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“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After 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. Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.”

 

A good Sunday for all brothers and sisters.

The evangelical text of today tells us an episode that leaves us somewhat bewildered. An episode by Jesus that could even be taken as disagreeable. We did not expect this gesture from Jesus. We have always imagined him as a sweet, tender person, affectionate with all. He takes a very hard position against those who are administering the religious life in the temple of Jerusalem, but actually they were desecrating the temple of the Lord. We are a little baffled in front of this hard gesture that Jesus makes, in fact, if we imagine him entering today, furious with the whip in certain temples, where there is still a relationship between faith and money ... Or perhaps in certain religious settings where adherence to Christ serves some to make a career, to connect with the great ones of this world to obtain recognition and favors ... if Jesus entered with the whip in these environments.... Or perhaps also in certain lay temples where the ‘god’ money is worshiped, where there is deception, where the exploitation of poor countries, or where wars, violence, injustices are planned... if Jesus came in with his whip ... what shall we say? Even today we would be baffled.

About the significance of this provocative gesture of Jesus I am sure that my fellow priests will dwell heavily on today's Sunday homily. It is not on this aspect that I want to insist, but in the profound, theological meaning of the choice made by Jesus. It is not, therefore, a purification of a certain religious form but a turning radically on the way of relating to God: a new temple. The ancient temple, the ancient religion, the ancient way of relating to the Lord are abandoned to begin a new way of relating to God.

It is on this aspect that we are going to reflect on this feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. To be able to understand this episode, I thought about setting it from the historical point of view, It is very important to understand where, how, when Jesus decides to make this gesture very provocative. At my back you can see the recreation of what was the temple of Jerusalem.

We have to distinguish the term 'temple' from the term 'sanctuary'. The Gospels distinguish it very well. When we speak of 'temple' we mean the whole complex of porticos, courtyards, buildings, which were part of this enormous and magnificent structure, a true masterpiece of architecture and one of the wonders of the ancient world, built by King Herod the Great. Construction began on 19 BC, so when Jesus was born the construction of the temple of Jerusalem had already started 11 or 12 years before. Part of the temple is the sanctuary, the central part, where the people were convinced that they could find the Lord. The pagans could even enter the temple, but the most sacred part—the sanctuary— was reserved only for the Israelites, who belonged to the holy people. Let's take a good look at the place where the episode took place. We see it very well in this reconstruction.

I will only comment on two very important parts: one is the 'portico regio', which extended in the south of the esplanade of the temple. Then we will see it better. And the other part of this temple is the majestic staircase which introduced to the 'Gate of Coponius'. It was the most beautiful of the four doors which were in the western part of this esplanade. It was majestic, stupendous, so much so that the first Roman procurator, Coponius, gave his name to this door the year 6 after Christ.

To give you an idea of the grandeur, the beauty of this esplanade, I will give you some figures. It was elevated from the Roman street (also this a work of Herod), the street that you see indicated. To the right and to the left of this street were businesses. This cobbled street was 8.5 meters wide. From this street until the entrance of the door the stands rose 17.5 meters, which is equivalent to a six-story building. But the most surprising thing is that the entrance; the steps had a width of 15.2 meters. Perhaps the number does not say much, but imagine the width of these tiers that equal the width of an avenue of four hands. This was for entrance to the royal portico of the temple of Jerusalem.

Why did I insist so much on the royal portico and this staircase? Because the episode which is narrated in the Gospel text of today is located precisely there. On the royal porch was all the trade of oxen, lambs, pigeons that Jesus threw out. And at the bottom of this staircase were four rooms, four compartments where the money changers operated. And now we can imagine Jesus descending from this ladder to pull down the tables of the money changers. We will try to enter this regal portico to have an idea about what happened that day when Jesus has purified the religion that the people practiced. We will go up this ladder to enter the temple.

Leaving this great staircase we see even four ground-floor boxes where the money changers were. We have already seen the street. We admire the height of this majestic step and we can appreciate the southern part, the one that looked at Siloam. And finally, we enter the great regal portico. It had a length of 185 meters. It had four rows of monolithic columns, 10 meters high, and then there were the Corinthian capitals that were six feet high. We admire this regal portico and also contemplate the sanctuary that is now seen. You can also see the smoke of holocausts. We are at Easter time when Jesus made this gesture, therefore, the temple was crowded with pilgrims who came to offer their sacrifices, and then to eat the lamb on Easter night.

This is the atmosphere when Jesus performed the purification of the temple. Let's take a last look at this wonderful building that was the regal portico and descending of the regal porch we descend by that staircase because we want to see these four compartments that are at the base. We see it in the excavations of the archaeologists. We are going to get closer to see them better. They have been preserved; were part of the base of the staircase and it is in this place where the money changers operated. They exchanged the pilgrim’s money for the coins that could be used inside the esplanade of the temple.

In the esplanade of the temple no coins with the effigy of the emperor could be introduced. Therefore, those who wanted to offer a sacrifice, had to change the currencies that were used in the market in the city of Jerusalem. The commission was very large. In making the change there were big gains for those who managed this economy which revolved around the religious practice of the temple of Jerusalem. We know very well and by name who were the managers of this economy: Annas and Caiaphas and their families.

I will comment how we came to know that this was the place where the coins were exchanged. It's very simple. When the temple of Jerusalem was destroyed—and these are the remnants of that destruction— the archaeologists have found in front of these compartments the 'perutot', that is, the currency which had no value outside the temple, but only within. Therefore, archaeologists say that if they have been found there, it is because it was there that they changed these coins. They are from the year 70 and you can observe the two types of coins: those of Tiberius, which were used in the markets of the city, and the 'perutot' that were only used in the temple of Jerusalem. Archaeologists found the 'perotot' there, where the money changers were.

We are in the year 70. This tells us that the gesture made by Jesus did not end with that trade in the name of religion. I think that after Jesus scattered the tables of the money changers, soon after, perhaps even before an hour the money changers would have returned to their posts. In fact, the same religious practice was still in force in the year 70. But the prophetic gesture made by Jesus left the mark. Not that he immediately changed everything, but it laid the foundations of the new religion, the new way of relating to God. After this introduction—which I believe is very important to concretely understand what Jesus has done—let's move forward.

"When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” The evangelists tell us that this happened at the last Passover, it was the drop that made the cup pour; the authorities could not stand Jesus any longer and after this gesture they decided that he should be eliminated because it undermined the whole religious institution that the temple priests practiced. The evangelist John puts it at the beginning of his Gospel, because it is an emblematic sign of everything that will happen later, the relationship of Jesus with the temple of Jerusalem.

You can see at my back a representation of the many coins that were collected. For it was at the time of Easter when all the coins were taken to Jerusalem collected by the tax that all Israelite male had to pay for the temple. It was the moment when it was gathered throughout the Roman empire and these coins ended up in the temple. At that time the temple was considered the largest bank in the Middle East. Chapter 3 of the second book of the Maccabees mentions that the treasury of the temple of Jerusalem was the height of immense wealth, so much that the sum was incalculable (2 Mac 3:11). This is the introduction.

Let's now turn to the text. "In the temple courts Jesus found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts...." There was an oracle of the prophet Malachi who had uttered harsh words against the priests and had announced the cleansing coming of the Lord. Things could not continue like this in the temple. And he had used very strong images: The Lord will purify "like fire in the foundry and that the lye used for bleaching" (Mal 3:2). The Baptist also used very strong phrases when he said: "The ax is already laid at the roots of the trees ... he will burn the chaff in inextinguishable fire" (Mt 3:10 and 12).

There was a need for purification. Here we have the Messiah with whip in hand. It means that it is an unacceptable situation and must be radically changed. But let's also say that the prophets and the people themselves expected a purification from the temple to recover the initial purity, less trade; that the lambs should conform to what the Torah prescribed. But, in fact, here we have a radical change about the way of relating to God. In fact, not even the disciples understood immediately what Jesus indicated by his gesture.

Let us keep in mind who Jesus throws out of the temple with the whip. We know that only 'pure' people could enter the temple and the sanctuary. And the impure, the sinners, the lepers, the lame, the paralytic, the blind were to remain outside. The Messiah enters with the whip in hand and casts out not the lepers, the lame, the paralytic, but throws out the people those who considered themselves 'pure' because that was not the purity that interested God. The Lord wants the purity of the heart. And those who considered themselves 'pure' because they were the administrators of the religious life, are expelled. The purity of the temple priests was simply hypocrisy. Jesus "drove all from the temple courts” 'All' means that he threw out sellers and buyers. For, many times, those who take advantage of a certain religious form, are those who hold and support a relationship with God that is not what God expects.

Then Jesus descends from the ladder which I have indicated to you, spreads the coins of the money changers, overturns the tables. What Jesus does is a great prophetic action. Then he goes to the dove vendors: "To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’” Jesus addresses those who sell pigeons, not those who sell oxen or lambs.

We wonder why he confronts those who sell pigeons? We know that pigeons were used by the poor. When Joseph and Mary go to the temple for purification, they do not offer a lamb because they were poor, they offer pigeons. And Jesus rebukes the dove vendors because a religious form just explodes the weakest, the poorest—the most simple, like that widow who spends all she has in the temple without knowing that her two little coins which she put in the coin bank of the temple would end up in the pockets of those who used religion to enrich themselves, to be well, to maintain a position of prestige.

Jesus, then, confronted the pigeons vendors. "The disciples remembered that text: ‘Zeal for your house will devour me.’" Even the disciples misunderstand the gestures and words of Jesus. The disciples are wrong because they think that Jesus’ 'zeal' is similar to that of the prophet Elijah. We remember that the prophet Elijah, went against the religious corruption of his people, and launched against the priests of Baal, filled with zeal for the Lord ... and made them kill everyone. The disciples think of this zeal; and think that Jesus wants to restore the temple to its former splendor. They have not understood. It is not a matter of restoring the temple to its former splendor, but of ending that temple. They will understand it after Easter. Jesus quotes the psalm: "Zeal for your house has devoured me" (Ps 69:9).

It is important to understand this quotation from Jesus and what the psalmist is saying: 'I am in love with the temple of the Lord and my own family do not understand me; and they persecute me because I am devoured by this passion, by this zeal for the temple of the Lord.’ But Jesus modifies this quotation. He does not say that he is devoured by this zeal, but 'this zeal for the temple of the Lord will devour me.' It means that the passionate love that Jesus has for the true religion, the true relationship with God, it will devour him, that is, the zeal he has for the love of the Father and the way the Father wants to be worshiped by those who are his sons and daughters, who want to relate to him, this change of encountering with God will bring him to death, it will devour him.

"The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” It is an ambiguous saying what Jesus says: "Destroy this temple." What was the temple – the sanctuary? It was the place of God's presence. The place where the faithful could meet the Lord. Jesus uses an expression they could not understand. The disciples will understand after Easter what Jesus meant. This sanctuary must be undone. God, in three days, will build his sanctuary. That is, the place, the person, who is Jesus, the person where God can be really and immediately found. It is not in a material temple where God is found, but in the person of Jesus.

"In three days I will rebuild it." In fact, it is on Easter that this new sanctuary was built. If we want to find the Lord, we will find Him in the person of Jesus. If we wish to worship the Father, we do it in this sanctuary that is the person of Jesus. The Jews did not understand what Jesus said to them: "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple...". This number is important because it tells us the year in which this happened. The temple had begun to be built in the year 19 BC and 46 years later brings us to the year 28 after Christ, when Jesus is 35 years old. They understand the other way round: they think of material destruction, but Jesus is speaking of a change of religion. Not a material temple, but a new temple that is his person—the new sanctuary.

We know that in the old sanctuary not everyone could enter. In the temple of Jerusalem there were many barriers. After the entrance there was an esplanade where everyone could enter. But then there was a five-foot railing where the impure, the pagans, the sinners, the lame, the blind, the deaf could not pass. Only the pure Israelites could go beyond this railing. Here, too, women could enter, but then there was another railing where women could not pass, that is, the part reserved for men, therefore, another barrier. Then there was another barrier (which was not marked) that the men could not cross. Only the priests could pass. Then another barrier and a single priest could enter, beyond the veil that separated the saint from the saints.

When we think of this way of approaching God, it appears as a list of exclusionary barriers. This type of temple, this way of relating to God—says Jesus—must be thrown away. And when he rose from the dead, the disciples understood, they remembered the word of the Lord. To conclude this episode in which Jesus shows the fragility, all the inconsistency in this way of relating to God, to offer him sacrifices when God does not have any need for them, but only wants us to receive their gift, I want to bring to mind a text of the letter to the Ephesians, well-known text, where this new sanctuary is mentioned.

The letter to the Ephesians was written after a deep reflection of the Christian community about the Passover event. Referring to the pagans who could not enter the sanctuary because they were all these barriers, the letter says: "In Christ Jesus, and by his blood, you who were once far off, have come near. —and what follows is very beautiful—"For Christ is our peace, he who has made from the two people one; destroying in his own flesh the wall—the hatred—that separated us” (Eph 2:13-15). There is no longer any exclusion, no separation between people because they are all sons and daughters of God, and everyone can enter in this sanctuary that is the person of Jesus.

United to Christ all are admitted, entering into this community of those who welcome the proposal of man and the proposal of relationship with the Father which is made by Jesus, all these are admitted into the new sanctuary, "Now you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people: you are of the household of God" (Eph 2:19). The veil that separates the Holy of Holies, where God resided, has fallen. Now everything is the other way around. People have access to the Father's house "Built on the foundation of the apostles, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone" (Eph 2:20). Then the first letter of Peter, second chapter, "as living stones, participate in the construction of a spiritual temple and form a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pe 2:5).

These are the new sacrifices, the new incenses that are pleasing to God. They are no longer those of the temple, as if people could offer something to God. Therefore, the only sacrifice acceptable to God is the work of love that each one offers, together with Christ. This is the perfume, and these are the only holocausts that are pleasing to the Lord. This gesture made by Jesus shows this radical transformation of how to relate to the Lord.

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.

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A good Sunday to all.

The Gospel passage, which we are going to listen to in a moment, must be placed in context of the events of the last week that Jesus spent in Jerusalem. Let us remember that he made the solemn entry on the donkey, then he entered the temple and observed everything that was happening; and he was disgusted. In fact, the next day, he went into the temple and drove out the sellers.

From the beginning of his public life, Jesus came into conflict with the representatives of the religious institution, the scribes, the priests, the Pharisees, who opposed him, considering him a heretic and telling the people, 'look, beware, for he is possessed by Beelzebub; he agrees with Beelzebub.' Jesus had called the scribes and the chief priests thieves and robbers, and he said that they had turned the temple into a den of thieves. A very harsh attack on the religious institution and those who ran it. The expulsion of the sellers from the temple was the straw that broke the camel's back. In fact, Mark the evangelist, says that the priests and the scribes gathered together to put him out of the way. Mark relates a series of very heated disputes between Jesus and the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians. Disputes that took place in the temple. Last Sunday, we saw the one about the great commandment.

Today's Gospel begins by presenting the last of these disputes, the seventh. This time Jesus' attack is directed against the scribes. Let us listen:

 

In the course of his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.”

 

“Beware of the scribes.” The Greek verb used is 'blépete,' it is a present imperative and means: 'keep your eyes open, pay attention, be careful.' A correct recommendation from Jesus because the danger that he is seeing and that he wants to denounce is very serious. He has detected incorrect, unacceptable attitudes in the scribes, which contrast openly with the proposal of man that he makes and fears that these behaviors will be assumed later by his disciples.

As we shall see, these are behaviors whose dangerousness is not immediately perceived and which may even seem praiseworthy because they are embodied by people united to God. This is the reason why the insidiousness that is hidden is subtle; this is the reason why Jesus resorts to a different language than usual. He uses irony, satire; he mocks these behaviors.

Who were the scribes? They were in all the countries of the Ancient Middle East; they were the ones who wrote the financial, historical documents, and they were also present in Israel. These people began to acquire great prestige during the exile in Babylon because there was no longer a temple, and therefore, the priests did not count much. On the other hand, the scribes, who were beginning to write the sacred texts, gathered the people to listen to the reading of these texts, and it was precisely in Babylon where the synagogues began to be established for these meetings directed by the scribes. When they returned from Babylon, the scribes became the official interpreters of the word of God; they were the authority in the legislative field; they were the judges who pronounced the sentences in the courts; they were the ones who decided all the judicial cases.

In the book of Ecclesiasticus, chapters 38 and 39, there is a memorable page in which is written the praise of the scribe. Of course, it was written by a scribe, and it begins in a complimentary way, it says: 'How can he become wise who wields the plow and boasts of wielding the whip before the ox, who is occupied with the work of the field and speaks only of calves? This one cannot become wise. But it is different in the case of the scribe whose life is spent meditating on the law of the Most High, he seeks wisdom; he devotes himself to the study of prophecies. Also, he knows the sayings of famous men, knows the riddles; travels to foreign lands to broaden his knowledge. All praised him for his intelligence and will be remembered from generation to generation for his wise judgments.'

Now, these were the scribes of Jesus' time; they studied the Scriptures until they were 45 years old, and then they received the laying on of hands and received the same spirit of Moses; and from that moment, they were the living word of God; their moral authority was superior to that of the high priest. Let us pay attention; Jesus did not intend to condemn the scribes as persons, but he denounced their behavior because these behaviors can be reproduced by his disciples and also by the Christians of today. And, for that reason, Jesus denounced in detail these behaviors and his words are a pressing invitation to check if, by chance, they reappear today in our ecclesial community.

The first of these behaviors of the scribes that Jesus does not want to see among his disciples: "They like to go around in long robes." These are the uniforms, the garments that Jesus could not stand. The historian Flavius Josephus, a virtual contemporary of Jesus and also a priest in the temple and, therefore, knows things well, makes a detailed description of the splendid vestments which the high priest wore during the solemn feasts. He says that the people shed tears of joy when they saw the high priest approaching the altar; that even the people thought they saw God in that representative of God on earth.

How was this high priest dressed that attracted everyone's attention? You can see the breastplate in which were set 12 precious stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel which the high priest presented to God when he entered the sanctuary. Then you can see the ephod, the blue apron, the purple, and notice also the admiring looks of the priests and of the people who were delighted with these garments. Then, the Tzitz (diadem) was a small rectangular plate of solid gold, engraved in Hebrew letters with the inscription "Kodesh l'Adonai" = "HOLINESS TO THE LORD." And a detail that is not marginal: note the tiny bells on the hem of this high priest's robe. Interestingly, two of these bells were found in the drainage canal. Why? We are told by the historian Flavius Josephus that it was in these tunnels that everyone tried to hide, even the high priest. Therefore, those two bells certainly belonged to the garments of this high priest. Imagine that when he was going through the crowd in the Temple esplanade and on his way to the sanctuary, naturally with the air of someone self-absorbed, thinking only of God, people admired him, and with those little bells, he attracted everyone's attention.

Jesus could not stand these comedies. Besides these spectacles of the high priest, also, the rabbis wanted to distinguish themselves from the people. It was not a uniform that they wore, but a 'talit,' a shawl, still worn today by all during prayer, with four Tzitzit (bangs), which go at the four corners and represent the four cardinal points. Jesus also wore the talit. But, probably, these scribes made it with special fabrics of superior quality just for show.

The prophets, united to God, to God's thoughts, to God's feelings, never wore uniforms. They never worried about attracting attention to be admired. They announced the word of God and only that, because the prophet wants to be heard, not admired. This is the problem. Why did these spiritual and religious leaders dress like this? To distinguish themselves from others, to show that they were above the common people, they were egregious, that is, out of the flock, above the flock; and the clothing was used to tell the people: 'Look, I am not like you; I am superior.' And when they get somebody's attention they feel important; it's a pathetic way of begging for attention, of seeking vainglory; and many times, these uniforms hide the mannequin, the smallness of the little man that one is. They are pathetic comedies, ostentation of vanity that Jesus could not bear.

"Beware of them,” not 'admire' them. These people seek your gaze; they want to show off, they want to be seen, and if you look at them, you have already fallen into the trap. If you continue to watch them, they continue the comedy, this religious farce; if you cease to be spectators of these comedians, the play is over. "Beware" and finish the theater.

Let us pay attention; the scribes of Jesus' time are no more, but if something similar we notice it today in the Church, let us not be afraid to use the same ironic language that the Master used. Second attitude: "They accept greetings in the marketplaces.” It's not just how they dress that catches people's attention; honorary titles aim for the same goal. Jesus explicitly forbade them among his disciples; then we have taken them up again, saying that these are secondary things. For Jesus, these things were not secondary. The titles of honor are then followed by the bowing, the bows, the hand-kissing.

The people treated the scribes with a thousand greetings; they gave them passage in the streets, in the marketplace, they were served before and better than others; then they could not be greeted with a simple 'shalom,' a whole ritual had to be observed, and when they did not receive these attentions, they were indignant because they demanded deference. It is dangerous, underhanded, and disguised because simple people may think that certain forms of deference are a manifestation of devotion, of love for God.

And we also say it sometimes: 'People in authority in the Church deserve more respect.' It's not true; respect is maximum for everybody. If we want to establish a ranking then the greatest respect is due to the disabled, the poor, the needy, and the sinner. These have more need of respect. Respect must be the utmost for all. Maybe we think that this is a marginal aspect of the Christian life, something insignificant. Anyway (we may say): 'let's not get upset about these things,' 'there are some people who like to show off their clothes to stand out a little bit from the others,' 'these are not important things,' 'let's leave it at that.' Jesus does not seem to agree with this interpretation. For him these are not marginal behaviors.

Then, "They seek seats of honor in synagogues." When on the Sabbath day a rabbi arrived for the weekly liturgy, he was placed first by the ruler of the synagogue for all to behold him, to see him; and the visitor could also say something meaningful, commenting on the word of God. At that time, synagogues were not only used for Sabbath celebrations, but they were also places where justice was practiced, that is, a court of law; it was a school and it was also the place where the goods that were distributed to the poor were kept. When someone made an important offering, on the sabbath day, the ruler of the synagogue called him before all, praised him, and then placed him on the first seat in the synagogue. Jesus witnessed these comedies many times; that is the pursuit of vainglory Jesus cannot endure, and we must be careful that these things are not reproduced in his community.

Then: "They seek places of honor at banquets." The first place at the banquet was the one next to the master of the house, and, therefore, where he was served first and better than the others. Here Jesus becomes ironic; and this irony we should also use it without fear to cure these pathologies if by any chance are repeated in the Christian community. Let us not be afraid to be ironic. Jesus was allergic to all kinds of divisions. These separations create castes. And Jesus challenged the castes. He said, "All are brothers and sisters, servants of one another." This is not a venial sin but a frontal attack on the logic of the Gospel.

Then: "They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers.” This is the gravest sin. The widow is the image of helpless people. Widows have no man to protect them; they need everything. Let us remember Psalm 68: "God who is the Father of the fatherless and the defender of widows." Or Psalm 146: "The Lord protects the strangers who live among us. He cares for the fatherless and the widows, but he thwarts the plans of the wicked."

Jesus accuses the scribes of devouring the widows' houses. They probably took advantage of the naivety of these simple, helpless women, to obtain handouts or demanded exorbitant fees when asked for legal advice. They were trying to forge a reputation for themselves as godly, religious people and so they could procure for themselves all the possessions of the widows. They prayed for a long time to be seen, put on a play and performed impeccable religious practices, showing great piety to convince everyone that the Lord was on their side. Therefore, to judge them, condemn them, not to submit to their will, not to give them the honors they demanded meant to set oneself against God.

Jesus says that these people will receive a very severe condemnation. This is the only time Jesus speaks of condemnation and it's for people that everybody considers the closest to God, the best, the pious people. Jesus has pronounced a very harsh verdict against those who exploit poor and helpless widows. And now a concrete example is narrated to us. Let us listen:

 

“He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.”

 

We know very well how the temple of Jerusalem was made because it was described with precision by the historian Flavius Josephus. There was the great esplanade, which is still there today, which everyone could enter, even the pagans. At a certain point, there was a fence which only the Israelites could cross, and there were 13 inscriptions threatening death to any pagan who dared to cross it. Then, the court of the women, which is indicated, with three entrances, one to the northeast and one to the south, and the most beautiful of all the gates, the golden gate, the gate of Nicanor. It is also mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles where it is said that precisely on those steps was a paralytic begging for alms. Peter and John who were going to pray in the temple. They healed that paralytic.

And the Levitical men came with their musical instruments with trumpets, flutes, harps, drums and tambourines to perform their music, their songs to the Lord. The court of the Israelites is now indicated, with the altar for the burnt offerings, the sanctuary. You may also observe the three gates reserved for the entrance of men. It was in the women's court where the great feasts were celebrated, such as the feast of the booths.

The Gospel passage tells us that Jesus is sitting in front of the treasure; he is in the court of the women. I cannot indicate where he was sitting because there were several places in the temple where the treasures, votive gifts, offerings, and even the proceeds of the famous temple tax were stored, which is mentioned in chapter 30 of the book of Exodus, where it says that every Israelite male who reached the age of twenty had to pay half a shekel to the temple, and even Jesus paid this tax. It was levied all over the Roman empire where there were Jewish communities. And it was precisely at Passover time that this money was taken to the temple treasury.

In the ancient world, the temples did not perform only religious functions but also the function of a bank, of treasury that was often targeted by conquerors looking for money and precious objects. In the second book of Maccabees, in chapter 3, it is said that the treasure of the temple of Jerusalem was full of immense riches, so much so that the amount of money was incalculable. When Jerusalem was destroyed and the Roman soldiers took away the entire treasure and the gold that was in the temple, the price of gold in the whole province of Syria plummeted.

Along the walls of the women's court were 13 boxes in which everyone could make offerings; and in twelve of these boxes, the purpose of the offering was also indicated; each one chose the box and where he wanted to put his offering. Let's keep in mind that it's not that one introduced the coins directly, but that the money was given to a Levite, and it was the Levite who placed it in the box according to the indication of the offeror. Offerings could be made for doves, for wood, for incense, for vessels of gold or for sin offerings. And there was a thirteenth box which was reserved for free offerings, and the offering there was not given to the Levite, but each person deposited it in that thirteenth box.

This is of interest to us because it is in this thirteenth box where Jesus sees a widow depositing her coins. Let's listen:

 

“A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.’”

 

Jesus sat in the court of the women because the men also could enter there, and saw so many rich people offering their offerings in those 12 alms boxes. The book of the Mishnah, the holy book for the Jews says that those alms boxes were in the shape of trumpets and were made of bronze so, it is easy to imagine that when these coins were thrown, the trumpets resounded according to the strength and quantity of those coins. When Jesus says: 'If you give alms, do not blow the trumpet,' perhaps he was alluding veiledly to those pathetic scenes that he had witnessed right there.

Now we see the second character who enters the scene after the rich. Jesus sees a widow making an offering. The widows in Israel were destitute people who were totally dependent on the sensibility and generosity of their children, because they had no survivor's pension, they had no right to their husband's inheritance. Chapter 27 of the book of Numbers states that when a man dies, his inheritance passes to his son, if there are no sons, it passes to his daughters, and if there are no children, it passes to the brothers of the deceased and if the deceased has no siblings, his estate passes to his next of kin, not his wife. Widows, along with orphans, were the poorest and most helpless categories in Israel. To rob a widow by someone who had money and prestige constituted a very grave sin. In the book of Exodus, in chapter 22, God says: 'You shalt not mistreat the widow and the fatherless; if you mistreat them, they will call upon my help, and I will intervene.'

What does this widow do? Jesus sees that she throws two small coins, that is, a quadrant. In Hebrew are the 'perutot' that you can see and are indicated in the picture. These are the 'perutot, that is, those small coins that were used to make the offerings; they could not be introduced in the temple because these coins, used in the market, had the effigy of the emperor Tiberius, so there were money changers who gave pilgrims the 'perutot,' which had no value. Just think of the small coins that were found in the excavations around the esplanade of the temple. It is precisely, at the foot of that staircase that led to the door of Coponius, the most beautiful of the gates.

How is it that so many of these little coins were found there? Because when they fell, they didn't even bother to pick them up because they had no value. Mark, who writes for the Romans, says how much those two small coins were worth; he says 'one quadrant' and the quadrant (which you see in the picture) was the bronze coin with the lowest value in use in Rome; with it you could buy a piece of bread. In fact, at the time of Antoninus Pius quadrants were no longer minted because they were worthless.

The widow makes her gesture without calling anyone's attention, without being noticed. How to interpret this episode? We have often heard it quoted when we want to recommend people to be generous in the contribution to the needs of the Church, of the parish community, of the charitable institutions, of the missions. It is said: 'let us imitate this poor widow who, although she was poor, also gave her contribution.' In that case, Jesus could have concluded the episode as a parable of the Samaritan, that is, 'Go and do likewise; imitate this widow's generosity.' It is the interpretation that has been given usually, I would say, by almost everybody.

There are many biblical texts that encourage people to be generous in helping the poor, people who are at the service of the community, those who dedicate their lives to the proclamation of the Gospel. Paul speaks about it writing to the Corinthians and writing to the Romans, but our text cannot be used in this sense.

This interpretation is based on a misunderstanding, that of identifying the Church with its charitable institutions, or with the religious institution of the temple of Jerusalem, and this identification is not correct. The context tells it to us; immediately at the end of our passage, it is said that the disciples came to Jesus and said to him 'Behold the wonder of this temple,' and Jesus replies, 'there shall not be left one stone upon another.' Then, it cannot be thought that Jesus intends to praise the gesture of this poor widow and to encourage to imitate her; he could not encourage to make offerings to support a corrupt religious system which he had repeatedly condemned, run by people he called thieves and robbers who exploited the naive faith of simple people, like this poor widow.

The context invites us to interpret Jesus' words differently. He does not present the widow to the disciples as a model to imitate but as an example of injustice and hypocrisy on the part of the scribes and of the priestly caste of the temple; people who took advantage of the naive faith of these vulnerable people and robbed them of their possessions and even of what they needed to live. The original Greek text says that with those two coins, the widow gave up her whole life. That is why Jesus put them on guard against the scribes who devoured the widows' houses.

What Jesus does is not a praise of the widow, but a rebuke of a hypocritical religious and corrupt practice that goes so far as to take away the necessities of life from a poor widow. We find again on the lips of Jesus the same condemnations that we have heard from the prophets Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah.

What then is the message of this episode? I think it can be synthesized with what we read on the first page of the Didache, the first catechism which was written in the Church of Antioch in Syria. It was written even before the Gospel of Matthew, in the same Christian community. We are at the beginning of the second half of the first century; this book encourages us first of all to give to the needy and not to expect the return of what has been given for the heavenly Father wants all his sons and daughters to share in his gifts. Then, immediately after, he warns those who receive that if they are not in need, then they will have to give an account of their action. Then the conclusion, which is the one that interests us; it says: 'Sweat the alms in your hands until you know to whom it is better to give it; be careful, wait to offer your help; you must first check well and be sure that you are giving it to the person who is really in need.'

The widow gave her alms to the wrong religious institution. It's an invitation for us to give our offering generously, but taking care that this offering goes to the needy, to the poor, to those who are truly committed to the building of a new world, for the building of the Kingdom of God, for the proclamation of the Gospel.

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.