THE CURTAIN OF THE TEMPLE WAS RIPPED APART

THE CURTAIN OF THE TEMPLE WAS RIPPED APART

We all recall that occasion when Jesus was passing through the grain fields in the company of His disciples. It was a Sabbath. Some of the disciples picked heads of grain and ate them. This action was criticized by the Pharisees because ‘on a Sabbath no work should be done.’

What did actually scandalize (sic) the Pharisees ? It was not the breaking of a biblical law, but the breach of a ‘rabbinical law’. Why was this ‘seeming’ scandal ? Because of the ‘beam’ in the Pharisees view, mentality, they could could not see,  calculate, make out what other people were doing. Their vision and mentality was blurred.

The Lord did answer them; by appealing to the Prophets, to the Law and to One who was greater than the former two … to Himself. The prophets’ words and the Law were simply ceremonial, niceties, BUT, both had to give way to a higher Law.

Jesus referred them to their national hero, the Prophet David, who, ate shew bread, which was forbidden to all, except to the priests. If they allowed David to break a divine prohibition of a mere ceremonial rite … in favour of a bodily, natural necessity, why should the Pharisees not allow it to His disciples? It was a case of ‘two weights two measures’ .

Besides, David was allowed to eat the bread not simply because he was hungry, but, because he argued that he was in the service of the king. Here is the crux of the whole affair. The disciples were actually in the service of their king, of Jesus Christ … who, we must admit, was greater than the Prophets and the Law.

One last remark, funnily enough …I, personally think this is a ‘crying matter’ or, maybe,  a ‘laughing matter’. These same accusers, the Pharisees, on a Sabbath do, themselves work in the temple; they light lamps, they prepare sacrifices, they accept donations and the rest …yet they never abstain from that work nor accuse each other, simply because they are in the service of the temple.

Here we have people, disciples, who are in the service of one greater than the temple, quoting Christ’s words: “And I tell you, there is one standing here, who is greater than the temple.”    As expected, this, for the Pharisees was blasphemy.

In the first cleansing of the temple, Jesus told them that His body was the Temple. But, the ‘beam’ which was in the way of their sight and mentality was obstructing the Truth. They had to cleanse themselves and start afresh … but they were hard-headed fools. The veil in front of their eyes was as thick and heavy as the temple curtain, which ultimately had to come down and done away with.

After reading an article by Fulton J. Sheen