Note: On Saturdays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
A junior high friend who’s an associate Methodist pastor and college ethics teacher recently inspired quite an online discussion about what made Jesus so angry that he cleared the temple. (The posters recognized, of course, the metaphor of Jesus’ body and the temple, but that wasn’t the end of the discussion.) I still don’t have the answer, and
likely none of us do. But I think some clues might be found in today’s first reading from the eighth-century prophet Hosea:
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6, NRSVCE)
Burnt offerings—in the day, bulls, sheep, goats, turtledoves, or pigeons, depending on your wealth—weren’t hard for the faithful to obtain. They were signs of a visible, transactional faith: you sinned, you made your offering, and all was well. We still are tempted to default to that sort of relationship with God: I’ll pray for health/You’ll grant it; I’ll work among the poor and those in need/You’ll find me a place in heaven; I’ll give up wine this Lent/You’ll be grateful.
And maybe, just maybe, that was what angered Jesus so much.
God’s not satisfied when we offer transactional homage. No, God’s looking for worship and love that leads to continual conversion, to intensified closeness to and reliance on the Holy One.
Love and devotion can be a lot harder to offer than burnt offerings. But when we humble ourselves and provide what God truly desires, our faith becomes more than transactional. It becomes downright transformational.
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