Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did, when he and his men were hungry? He went into the
House of God, and they ate the bread offered to God, though neither he nor his men had the right to eat it,
but only the priests. And have you not read in the law, how, on the Sabbath, the priests in the temple desecrate
the Sabbath, yet they are not guilty?
I tell you, there is greater than the temple here. If you really knew the meaning of the words: It is mercy I want,
not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. Besides, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Reflection:
In 2020, the Turkish government re-designated the famous Church of Hagia Sophia into Hagia Sophia Grand
Mosque. Several international organizations, both religious and secular, decried this “conversion” of a cathedral
into a mosque, which, for centuries, had been a proud symbol of rich Christian heritage. One of my friends was
heartbroken and wrote to me. To her, I cited John 4:21- 24: “The hour is coming when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem…. The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will
worship the Father in spirit and truth.” The “loss” of Hagia Sophia, sad as it is, is also an invitation to recognize
that “there is something greater than the Temple here.” The true temples of the Spirit are the lives of people around
us (cf. 1 Cor.6:19). We honor and worship God when we respond to the genuine needs of human beings, be it feeding
their bodies or covering their nakedness or nourishing their souls (cf. Mt. 25:31-40).
© Copyright Bible Diary 2022