The story of the angry Jesus in the temple gives a whole new meaning to God’s house of prayer. When Jesus enters the temple and sees the moneychangers and peddling of wares going on, he becomes angry. He upends their tables and drives them out with a whip because they were guilty of a perverted disrespect. They had turned God’s “house of prayer” into a “den of thieves” who put their thumb on the scale and cheated people. Those driven out had hearts that were incompatible with the meaning of God’s house of prayer.
On one level, this story indicates that God’s “house of prayer” is a physical space dedicated to God that warrants respect and dignity for that reason (Is 56:7). Indeed, this basic principle is revealed in the story of Moses and the burning bush. When Moses approaches the burning bush on Mt. Horeb out of simple curiosity, God stops him and says, “Do not come near! Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Mk 3:1-6). From within that sacred space, God identifies himself and communicates his purpose to Moses. He is the God of Abraham who wants Moses to lead his chosen people out of Egypt.
On a deeper level, however, this interaction between God and Moses suggests that a “house of prayer” is more than a designated physical space. When God tells Moses to remove his sandals, He insists that respect for His presence is the necessary foundation for their interaction. Moses shows that respect by removing his sandals. This initial interaction between God and Moses therefore shows that a “house of prayer” is fundamentally a mutual experience between God and a person with a right heart rather than a particular place. A right heart is one that shows respect for the presence of God. In short, "Rend your hearts and not your garments” (Jl 2:13) is the first principle for the mutual experience of a “house of prayer.”
The prophet Jeremiah gave voice to this principle when he stood at the gate of God’s house and warned the Israelites to reform their ways and deeds so that God may dwell with them where they were (Jer 7:2-3). Jeremiah further explained that a right heart is humble, always treats others with justice, protects the freedom of aliens, shows genuine care and concern for vulnerable persons, and refuses to be deceived by false gods (Jer 7:3-6). For Jeremiah, respect for God and loving others allow for worshiping God in truth and spirit.
Jesus reaffirms this point when he says to the Samaritan woman at the well that the hour is coming when worship of the Father will neither be on this mountain nor in Jerusalem; “true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed, the Father seeks such people to worship him” (Jn 4:21-23).
The inevitable conclusion to all of this is that God’s “house of prayer” is more than designated physical spaces. A house of prayer is fundamentally a mutual experience between God and a person with a right heart that respects the presence of God by loving his children. Such respect and love are the necessary conditions for the worship of God in truth and spirit.
This is why St. Paul claims that each of us is a house of prayer and temple of the Holy Spirit of God because of our faith and union with Jesus (Eph 1:13). “Remain in me, as I remain in you,” Jesus says to his disciples (Jn 15:4). We remain in union with Jesus by keeping his commandment to love one another as he loves us. Loving others in truth and spirit is how we respect God, honor our own holiness and the holiness of others, and remain a “house of prayer.”
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