Proper 28, November 13, 2022

Luke 21:5,19

Rev. Neli Miranda

Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem in the temple where he has been teaching since his arrival. In the preceding chapters, Jesus had also been in the temple driving out all those who were trading. So, it is no surprise that Jesus’ actions and teachings have attracted the opposition of the chief priests and the dominant groups residing in Jerusalem. And today, while some admire the magnificent temple, Jesus announces some shocking news: the temple they so much admire will be destroyed!

Let’s remember that the first temple in Jerusalem was built during King Solomon’s reign, and according to the biblical account, it was a magnificent, luxurious temple, built with imported wood and decorated in gold. The construction used forced labor and took twenty years to build, and to finance it, King Solomon imposed an additional tax on the people besides the payment of the tenth-tax used for palace expenses. King Solomon dedicated this beautiful, grand temple to God, bringing him fame and consolidating his Kingdom. However, the temple had been built at the expense of the misery of thousands of people, the felling of Lebanon forest, and forced labor, slavery!!

I wonder. . . should it be called God’s temple or Solomon’s temple?  Certainly, God did not have in mind the construction of a temple at the expense of people’s misery and forced labor! Four centuries later, this luxurious temple was destroyed by fire, and all its magnificent treasures were plundered by the Babylonian army.

Upon the return from exile in Babylon, a second, modest version of the original temple was built, and worship was resumed. From the time of its reconstruction in the sixth century B.C., this temple remained standing despite different invasions and foreign rulers who dominated the people of Israel. It was under Roman domination in the first century B.C. that Herod I, a client king, projected the rebuilding and massive expansion of the Jewish temple. Herod was not Jewish, but he wished to immortalize his name and ingratiate himself with the Jews, so he raised, expanded, and faced the temple with great white stones. It was the length of ten football fields and was one of the most splendid buildings of its time, bringing Herod great glory. However, just like in the days of King Solomon, this luxurious temple was paid for with money extracted from the people over whom Herod exercised power.

Now, during Jesus’ time, the enlarged, embellished temple had become the center of Jewish identity—the pride of Jewish religiosity. The temple, a center of continuous pilgrimage, had developed an important economy controlled by the priestly aristocracy, the Sadducees. They were the highest, wealthiest class of Jewish society, who also worked closely with the Roman government. Therefore, when Jesus cleansed the temple, he was not against the temple itself as a place of worship but against the system represented by those who gained wealth from the temple, those who profited from people’s faith. To them, Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers”(Luke 19,45). Certainly, this was not God’s temple but Herod’s temple, controlled by the priests!!

Today, soon to be murdered by the dominant system residing in Jerusalem, Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down." Here, Jesus tells us about the end of an era—the end of a political, economic, religious system that profits from faith and oppression. The structure that sustained the corrupt worship of God will soon collapse!!

In 70 CE, the Roman army destroyed this temple by fire and only a portion of the western wall remains—known today as the “Wailing wall”.

Could  our current religious system be in route to be destroyed?

It seems to me that today we live amid religious systems that have coopted God’s temples and worship the God of money. From large and magnificent temples some religious leaders profit from people’s faith. There, the faithful are asked to offer God their money that is then used to maintain sumptuous buildings and lavish lifestyles. Sadly, these religious systems have converted God’s temples into robbers’ dens!!

Today, Jesus tells us that all human systems that corrupt the worship of God are going to fall. The falling of these systems, Jesus says, involves hard times in which his disciples must remain faithful and resilient. Today, Jesus foretells his first disciples that  they are going to face geo-political chaos, betrayal, and persecution; however, despite this chaotic moment, Jesus still encourages them to resist, to be witnesses, to be patient, and to wait on God’s redemption. “By your endurance you will gain your souls", Jesus says.

The first disciples remained faithful, resisted this very challenging time, overcame the temple’s system, and they themselves became the temple of God as Paul wrote in the first century, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Cor 3,16). Through these disciples, God reached the world. Now, we know that God is no longer confined to a temple but dwells in us—human temples who carry the glory of God!!

Today, dear sisters and brothers, while political, economic, and religious systems are expected to fall, we, disciples of Jesus, await a new era. So, this is the time to witness, endure, hope, and pray until the time the Kingdom of God fills the world. Amen.