Jesus' Second Sign Series

Worshipers, however, were not permitted to use Roman coins in support of the temple because such coins were considered “unholy.” Therefore, they had to be exchanged for sanctified coins.

The Court of the Gentiles had become a place of commerce rather than a place for non-Jewish, God-fearing Gentiles to worship God.

Was it wrong to exchange money for the traveling pilgrims? No.

Was it wrong to provide animals to purchase for sacrifice? No.

The problem was that commerce was taking place in the wrong venue.

It would have been no problem if the merchants had sold the animals and exchanged the money outside the Court of the Gentiles in the streets of Jerusalem.

But they were doing so within the precinct of the Court of the Gentiles. That was the problem.

The temple was designed so that people from all nations could worship God. The various courts allowed men and women from all nations to worship God.

Commentator D. A. Carson notes,

“Instead of solemn dignity and the murmur of prayer, there is the bellowing of cattle and the bleating of sheep. Instead of brokenness and contrition, holy adoration and prolonged petition, there is noisy commerce” (D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary [Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991], 179).

We then read what Jesus did in verse 15, “And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.”

John records Jesus cleansing the temple at the start of his ministry.

However, the Synoptic Gospels record Jesus cleansing the temple at the end of Jesus’ ministry during the final Passover week just before Jesus’ crucifixion (cf. Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-46).

The circumstances between the two are so different that it is likely that Jesus cleansed the temple twice during his short ministry on earth.

Moreover, since the Jewish religious leaders did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah it is likely that they allowed the corrupt practices to continue, which required Jesus to act a second time to cleanse the temple.

By driving “them all out of the temple,” that is, out of the Court of the Gentiles, Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi 3:1-4, which states,

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

Jesus did not want anything to interfere with the worship of God. Commerce must not interfere with worship.