Merchandising Truth

Bread and Wine Reading: "Merchandising Truth", by Meister Eckhart

Scripture Reading: Matthew 21: 12-13
Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer”; but you are making it a den of robbers.’
In our 21st century lives, we often fall into the trap of a reward-punishment mentality. Our lives are often reward-driven, even to the point of litigiousness in an effort to get what we think we are due. We believe that by working hard and doing the right things we will be rewarded. And often that carries over into our spiritual lives. How many of us do the things we do because we think we should, because we think that it will in some way earn us points with God, or, even, because we think that we are the only ones that can do them?

Meister Eckhart claims that by having that mentality, we are no better than the merchants at the temple. Jesus cleared the temple not because he thought they were doing something wrong but because the temple should be pure, clear of all merchandising, bargaining, and reward-earning. The temple is a metaphor for our soul, the deepest temple where God should be Master. Meister Eckhart says that “as long as we to get something from God on some kind of exchange, we are like the merchants. If you want to be rid of the commercial spirit, then by all means do all you can in the way of good works, but do so solely for the praise of God.” Eckhart then exhorts us to “live as if you do not exist…then God alone dwells there.”

The Way to God is by loving God—just loving God. All of our spiritual practices, all of our ways of “doing” our religion, all of our ways of living our faith should not be done to further ourselves. Everything we do is done because we love God. At our deepest, purest, most basic essence, we are called to love God. That is enough. God doesn’t really desire to be impressed; God’s only desire is that we love God and love each other and that is the way that we are drawn toward God.

Discussion Questions:
1.) What does it mean for you to be a temple of God?
2.) What is the difference between living to please God and living to love God?
3.) What does it mean to “live as if you did not exist”?

So go forth and be a temple for God, a pure expression of love for God!

Grace and Peace,

Shelli