“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” John 2:19
Wow! Jesus made quite a mess when He cleansed the temple. Take a moment and place yourself at the scene of this Gospel passage. Imagine the chaos as Jesus flipped over tables, brandished a whip, and angrily ordered the money changers to leave. People and animals scattered. As the tables turned over, coins rolled to the ground and people climbed over each other, scrambling to to pick them up. The disciples observed this pandemonium, their mouths probably gaping open. What a mess!
Jesus came into the temple and turned everything that was not of the Father’s will upside down. He saw the disrespect for His Father’s house and made a holy mess that had to be reordered to the Father’s will. Remember that this was the cleansing of the temple. Sometimes when we clean, we have to make a big mess first. Sometimes you have to pull all the junk out of the closet, examine it, and then reorganize it. You keep what is good, repair what is broken, and donate or throw out what is not.
Lent is a perfect time for spiritual cleansing. Think of it as spiritual spring cleaning. It’s time to take a good hard look inside the closets of our hearts. What’s taking up space there? Is there room to love God and others, as He has commanded us (Matthew 22:37-40)? Are there sinful patterns of habits that need to be thrown out to make more room? Are there wounds that you can bring to Jesus to heal? Is there bitterness, resentment, anxiety, or fear that Christ can redeem? Whatever spiritual messes you find, trust that Jesus can help you rightly order it all.
Oh my Jesus, messes make me anxious. Help me sort out whatever is disordered in my life and order it perfectly to the Father’s holy Will, which is always ordered to love and mercy.
Third Sunday of Lent- Lectionary 29: Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19:8-11; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25
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