Series: Biblical Cities- Jerusalem [#22]
JERUSALEM- CLEANING HOUSE
Matthew 23:37
Introduction:
We are continuing in our Series about the most mentioned City in the Bible- Jerusalem.
Matthew 23:37
After Jesus had performed His 1st miracle, He went with His family and Disciples to Capernaum for a few days. The Gospel of John is the only Gospel that notes all 3 Passovers during Jesus’ Ministry. During Jesus’ time, Jerusalem’s population was around 50,000 people. During Passover, that number grew to 250,000 to 1 million people. Any Jewish people that lived within 15 miles of Jerusalem were required to go to the Temple and offer sacrifices and observe the Passover. Many that were not required to go, also went.
When Jesus arrived at the Temple, He saw some things that angered Him; and His reaction still surprises many when they 1st read this. I want to ask some questions about this passage and how we can grow from knowing the answers.
John 2:14
1. What did Jesus see that angered Him?
He saw people…
* Selling animals.
It wasn’t wrong for them to be selling animals for sacrifices. The problem was where they were selling them, (inside the Temple Courtyard). The larger problem was how much they were selling the animals for. For the people that were traveling a long distance, it was difficult for them to bring animals that far for sacrifice. They were purchasing their sacrifices at outrageous prices.
For those who were bringing their own sacrifices, they had to pay to have a priest inspect their sacrifice. It was extremely rare for the priest to declare that the sacrifice was perfect. So, they ended up purchasing animals that were deemed pure.
He saw people…
* Exchanging money.
Another part of the scam was the currency. The Roman money had a picture of Caesar on it. Therefore, the Religious leaders deemed the Roman money worship of a false god. The solution was the person had to exchange their Roman currency for Temple currency. The problem was that the exchange process was corrupt. Half of the money the worshipper showed up with was taken by the money exchangers.
John 2:15-16
2. What can we learn from Jesus’ anger?
* There are times when it is right to be angry.
This is a very important thing for us to understand- Jesus got angry; but He did not sin. If He sinned in doing this, we would have no hope. The so called “Religious leaders” had turned the Temple, (where the presence of God was); into a shopping mall. There are times that we need to be angry. The challenge is not sinning when you get angry.
* Just because something is accepted by society does not mean it is acceptable to God.
This was how it was- The people were cheating people to worship and serve God. People were paying these outrageous prices in order to worship God. That’s just how it was; and they had to deal with it. Sound familiar? We hear this sort of thing every single day.
* It is more important to be spiritually correct than to be politically correct.
Is your goal to please people or to please God?
John 2:17-20
3. What can we learn from Jesus’ actions?
Jesus drove them out. He showed them that he was not going to allow their evils. More importantly- What does Jesus need to drive out of your life? What is it in your life that is keeping your life from being what it should be? Christians, you are the Temple. The Holy Spirit of God lives within you. Let Jesus drive out those things out of your life that don’t belong.
We see 2 types of reactions to Jesus cleaning the Temple:
* The Disciples saw the heart of Jesus.
The Disciples remembered that it was prophesied that the Messiah would have a zeal for God’s House.
* The religious leaders challenged the authority of Jesus.
The religious leaders couldn’t believe that Jesus challenged their way of doing things. Who did Jesus think He was?
Conclusion:
Jesus began to explain early on in His Ministry that He was going to change how people could experience the presence of God.
John 2:21-25
The Disciples figured out exactly what Jesus meant once He was raised from the dead. Jesus knows who we are and the only way we can be in the presence of God is through Jesus Christ.
