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Third Sunday of Lent (Year B)

Reflection

When God’s House Became a Den of Robbers

Third Sunday of Lent (Year B)

Exodus 20:1-17

In those days, God delivered all these commandments: “I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain. “Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him.”

1 Corinthians 1:22-25

Brothers and sisters: Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

John 2:13-25

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all 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 who 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 house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

Edmond Lo

This Sunday’s gospel reading could be mind-boggling to many Catholic faithful but is thought-provoking to those who love the Bible.

I remember the first time I heard this gospel reading, I walked away from Mass shaking my head thinking, “WOW! What a gospel reading! Jesus teaches against violence and yet violence was what he did! O well, he is God. I guess he can do anything he wants.” Further reflection on this passage would only bring more bewilderment. I had to question the motive underlying Jesus’ aggressive actions. Did he truly think driving out a few vendors and moneychangers would be sufficient to fix a Temple aristocracy that had been corrupt to the core for years? What’s the point of his actions? The bewilderment stayed with me for years.

What Jesus did, according to scriptural scholars (note), was to lay bare the false pretenses of piety and justice of the Temple authorities’ deeply corrupt system and practice which had effectively become “law”. Jesus was there to defend the true law, Israel’s divine law, at the heart of which were the Ten Commandments, as delivered to Israel by God Himself in the first reading. Acting as God’s representatives to look after His pilgrims and worshipers, the Temple authorities were in fact taking His name in vain, misusing it to cover their crimes (CCC 2148). Thus they should not be left unpunished (cf. Ex. 20:7). And punished they were – severely. How? Read on.

How are we to understand Jesus’ aggressive behaviors? They are generally seen as a prophetic sign of the Temple’s imminent destruction. Jeremiah accurately predicted the first destruction of the Temple in 587 B.C., which had become “a den of robbers” (Jer 7:11). Jesus saw the situation of Jeremiah’s time repeating itself in the corrupt Temple aristocracy of his time. Unfortunately, he was just as accurate as Jeremiah in predicting the Temple’s eventual demise: it was destroyed a second time by the Romans in 70. A.D., this time never to be re-built.

Note: See Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth II, pp.12-20; Ignatius Catholic Study Bible on John 2:14-15.

Edmond Lo

As a Catholic speaker, writer and RCIA Catechist, Edmond is very active in promoting and defending the Catholic faith. He has a MBA, a CPA-CMA, and a MTS (Master of Theological Studies) from U.T., St. Augustine’s Seminary. Having worked many years as the CFO of a non-profit organization, he retired at 55 to follow his special vocation of evangelization. The activities he conducts include the CMCC Bible Study Program, the Catechism Revisited Program, the FLL Spiritual Formation Program, Living in the Holy Tradition, RCIA, family groups and retreats, etc. Edmond is a member of the FLL Core Team. He writes Sunday Mass reflections regularly for the weekly FLL NewSpiration. His personal blog: http://elodocuments.blogspot.com/

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乙年 四旬期第三主日

主日聖言及反省

當天主居所成了賊窩時

乙年 四旬期第三主日

出谷紀 20:1-17

那時候,天主發言,說了以下這一切話:「我是上主、你的天主,是我領你離開埃及、奴隸之所。 「除我之外,你不可有別的神。 「你不可製造任何彷彿天上、或地上、或地下水中之物的雕像。 「不可叩拜這些像,也不可敬奉,因為我,上主、你的天主,是忌邪的天主;凡惱恨我的,我要追討他們的罪,從父親直到兒子,甚至三代四代的子孫。凡愛慕我,及遵守我誡命的,我要對他們廣施仁慈,直到他們的千代子孫。 「不可妄呼上主、你天主的名字;因為凡妄呼他名字的人,上主決不讓他們免受懲罰。 「應記住安息日,守為聖日。六天應該勞作,做你一切的事;但第七天是為恭敬上主、你的天主,當守的安息日;你自己、連你的兒女、你的僕婢、你的牲口,以及在你中間居住的外方人,都不可做任何工作。因為上主在六天內,造了天地、海洋和其中一切,但第七天休息了,因此,上主祝福了安息日,也定為聖日。 「應孝敬你的父親和你的母親,好使你在上主、你的天主,賜給你的地方,延年益壽。 「不可殺人。 「不可姦淫。 「不可偷盜。 「不可作假見證,害你的近人。 「不可貪你近人的房舍。 「不可貪戀你近人的妻子、僕人、婢女、牛驢,及你近人的一切。」

聖保祿宗徒致格林多人前書 1:22-25

弟兄姊妹們: 的確,猶太人要求的,是神蹟;希臘人尋求的,是智慧;而我們所宣講的,卻是被釘在十字架上的基督。這為猶太人,固然是絆腳石;為外邦人,是愚妄;但為那些蒙召的,不拘是猶太人或希臘人,基督卻是天主的德能和天主的智慧;因為天主的愚妄總比人明智,天主的懦弱也總比人堅強。

聖若望福音 2:13-25

猶太人的逾越節近了,耶穌便上耶路撒冷。在殿院裡,耶穌看見賣牛、羊、鴿子的,及坐在錢莊上,兌換銀錢的人。 耶穌於是用繩索做了一條鞭子,把眾人連羊帶牛,都從殿院趕出去,又傾倒了換錢者的銀錢,推翻了他們的桌子。 耶穌對賣鴿子的人說:「把這些東西從這裡拿出去,不要使我父的殿宇成為商場。」耶穌的門徒就想起了經上記載的話:「我對你殿宇所懷的熱忱,把我耗盡。」 猶太人便問耶穌說:「你顯什麼神蹟給我們看,證明你有權做這些事?」 耶穌回答他們說:「你們拆毀這座聖殿,三天之內,我要把它重建起來。」 猶太人就說:「這座聖殿建築了四十六年,你在三天之內,就能把它重建起來嗎?」 但耶穌所說的聖所,是指他自己的身體。所以,當耶穌從死者中復活以後,耶穌的門徒就想起了耶穌曾說過這話,便相信了聖經,及耶穌說過的話。 當耶穌在耶路撒冷過逾越節時,有許多人看見他所行的神蹟,便信從了他;耶穌卻不信任他們,因為他認識所有的人;他並不需要誰告訴他,人是怎樣的,因為他洞悉人的內心。

Edmond Lo

對很多信徒,這個主日的福音讀經可能有點莫名其妙,但對於那些喜愛閱讀聖經的人來說,它是會發人深省的。

我記得第一次在彌撒中聽到這段福音的時候,離開時不禁搖著頭想:「天啊!這是什麼福音! 耶穌教導我們棄絕暴力,但祂自己卻在施展暴力!不過,祂既是天主,祂要怎麼做我們也無權過問。奈何!」後來愈思考這段經文, 愈帶出更多困惑。耶穌的行為這麽激烈,其背後動機究竟是甚麽呢?當時聖殿己經被掌權者和司祭們敗壞多年,難道祂真的認為驅趕幾個小販和錢幣找換商便足以改變現狀嗎?祂這樣做為了甚麼?這疑惑多年來都在困擾著我。

根據聖經學者(註)的解說, 耶穌這樣做,是要戮破聖殿司祭們的虛偽和不公義,因為聖殿在那極腐敗的制度下所產生的敗壞, 已經變成了一種「律法」。耶穌的到來, 便是在捍 衛真正的律法,即以色列的至高律法,而十誡便是這律法的核心。 在讀經一裡,這律法是 由天主親自交給以色列民的。 作為天主的代表,聖殿司祭們理應好好看顧祂的信徒和來朝拜的人。但事實上他們卻濫用了天主的名號, 用它來掩飾自己所犯的惡行(天主教教 理2148)。 因此,他們是不應該免受懲罰的(參考出20:7)。結果他們不但受到了懲罰,而且是非常嚴厲的懲罰。是甚麽懲罰? 請閱讀下去。

究竟我們應該怎樣去理解耶穌的激烈行為呢?一般來說,衪破壞性的行為被視作一種標記,預告著聖殿的毀滅。耶肋米亞先知預言「成了賊窩」(耶7:11)的聖殿會遭受到第一次破壞,他的預言在公元前587年準確地應驗了。耶肋米亞時代聖殿腐敗的情況, 後來重現耶穌眼前;祂預言聖殿最終會被毀滅。不幸地,耶穌的預言跟耶肋米亞的一樣,準確地應驗了:聖殿在公元後70年第二次被羅馬人摧毀,而且從此永不復建。

註: 見 若瑟.拉辛格(Joseph Ratzinger)的《納匝肋人耶穌》卷二 (Jesus of Nazareth II) 12-20頁;依納爵天主教聖經 (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible) 的 若2:14-15。

Edmond Lo

As a Catholic speaker, writer and RCIA Catechist, Edmond is very active in promoting and defending the Catholic faith. He has a MBA, a CPA-CMA, and a MTS (Master of Theological Studies) from U.T., St. Augustine’s Seminary. Having worked many years as the CFO of a non-profit organization, he retired at 55 to follow his special vocation of evangelization. The activities he conducts include the CMCC Bible Study Program, the Catechism Revisited Program, the FLL Spiritual Formation Program, Living in the Holy Tradition, RCIA, family groups and retreats, etc. Edmond is a member of the FLL Core Team. He writes Sunday Mass reflections regularly for the weekly FLL NewSpiration. His personal blog: http://elodocuments.blogspot.com/

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乙年 四旬期第三主日

主日聖言及反省

当天主居所成了贼窝时

乙年 四旬期第三主日

出谷纪 20:1-17

那时候,天主发言,说了以下这一切话:「我是上主、你的天主,是我领你离开埃及、奴隶之所。 「除我之外,你不可有别的神。 「你不可制造任何仿佛天上、或地上、或地下水中之物的雕像。 「不可叩拜这些像,也不可敬奉,因为我,上主、你的天主,是忌邪的天主;凡恼恨我的,我要追讨他们的罪,从父亲直到儿子,甚至三代四代的子孙。凡爱慕我,及遵守我诫命的,我要对他们广施仁慈,直到他们的千代子孙。 「不可妄呼上主、你天主的名字;因为凡妄呼他名字的人,上主决不让他们免受惩罚。 「应记住安息日,守为圣日。六天应该劳作,做你一切的事;但第七天是为恭敬上主、你的天主,当守的安息日;你自己、连你的儿女、你的仆婢、你的牲口,以及在你中间居住的外方人,都不可做任何工作。因为上主在六天内,造了天地、海洋其中一切,但第七天休息了,因此,上主祝福了安息日,也定为圣日。 「应孝敬你的父亲和你的母亲,好使你在上主、你的天主,赐给你的地方,延年益寿。 「不可杀人。 「不可奸淫。 「不可偷盗。 「不可作假见证,害你的近人。 「不可贪你近人的房舍。 「不可贪恋你近人的妻子、仆人、婢女、牛驴,及你近人的一切。」

圣保禄宗徒致格林多人前书 1:22-25

弟兄姊妹們: 的確,猶太人要求的,是神蹟;希臘人尋求的,是智慧;而我們所宣講的,卻是被釘在十字架上的基督。這為猶太人,固然是絆腳石;為外邦人,是愚妄;但為那些蒙召的,不拘是猶太人或希臘人,基督卻是天主的德能和天主的智慧;因為天主的愚妄總比人明智,天主的懦弱也總比人堅強。

圣若望福音 2:13-25

犹太人的逾越节近了,耶稣便上耶路撒冷。在殿院里,耶稣看见卖牛、羊、鸽子的,及坐在钱庄上,兑换银钱的人。耶稣于是用绳索做了一条鞭子,把众人连羊带牛,都从殿院赶出去,又倾倒了换钱者的银钱,推翻了他们的桌子。耶稣对卖鸽子的人说:「把这些东西从这里拿出去,不要使我父的殿宇成为商场。」耶稣的门徒就想起了经上记载的话:「我对你殿宇所怀的热忱,把我耗尽。」 犹太人便问耶稣说:「你显什么神迹给我们看,证明你有权做这些事?」 耶稣回答他们说:「你们拆毁这座圣殿,三天之内,我要把它重建起来。」 犹太人就说:「这座圣殿建筑了四十六年,你在三天之内,就能把它重建起来吗?」 但耶稣所说的圣所,是指他自己的身体。所以,当耶稣从死者中复活以后,耶稣的门徒就想起了耶稣曾说过这话,便相信了圣经,及耶稣说过的话。当耶稣在耶路撒冷过逾越节时,有许多人看见他所行的神迹,便信从了他;耶稣却不信任他们,因为他认识所有的人;他并不需要谁告诉他,人是怎样的,因为他洞悉人的内心。

Edmond Lo

對很多信徒,這個主日的福音讀經可能有點莫名其妙,但對於那些喜愛閱讀聖經的人來說,它是會發人深省的。

我記得第一次在彌撒中聽到這段福音的時候,離開時不禁搖著頭想:「天啊!這是什麼福音! 耶穌教導我們棄絕暴力,但祂自己卻在施展暴力!不過,祂既是天主,祂要怎麼做我們也無權過問。奈何!」後來愈思考這段經文, 愈帶出更多困惑。耶穌的行為這麽激烈,其背後動機究竟是甚麽呢?當時聖殿己經被掌權者和司祭們敗壞多年,難道祂真的認為驅趕幾個小販和錢幣找換商便足以改變現狀嗎?祂這樣做為了甚麼?這疑惑多年來都在困擾著我。

根據聖經學者(註)的解說, 耶穌這樣做,是要戮破聖殿司祭們的虛偽和不公義,因為聖殿在那極腐敗的制度下所產生的敗壞, 已經變成了一種「律法」。耶穌的到來, 便是在捍 衛真正的律法,即以色列的至高律法,而十誡便是這律法的核心。 在讀經一裡,這律法是 由天主親自交給以色列民的。 作為天主的代表,聖殿司祭們理應好好看顧祂的信徒和來朝拜的人。但事實上他們卻濫用了天主的名號, 用它來掩飾自己所犯的惡行(天主教教 理2148)。 因此,他們是不應該免受懲罰的(參考出20:7)。結果他們不但受到了懲罰,而且是非常嚴厲的懲罰。是甚麽懲罰? 請閱讀下去。

究竟我們應該怎樣去理解耶穌的激烈行為呢?一般來說,衪破壞性的行為被視作一種標記,預告著聖殿的毀滅。耶肋米亞先知預言「成了賊窩」(耶7:11)的聖殿會遭受到第一次破壞,他的預言在公元前587年準確地應驗了。耶肋米亞時代聖殿腐敗的情況, 後來重現耶穌眼前;祂預言聖殿最終會被毀滅。不幸地,耶穌的預言跟耶肋米亞的一樣,準確地應驗了:聖殿在公元後70年第二次被羅馬人摧毀,而且從此永不復建。

註: 見 若瑟.拉辛格(Joseph Ratzinger)的《納匝肋人耶穌》卷二 (Jesus of Nazareth II) 12-20頁;依納爵天主教聖經 (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible) 的 若2:14-15。

Edmond Lo

As a Catholic speaker, writer and RCIA Catechist, Edmond is very active in promoting and defending the Catholic faith. He has a MBA, a CPA-CMA, and a MTS (Master of Theological Studies) from U.T., St. Augustine’s Seminary. Having worked many years as the CFO of a non-profit organization, he retired at 55 to follow his special vocation of evangelization. The activities he conducts include the CMCC Bible Study Program, the Catechism Revisited Program, the FLL Spiritual Formation Program, Living in the Holy Tradition, RCIA, family groups and retreats, etc. Edmond is a member of the FLL Core Team. He writes Sunday Mass reflections regularly for the weekly FLL NewSpiration. His personal blog: http://elodocuments.blogspot.com/

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