Listen

Then the Jewish leaders asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? What miraculous sign will you show us?”

Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple and in three days I’ll raise it up.”

The Jewish leaders replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days?” But the temple Jesus was talking about was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered what he had said, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

John 2:18-22

Think

Authority is one of those words that can take on a lot of different meanings for us. As we become older and more responsible, we often see ourselves in places of authority, or at least we think we are in authority, anyway.

Jesus found the crowd in the temple where people were selling animals and exchanging money. He flipped the tables, and the Jewish leaders said, “By what authority are you doing these things?” Jesus answered, “Destroy the temple and in three days I will raise it up.” If we stop reading there, we miss the foretelling of what Jesus was really saying. It took a while for the leaders to discover what Jesus was revealing about himself. They seemed to dismiss what he said because it didn’t make sense to them. I wonder what would’ve happened if they had listened more deeply, seeking understanding. Sometimes we need to slow down and pay attention, even when things don’t make sense to us.

Ellen Sechrest

Question to Ponder:

Are we too busy to listen to what Jesus is telling us?

Pray

Jesus,

may I slow down to listen to you

and what you are trying to show me and tell me.

Amen.

Go

May we keep the cross before us and not just during Lent. Let the cross guide our words, our deeds, and our heart’s desires.