Something Seems Familiar

With Pascha this week comes the beginning of the yearly lectionary of the Church. Beginning with the Gospel of John and the Book of Acts, the entire New Testament will be read, bit by bit, between now and next Pascha. Having just completed the cycle last week, and having just celebrated Pascha, there is a strange familiarity in the readings.

At that time, Jesus came to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples; and there they stayed for a few days. The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; you shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign have you to show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he spoke of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. – John 2.12-22

It seems like we just heard this story last week. That is because we heard reference to it during the trial of Jesus we recalled during the Reading of the 12 Passion Gospels on Holy Thursday Night. Remember the witnesses who claimed Jesus said He would destroy the Temple and rebuild in 3 days? If you attending the service last week, were you able to recall this connection? If you remembered the passage, were you able to remember it was Passover in both instances?

These little kernels in our memory are good indications that we are internalizing the Holy Scriptures. There are many such moments during Holy Week that if you keep reading the daily readings, you will begin to take notice. Today’s was just a small sample. The best part of today’s example is the last verse, “When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remember that he had said this.” Now that we also have celebrated the Resurrection, we can remember the Scriptures, and believe the words that Jesus spoke.

Happy Reading!