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
God’s desire was for the Temple to be a place for all people to enter God’s Presence!
That was not happening - and that is why our story takes place
Jesus wasn't upset at the marketplace environment - (too noisy to pray misconception)
Instead of restoring the Garden, ushering all people into God’s presence Shekhinah, - the temple was a gated community - Soreg - stone inscription death penalty to Gentiles who crossed the barrier
What I discovered is that Jesus wasn't merely cleansing the Temple or even clearing it out
He is dismantling it - rejecting it - Acting out a parable of destruction - even though it cost HIM - Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days!
MK 13:1 As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" 2 "Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
This comment was used against Him at His trial
What was the effect on His budding ministry?
Was this the reason Jesus' family distanced themselves from Him?
Never in my life did anyone connect the story of Nicodemus to the cleansing of the Temple
Yet it makes perfect sense. But this is exactly what John does! Jesus’ zeal for the house of God inspired some religious leaders, but his way of clearing out the money makers made it unpopular at the same time.
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus John 3:1-21
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. " 4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." 9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
John’s themes repeated - light vs. darkness - God’s one and only - Death overcome by Eternal Life
John 3:16 can’t be understood properly without John 3:17 - salvation is forever linked with God’s refusal to condemn. Being born again is starting from a new perspective.
Things won’ be made right because we believe the right “things” - it comes from believing in the right “One” - whoever believes IN Him. We will never believe completely or perfectly. We don't have to because He is the complete One - the Perfect ONE.
God’s One and Only - I offer Him up to you to embrace. His body was lifted up on a cross to show the way to life - God combines these two apparently opposite ideas, Life and Death to show that Life always conquers Death - Light always overwhelms Darkness.
If you choose darkness - it will only be a matter of time before Light and Life hunts you down
Next Step - Dare me to be like Jesus
When the church becomes a place where only the privileged, the powerful and the rich can enter, it's time for that church to be destroyed. When the church is a place where children's praise is cause for indignation, it is time for demolition. When a church tries to keep God from His children - Look out!
