The Purpose and Essence

 HOMILY, ST. PAUL’S, FOLEY – THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT, YEAR B

MARCH 7, 2021

 

TEXT:                        EXODUS 20:1-17; JOHN 2:13-22

 

 

            Today, at the mid-point of Lent, we are blessed to have two key passages of scripture as our lessons:  The Ten Commandments and the cleansing of the Temple.

 

            We should remember that Lent is a journey, and the lessons for this season are focused on the climax of Good Friday and Easter Day.  That is our focus – but we are not there yet.

 

            There is a lot of focus on the literal importance of the Ten Commandments.  We are frequently reminded that they are not the Ten Suggestions.  But that point raises a larger question: What was the essence of the Ten Commandments and the legal codes which follow it in the subsequent books of the Torah?

 

            That was the question which animated Jesus’ actions from the second chapter of John’s gospel today. Jesus was beginning to emphasize the purpose and essence of the Law that had been handed down to Moses and the Hebrew people in the Wilderness. He was not being subtle in his response.

 

            It seems to have rankled Jesus that everything that was transpiring in the Temple was legal – the money changing, the sale of animals for sacrifice, and who knows what else. To Jesus, it seems there was significant affront to naked commerce on the same grounds as the Holy of Holies. And, yet, well-intentioned people were being told their actions were not in accordance with the Law.

 

            The Law, it seems, had moved from its intention to a rather crass means of emphasizing its minor points. Much was lost in the process. The Law’s intent of focusing on our essential relationship to God and one another had been lost in the superficiality of the Law’s interpretation. To paraphrase Jesus from another passage, “The Law was made for man, not man for the Law.”

 

            It is a message that Jesus seeks to convey throughout his ministry. The faith of the Samaritan. Healing on the Sabbath. Concern for the less fortunate.  True riches. Where we place our trust. The power of forgiveness.  The manifest nature of God’s grace.

 

            What is the essence of the Law? Jesus was asked that question. His response: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang al the Law and the prophets.”

 

            God’s intent for us? Live according to that standard.  Let it guide your heart, your mind, your soul, your actions.