Jesus Clears The Temple

The Disturbance

Reading: John chapter 2 verses 13-25.

Ill:

Acronyms

• IKEA- Named after the founder of the company; and a place in Sweden;

• Tesco is similar named after TES – T.E.Stockwell & Co – Jack Cohen.

• LASER –

• Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

• SCUBA – Self-Contained Under water Breathing Apparatus;

• Or: Swimmer Comes Up Barely Alive!

• TARDIS –

• Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space.

• IBM – International Business Machines Corporation

• Or: I Blame Microsoft

• Good old BOGOF – beloved of those who love a bargain;

• Buy One Get One Free

• NIMBY – is a favorite of those protesting against a new road, or a mobile phone receiver;

• Not In My Back Yard.

• FOBIO –

• Frequently Outwitted By Inanimate Objects.

Question: Why I am I giving you this riveting information?

Answer: You may have been familiar with the acronym but not the meaning behind it

• How true that particular situation was for the religion in Jesus day.

• The new the ritual – but they had long forgotten the meaning and reality behind it!

(1). The zeal of Jesus (vs 14-17).

• If you asked the average person to describe Jesus in a few words,

• You might get these types of responses:

• “A good man,”

• “A kind man,”

• “A loving man,”

• “A forgiving man”.

• Very few (if at all any) will say; “an angry man!”

• We have all grown up with the image ‘Gentle Jesus meek and mild.’

• And though it is fair to say Jesus did not often get angry;

• He did on a number of occasions (mainly in a misuse of religious context);

• Show a righteous anger.

BACKGROUND TO THE SITUATION:

(1). The ceremony (Vs 13):

“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem”.

• According to Old Testament Law (Deuteronomy 16:16)

• Each Jewish man who lived within fifteen miles of Jerusalem;

• Was required to attend three annual feasts at the Holy City: (Passover, Pentecost, & Tabernacles).

• Now that was not a burden or a problem,

• Every Jew dreamed of celebrating at least one Passover in Jerusalem.

• Quote: Last line of the Passover benediction: “Next year in Jerusalem”.

Passover was the greatest of all Jewish feasts:

• It goes back to the time when Moses and the Children of Israel were slaves in Egypt.

• God gave them instructions to follow,

• They were to kill a lamb and eat it at a family meal,

• They also had to paint the door-frame their houses, with the blood of the lamb.

• And on the when the angel of death came,

• He would pass-over every house that had followed their instructions.

• But the first born throughout the land would be killed,

• In every house that did not obey the instructions.

• This incident is what broke Pharaoh’s stubbornness and pride,

• And allowed the Hebrews to leave slavery in Egypt, and experience freedom.

The Jews celebrate Passover:

• On the 15th Nissan.

• About the middle of our April.

Ill:

• We mark our history B.C. (Before Christ);

• And A.D. (Latin: Anno Domini – In the year of our Lord).

• Because the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ was the greatest event in history;

• Time itself has been spit around him!

The Jews were told a similar thing regarding Passover:

• So important was the Passover redemption from Egypt;

• It too would change Israel’s reckoning of time.

So at Passover everyone who could headed for Jerusalem:

• At the time of Jesus there was about 600,000 residents living in Jerusalem:

• Yet at Passover pilgrims came from all over the world,

• Swelling the city to four times its normal size.

Quote: William Barcley:

“Astonishing as it may sound, there were at times two & quarter million Jewish males in the city of Jerusalem at Passover, for that week of celebration”.

(2). The Corruption (vs 14).

• Whenever you get a crowd;

• You will always find people to exploit the situation.

• i.e. English teams in the Champion League finals in Italy;

• All the price of flights to Rome went up! (e.g. same with school holidays)

• i.e. Go to any tourist spot;

• Drinks & burgers etc will always be charged at a high rate (principle you have no choice)

• Crowds of people are always a business opportunity for someone;

• It is true today and it was true in New Testament times.

Ill:

• The story of M.P.’s and their expenses has dominated the news;

• Many M.P.’s trying to justify their actions.

• One commented on the news this week;