The Jewish Passover was near
, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
In the temple he found those selling cattle, sheep and doves, and the money-changers sitting there.
He made a whip of cords
and drove them all out of the
temple, together with the sheep and cattle; he poured
out the money-changers’ coins and overturned
their tables;
and to those selling doves he said,
‘Take these things away;
do not make my Father’s house a marketplace.’
His disciples remembered that it is written:
‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’
Then the Jews spoke up and said to him,
‘What sign can you show us to
prove that you have the right to do this?’
Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up again.’ The Jews said, ‘It
has taken forty-six years to build
this temple
, and you claim you can raise it up in three days?’
But he was speaking of the temple of his body.
When he was raised from the dead, his disciples
remembered that he had said this,
and they believed both the Scripture
and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Whilst he was in Jerusalem for the Passover, many
came to believe in his name when
they saw the signs he was performing.
But Jesus did not entrust himself to them,
for he knew them all
and did not need anyone to testify about man;
for he knew what was in man.
  

Jesus puts things in order: in the temple. The temple is regarded as the house of God, and, to borrow from Marie Kondo, one might say: Jesus goes in and asks: Does God make the animal being sold here happy? – No. Does God make money happy? – No. So he throws it away.

Why does he do this? Because Jesus is constantly asking himself what God’s will is on earth, and because he is convinced that with this focus, the world becomes a better place. Of course, it is clear that the whole world cannot be a Temple Mount, without an economy or trade. But there are situations in which our focus should be different, because the world around us threatens to collapse: for Jesus, it is clear that this focus must be on God. This is achieved, for example, through prayer, meditation, the celebration of worship, and so on.

And because faith would remain an empty shell without life on earth, this orientation also serves as a guiding principle for action.

The government’s response to the pandemic, for example, was characterised by consideration for the weak and vulnerable. In a situation where a sense of direction was needed, it focused on people in their vulnerability. The government’s task is to protect life as best it can. Therefore, all ‘wild’ activity had to stop for the time being: no parties, no shopping. The value of (survival) took precedence over everything else.

From a biblical perspective, this is a profoundly Christian, indeed Christ-like motive, for in caring for one’s neighbour, one’s gaze is turned towards God. Love for one’s neighbour and love for God are closely intertwined.

Gospel of Mark 12:29–31

The greatest commandment is this:
“Hear, O Israel:
The Lord our God is one Lord;
and you shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5).
The second is this:
‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:18).
There is no other commandment greater than these.

This so-called ‘double commandment of love’ for God and one’s neighbour provides a strong guide when we ask what is required in such difficult times as those of the past few months.

In spring, many people set about spring cleaning. They start clearing out: emptying cupboards and tackling all the things they never got round to due to lack of time – at home, in their immediate surroundings. We look at our immediate surroundings, at what lies around us, and clear out the drawer full of odds and ends or the far corner of the cellar – with the aim of gaining a clear overview. Always asking the question: “What do I need?”, to free oneself from the clutter that makes rummaging for that one thing you’re looking for so much more of a faff. Doesn’t it take much longer when so much useless junk is blocking your view?

Perhaps we have already restored a great deal of order, or perhaps we have adopted new ways of organising things and settled into them. The Gospel asks after you: Hey there, is everything alright?

Aleksandra Brand