Driving out the glory

Francis Moloney ( Signs and Shadows , 147-8) has this nice comment on Jesus’ conflict with the Jews during the feast of rededication (John 10):

“Jesus, who stands before ‘the Jews’ in the portico of Solomon in the Temple, points to himself and claims that he is the visible presence of God among them . . . . The claims of the prologue are being acted out in the story of Jesus: ‘The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.’ . . . The setting of these words of Jesus within the feast of Dedication determines the reader’s understanding that the union between God and the Temple which was seen as God’s presence to his people, is perfected in Jesus because of his onenesswith the Father . . . ‘The Jews’ take up stones against Jesus (v. 31), repeating the profanations of Antiochus and his representatives. They are attempting to rid Israel of the visible presence of God in their midst.”