Explication
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Biblical commentaries
Jesus spent his life on the paths of Galilee and surveyed the land of Israel. But the nerve center of the problems he faces is located in the Temple. Entering triumphantly into Jerusalem where he will be put to death, Jesus wants to restore the Temple to its reason for being. According to Scripture, it is a “house of prayer for all nations,” according to Isaiah. Jesus, who entered there as a newborn where he was blessed and who returned there as an adolescent where he conversed with the doctors of the Law, wants to purify it of everything that strays from worship. In doing so, he will fulfill the oracle of the prophet: “There will be no more merchant in the House of the Lord of hosts in that day. » (Za 14, 21). He will do so with unusual fury.
In the Gospel of Mark, before this scandal, Jesus cursed a fig tree. This announces the judgment, and prepares for the episode in the Temple: Jesus’ hunger refers to his desire to bring men back to a right relationship with God and his Word. He feels that his people are like this tree on its path “withered to the roots”.
This challenges us: what are the roots of our faith? The source of our prayer? Where do they draw the sap that gives them life? Do we seek to increase the activities of the temple or to enter the dwelling place of God?
Other readings: 1 Peter 4, 7-13; Psa 95 (96)
