Daily Readings - Wed Nov 09 2022
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 two powerful visions of God's transformative power and presence in His temple. Ezekiel's vision in chapter 47 describes a river flowing from the temple, bringing life and healing to the arid desert. This river symbolizes God's restorative power, turning barrenness into fertility and despair into hope. The temple, as the source of this life-giving water, represents God's desire to renew and restore His people, promising a future where all creation thrives under His care.
In John's Gospel, Jesus embodies this vision of restoration by cleansing the temple. He drives out the merchants and moneychangers, asserting that the temple should be a house of prayer, not commerce. Jesus' zeal for His Father's house reflects His mission to purify and restore God's presence among His people. His enigmatic statement about raising the temple in three days points to His own resurrection, where He becomes the new temple, the source of spiritual life and healing.
Together, these readings remind us that we are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit, sources of life and healing in a world often marked by spiritual barrenness. As we reflect on these passages, let us ask ourselves: Are we allowing God's Spirit to flow through us, bringing renewal and hope to those around us? May we, like Ezekiel's river and Jesus' resurrection, be instruments of God's transformative power, living in a way that reflects His presence and brings renewal to the world.