Daily Readings - Sat Nov 09 2024
First Reading - Ezekiel 47.1-2, 8-9, 12 or 1 Corinthians 3.9b-11, 16-17
Ezekiel
1Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.2Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.8And he said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh.9And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.12And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing."
1 Corinthians
9For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.10According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.11For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.16Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
John
13The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.14In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.15And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.16And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."17His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."18So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?"19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."20The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?"21But he was speaking about the temple of his body.22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the imagery of the temple and its profound spiritual significance. In Ezekiel’s vision, the temple becomes a source of life-giving water, flowing out to heal and nourish the land. This water symbolizes the grace of God, which restores and revitalizes all it touches. Ezekiel’s prophecy points to a future where God’s presence will bring abundant life, not just to Israel, but to all creation. The temple, as a sacred place, is not just a building but a source of spiritual vitality.
In the Gospel, Jesus takes this idea a step further. When he cleanses the temple in Jerusalem, he is not just confronting the corruption of commerce in a holy place; he is asserting that the true temple is his own body. By driving out the moneychangers and merchants, Jesus is preparing the way for a new understanding of worship—one that is not confined to a physical building but flows from the heart. His words, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” point to his own resurrection, where he becomes the living temple, the source of eternal life.
These readings challenge us to see ourselves as temples of the Holy Spirit, called to be sources of life and grace in the world. Just as Ezekiel’s waters flowed outward to heal the land, our lives should overflow with God’s love, touching the lives of those around us. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple reminds us to examine our own hearts, purifying them from worldly distractions and making them fit dwelling places for God. Let us strive to be like the tree by the river in Ezekiel’s vision, bearing fruit that nourishes others and bringing healing to a world in need.