Daily Readings - Tue Nov 09 2021
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
In today's readings, we encounter powerful visions of life, renewal, and the restoration of God's presence in the world. Ezekiel's prophetic vision describes a river flowing from the temple, bringing life and healing to all it touches. This river symbolizes the life-giving power of God, transforming even the most desolate places into gardens of abundance. The temple, as the source of this river, represents God's dwelling place among his people, from which flows spiritual nourishment and vitality. Ezekiel's vision is a message of hope, reminding us that God's presence can bring life out of barrenness and restore creation to its full potential.
In the Gospel, Jesus' cleansing of the temple offers a dramatic contrast to Ezekiel's serene and life-giving river. Jesus, filled with zeal for his Father's house, drives out the money changers and traders who have turned the temple into a place of commerce rather than prayer. This act is not just a critique of corruption; it is a call to reclaim the temple as a sacred space where God's people can encounter his presence. Jesus' words, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," point to the ultimate fulfillment of Ezekiel's vision: the temple of his own body, which would be destroyed on the cross and raised on the third day. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus becomes the new source of living water, flowing forth to heal and transform all who believe in him.
These readings invite us to reflect on our own lives as temples of the Holy Spirit. Just as Ezekiel's river flows from the temple to bring life to the world, and just as Jesus cleanses the temple to restore its sacred purpose, we are called to allow God's life-giving Spirit to flow through us. We must examine our hearts and lives, asking whether we are allowing God's presence to transform us and flow out to others. Let us strive to be sources of healing, hope, and renewal in a world that so desperately needs it. May we, like Jesus, be consumed by zeal for God's house, and may we become living temples from which the waters of life flow abundantly.