio says in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” “The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.” So too have many individuals throughout history who usually are not necessarily devilish—but are potentially as much as no good—used Jesus’ behavior in today’s passage from the Gospel of John to justify all manner of shady behaviors. You may see the temptation, because this will not be the Jesus we’re all the time used to seeing in Scripture: He seems to lose his temper, and he seems to decide on violence. He appears to be acting like numerous us act once we’re not at our greatest.
It is alleged that among the other bishops on the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D. accused Theodore of Mopsuestia of beating up his own priests once in a while. Perhaps so, Theodore purportedly responded, but didn’t Jesus use a whip on the moneychangers? Greater than a millennium later, John Calvin agreed to have the theologian Michael Servetus burned alive because he denied the divinity of Jesus; harsh, perhaps, Calvin said, but what about Jesus purifying his Father’s house? Even Bernard of Clairvaux made use of the passage, to justify the Crusades. In spite of everything, didn’t Jesus use violence to maintain sacred what was holy?
But why did Jesus do it? Within the synoptic Gospels, this scene within the temple courtyard works as a type of scary incident near the top of Jesus’ ministry: It gives everyone a reason to kill him. But in today’s passage from John, now we have barely met Jesus—he’s fresh off the marriage feast at Cana. Some Scripture scholars say that is when Jesus first shows his divinity, but I feel there’s something else: It’s where Jesus shows his humanity. Since it doesn’t take the beatific vision to confront hypocrisy and corruption.
Remember what Pope Francis told the thousands and thousands gathered for World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in 2013? Hagan lio. A rough translation into English is perhaps “Make a fuss.” “Cause a scene.” “Make some noise.” Calling forth the gang to be disciples, Francis reminds them that discipleship doesn’t require accepting the establishment. Fairly, it would require disrupting it.
Is that the Jesus we see today? Starting his ministry, he decides to make some noise, cause a fuss. In spite of everything, young or old, everyone knows of some tables that have to be overturned.