Day 40~ Jesus Goes to the Temple

Our reflection for today can be found in John, chapter 2 verses 13-21, it is entitled; Jesus Goes to the Temple. 

In summary, Jesus had gone to the Temple, only to find the people selling cattle, sheep and pigeons there. Jesus made a whip out of cords and drove the animals out and said, "Take them out of here! Don't make my Father's house into a marketplace!"

The Jewish authorities came to Jesus and asked him, "What miracle can you perform to show us that you have the right to do this?"

To which Jesus responded, "Tear down this Temple, and in three days I will build it again."

Of course the religious authorities thought this notion to be incredulous! Could Jesus rebuild a Temple that took forty-six years to construct in three days?

But what they didn't understand was that Jesus was speaking of his own body.

Jesus knew the plans of his Father and he knew what he had to do. The miracle he had told them he was going to perform is the very one that we will be celebrating on Sunday! He was saying that the proof of his right was his identity as God's only son and that his death for all mankind and his miraculous resurrection will prove to them who he is.

Of course, the people at that time didn't have the foresight to understand this but we are blessed enough to live during a time when we can reflect on and understand the magnitude of Jesus' sacrifice.

Now we must remember within ourselves that our bodies, just like Jesus', are God's Temple and we must remember that Temple's need maintenance. We must keep ourselves clean and take care of what God has been gracious enough to provide us with, even if that means we have to live without some things that are bad for our health, be it physically or emotionally.

So today is the 40th day of our fast and if you were curious as to why our fast usually lasts more than 40 days, this is the explaination. Our fast begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday, traditionally, but the way it is counted exempts Sundays. Some people fast throughout the week but not on Sunday that's why we end up with the extra days. So we usually fast for about 45-46 days depending on when you break fast.