Jesus Clears The Temple Series

Jesus Clears the Temple John 2:12-25

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me." 18 Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." 20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. 23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

Jesus moves from changing water to wine (who could argue against that? To trashing the Temple courts. Only John has this event take place early in Jesus’ ministry - did it happen 2x?

For Jesus to insult or criticize the Temple - like slave’s grandkids desecrating the Lincoln Memorial - Bankers to blow up Wall street - Babe Ruth to dynamite Yankee Stadium

Not just the opposite of what anyone would expect - “How can you mess with God’s House!”

But more - WHY? Jesus was acting out the destruction of the Temple - Here’s why

This passage is a continuation of Cana miracle, of showing the bankruptcy of Jewish ritual to offer cleansing, of bringing people into a life of Abundance. So Jesus used those symbols of cleansing (clay water jars) and the lowest status of people (servants) to bring abundant life and blessing to a bankrupt wedding feast. Your Temple - your “way to God” is broken

God’s dream for the Temple - MIC 4:1 In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

God’s Dream - Genesis - Creation Began in a garden - Friends, neighbors - walk -

Given the option to stray or disobey - we had no choice 

Led to emptiness, brokenness, bondage, hard work and painful childbirth

God picks the most unlikely character to show His intentions - Childless - Aimless Abe

Through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed - why? To show God’s power! Grace!

Hebrew Nation was born - before you know it they find themselves slaves in Egypt, rescued from slavery only to be exiled in dessert for 40 years, fighting, civil wars, pagan worship, captivity, rescue, domination by foreign powers, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome! Constantly bailed out of trouble only to find themselves put back in the corner for breaking faith with God and the promise

One thing they almost got right - God is not distant - remote

The God of the universe wants to walk with men, be neighbors - like in the Garden

JN 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us

Tabernacle - dwelling place - shekhinah = Presence of God - (they mistook special effects smoke, fire, lots of noise)

Related word is Shakhen - neighbor and Mishkan = "dwell", "rest", or "to live in

God intends to be our neighbor, to dwell w/ man, on the 7th day he rested = lived with man