Daily Readings - Fri Nov 09 2018
First Reading - Ezekiel 47.1-2, 8-9, 12 or 1 Corinthians 3.9b-11, 16-17
Ezekiel
1The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.2He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side.8He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh.9Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.12Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."
1 Corinthians
9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
John
13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"17His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."18Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."20The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"21But the temple he had spoken of was his body.22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of life-giving water, the restoration of God’s temple, and the call to live with zeal for God’s presence in our lives. In the first reading from Ezekiel, we hear of a vision where waters flow from the temple, bringing life and healing to all they touch. These waters symbolize the life-giving power of God’s presence, transforming even the most desolate places into fruitful gardens. Ezekiel’s vision is a promise of hope and renewal, reminding us that God’s grace can bring life out of barrenness.
In the Gospel, Jesus demonstrates his zeal for God’s house by cleansing the temple of those who had turned it into a marketplace. His actions challenge us to consider how we treat sacred spaces—both the physical temples where we gather to worship and the inner temples of our hearts. Just as Jesus drove out the merchants and moneychangers, we are called to purify our own lives from distractions and worldly attachments that can hinder our relationship with God. The temple, as Jesus reminds us, is meant to be a house of prayer, a place where we encounter the living God.
These readings remind us that our lives are meant to be temples of the Holy Spirit, overflowing with the life-giving grace of God. Just as Ezekiel’s waters brought healing and fruitfulness, our lives should bear fruit in service, love, and holiness. Let us examine our hearts and lives, asking the Lord to cleanse us of anything that keeps us from being fully alive in his Spirit. May we, like Jesus, live with zeal for God’s presence, and may our lives be sources of healing and grace for others.