March 3, Lent 3B (John 2:13–22)

Each year the church I serve hosts part of our town’s holiday block party. One of the events is a gingerbread house contest run by a local nonprofit. Our vestry room is filled with visitors who cast their votes for the best houses, which are then auctioned off. It is always a packed event, filled with holiday cheer.

Last year the event was sponsored by a local bank. The nonprofit, eager to thank its sponsor, attached a large banner featuring the bank’s name to the front of the church building. It was there for several hours before I saw it, and when I did, the only thing I could think about was this week’s gospel story: Jesus chasing the money changers out of the temple. I could just picture him turning over all those gingerbread-covered tables in a fury.

We sometimes take comfort in this passage. Jesus, holy and mild, was also at times angry. Rageful, even. If Jesus can throw a fit in the temple, of all places, surely we can also lash out. This passage might seem like a permission slip for righteous indignation.