Today's Gospel in Art - You have turned the temple into a robbers' den

Christ driving the Traders from the Temple, El Greco, 1600, © National Gallery

Gospel of 22nd November 2019 - Luke 19:45-48

Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. 'According to scripture,' he said 'my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robbers' den.'

He taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out because the people as a whole hung on his words.

Reflection on the Painting

The 'relationship' between Jesus as a person and the temple as a place, is always quite an interesting one when mentioned in the Gospels. Jesus uses the Temple to teach and so He uses it as the space to draw people closer to God. But yet, He is very critical at the same time of what takes place in the temple, and it's commercialisation. He holds up an 'ideal' of what the Temple should be, and should be used for. In that sense, we are all confronted with the same tensions in our lives between the ideals we hold, and the actual experiences we have on a day to day basis. But yet, going to the temple, or nowadays the church, is exactly where we have to live, build and celebrate our faith. It should be a place of Holy worship, without too many distractions, certainly not commercial distractions.

The tradition of setting apart a special place dedicated solely for God's worship has been part of our Christian faith from the very beginning.... To read on see: www.christianart.today/daily-gospel-reading/242