Please read this passage before reading the homily.
The prophet Daniel had spoken of a mysterious number 70 (Daniel 9:2, 24). Luke began his gospel account with the conception and birth of John the Baptist and of Jesus. The days of their existence in the wombs of their mother together totals fifteen month of thirty days, or 150 days. Forty days after the birth of Jesus, or at the close of the seventy weeks of Daniel, his parents brought Jesus into the temple. Luke sees in the this the fulfilment of prophecy, that Jesus is the Lord of the Temple.
In today’s reading, Jesus enters his temple again, calling it “My house”. He throws out the sellers and then begins to teach in his temple. The passage also notes that the chief priests and the scribes are seeking a way to put Jesus to death. We may ask why they want to do this.
From my understanding it was a usual practice to have open air markets on the outer walls of pagan temples of that era. It enabled worships to buy what they would need in their worship services. Having such a market in Jerusalem was not against Jewish law. Jesus’ actions then, were not to rectify a bad condition, but served as a dramatic introduction to the coming of the Temple’s true owner. The chief priests and the scribes seem to have understood this and so were seeking to put Jesus to death.
The charge against Jesus would be blasphemy, taking upon himself the nature and manners of God. The charge against us that we have not driven the sellers out of our lives. Jesus had told a parable a few days ago about the need to take daring steps, steps like buying, selling and trading for a boss whom nobody liked. We have to be bold enough to proclaim the word of God where people may not want to hear it, we have to be bold enough to drive out from our lives those who sell in the temple.
Jesus challenged the people by acting out and proclaiming the word of God. We have he same mandate Jesus had, to live out and proclaim the word of God. How are we up for it?