Daily Readings - Sat Nov 09 2019
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, purification, and the transformative power of God. In Ezekiel’s vision, we see a river flowing from the temple, bringing life and healing to all it touches. This river is not just a physical phenomenon but a symbol of God’s grace and the restoration He promises to His people. The prophet describes how even the saltiest waters are made fresh, and the barren land becomes fruitful, with trees growing on its banks that bear fruit every month. This vision is a reminder of God’s desire to bring life and fertility to His creation, even in the most desolate places.
In the Gospel, Jesus takes this imagery a step further. When He drives the merchants and moneychangers out of the temple, He is not just cleansing a physical space; He is declaring that the true temple is His own body. The temple in Jerusalem was meant to be a place of encounter with God, but it had become corrupted by greed and worldly concerns. Jesus’ actions are a call to purity and a reminder that the true source of life and healing is not a building but the living God. Just as Ezekiel’s river flows from the temple to bring life to the world, Jesus’ own life flows from the cross to bring salvation to all humanity.
These readings challenge us to consider how we might be temples of the Holy Spirit in our own lives. Are there areas in our hearts or lives that have become cluttered with worldly distractions, preventing the river of God’s grace from flowing freely? Let us ask for the courage to be purified and transformed, so that we might bear fruit in every season and bring life and healing to those around us. May we remember that the zeal for God’s house—the passion for His presence and purpose—should consume us, just as it consumed Jesus.