JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE

This Christian stained glass window is centered on the event recorded in the Gospels of Jesus cleansing the Temple.

The outer court of the Gentiles that God had designated as a place of prayer for the gentiles had been turned into a market place for the selling of sacrificial animals. The temple officials extorted money from pilgrims by requiring that they could only use temple coins to buy sacrificial animals. Pilgrims were forced to exchange any money they had for temple coins for a fee. Jesus, acting on behalf of his Father and himself is casting out the moneychangers and animal sellers.

At the top of the window is a dove surrounded by tongues of fire. The dove represents the Holy Spirit who acted with Jesus in this act of Justice. Below the central image are three ovals. The one on the left contains the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The one on the right contains the Holy Eucharist. The central oval contains a symbol of the scales of Justice. On top of the outer frame are seven fire-like winged shapes that represent the seven spirits (angels) of God that surround his throne in the book of Revelation. The twenty light blue circles in the border around the window represent the twenty mysteries of the rosary, which is a contemplative prayer of the life of Jesus, Mary. The eighteen yellow, orange, red diamond like shapes in between the rosary beads represent the angels who served Jesus during his public ministry.