“God Don’t Want No Dirty House”
John 2:13-22
INTRODUCTION: We continue in our series on great events in the ministry of Jesus.
After Jesus performed His first miracle at the wedding in Cana, He traveled with His Disciples and family to Capernaum … about 15 miles away – 2:12
After spending a few days there, Jesus went South to Jerusalem for the Passover … about 80 miles (as the crow flies).
TONIGHT, we will see a side of Jesus that we usually don’t see. We think of the meek & lowly Jesus … and rarely think of the Jesus who was consumed with passion over the desecration of the Name of His Heavenly Father.
2:13 – “Passover” was the most important of the 3 great religious feasts. By the time of Christ, it had become a major Spring festival. To prepare for Passover, they would repair the roads for the great influx of people … and whitewash the tombs so nobody would accidentally touch them & defile themselves. Homes would be cleaned, cooking utensils washed, and the house was searched to make sure no leaven was found. Those living in Jerusalem were expected to put up guests, so they thoroughly cleaned their houses. People in Jerusalem usually dressed up in their best clothes, as if they were getting ready for a journey.
It was a time when the Jews celebrated their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Jews from all over would come to the Temple in Jerusalem to present their offerings of a sheep, ox or dove. The animals would be sacrificed in the Temple. The fat would be burned, and the blood would be offered on the altar. The meat would be taken home, and roasted, and eaten by the family. It was at this time that they could pay the temple tax of a silver ½ shekel coin.
“Passover” was a special time of WORSHIP … both in the Temple, and in the family. Families would observe the Passover Meal … which 3 years later Jesus would eat with His Disciples just before His crucifixion.
Jerusalem was bustling with activity and excitement. Passover was the biggest event of the year.
2:14 – Jesus went to the Temple, and saw merchants selling oxen, sheep & doves. It was inconvenient for many people to bring them with them on their journey to Jerusalem, so they just bought their sacrificial animal in Jerusalem.
Jesus also saw the money-changers, whose job it was to exchange the money that the people brought for the special silver ½ shekel for the Temple tax. The people couldn’t use just any coin for the Temple tax. People came from all over the world, and some of the coins had the impression of heathen gods … or Caesar. It was considered blasphemy to offer a coin with the image of a heathen, for the service of God’s Temple. The money-changers would exchange their coins for the Temple coin.
The Temple had become a Mall … for the convenience of the people … a one-stop shopping center … everything in one place.
They used the OUTER COURT for this Mall. There were four courts in the Temple. The COURT OF THE PRIESTS, which was the inner court, where only the Priests could go. The COURT OF THE JEWS, where only natural-born Jews were allowed. It was this court where they handed over their sacrifices to the Priests. The COURT OF WOMEN, where the women were allowed, and could go in no further. The COURT OF THE GENTILES was outside, and it was the large open area that had turned into a shopping mall … or a Super-WalMart!
When Jesus comes to the Temple, He saw the booths set up for the merchants and the money-changers. WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM?
The marketplace had moved into the Temple area, and the Temple of God has been dishonored. Instead of worship, prayer, and praise, Jesus found a feeding frenzy of corruption and greed.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
o Annas, the High Priest had sold franchises for the concession stands to the various merchants and money-changers … to the highest bidder. He was making a killing!
o The merchants were charging inflated prices for the oxen, sheep & doves.
o If you brought your own oxen sheep, or dove, the Priests would tell you that it was unclean … and you had to purchase one of their “clean” animals. THEN .. they would turn around and sell your “unclean” animal to someone else as a “clean” animal.
o The money-changers would cheat the people by charging an unfair exchange rate for their foreign coins.
What Jesus saw was greed, corruption, and wickedness being carried out right there in the Temple of God … in the Court of the Gentiles.
The COURT OF THE GENTILES was a place set aside for those who were not born Jewish … but had converted to Judaism. They had seen that Jehovah God was the one and only true God … and they renounced their pagan ways, and turned to the God of the Jews.
Proselytes were looked upon by the Jews as being in a “lower class”. For a Gentile to become a Jew, he had to be circumcised, baptized, and offer a sacrifice. After his baptism, he was given a new Jewish name, and he had to cut off all ties with his family … even his wife if she did not convert.
Jesus looked upon these Gentiles as a very special people in the eyes of God. The Jews thought that by their birth, they had inherited a place in God’s Kingdom. They thought that all God required was for them to be born a Jew. HOWEVER, The Apostle Paul said in Romans 9:6 – “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.”
These Gentiles, after all, had not been BORN a Jew … they CHOSE to be Jewish because they CHOSE to serve and honor the God of the Jews. They had SACRIFICED to come into God’s family … they wanted to worship God in His Temple.
We find in the Scriptures later, that it was the Jews who rejected Christ. It was the Jews who persecuted the Apostle Paul and wouldn’t let him speak in their Synagogues. It was to the Gentiles that Paul turned to with the Gospel.
Jesus was appalled at what He saw taking place in the Court of the Gentiles.
2:15 – NOTICE that Jesus didn’t all of a sudden “lose it”. He didn’t fly off the handle. While He was walking around, observing the chaos, He probably picked up some of the leather cords that were laying around … used to tie up the animals. While He was walking, He must have been tying them together into a small whip.
o Jesus was HEARING all the commotion … the arguing over the exchange rate … the bargaining over the price of the animals … the anger voices of those who were being cheated.
o Jesus was SMELLING the stench of the livestock market … stepping over the manure … side-stepping the paths of the oxen and sheep.
o Jesus was WATCHING the greed of the merchants … and the cheating, profiteering, circus-like atmosphere.
Jesus got ANGRY. This wasn’t the way God’s house was supposed to be treated.
I sometimes wonder what God thinks of His Church in the 21st Century. Have WE gotten off the path that He wanted us to follow? Have WE turned His house into a social club … are we just going through the motions of worship? Have WE lost focus on true worship of our Heavenly Father? Someone has said: “We worship our work … work at our play … and play at our worship.”
Shortly before Jesus was crucified, He went into Jerusalem … and AGAIN He found His Father’s house being desecrated. He cleaned it out AGAIN. Listen to what He said – Mt. 21:12-13 – ribbon.
God’s plan is for His House to be a house of prayer … a special place … a place of worship and praise.
2:16 – “My Father’s house” - The Jews had taken over the Court of the Gentiles … and excluded them from worship. All the buying & selling were a DISTRACTION from true worship. No longer could it be said (for the Gentiles, or the Jews) - Psalm 122:1 – “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
WHAT IF (when you came to church):
o Someone was talking on their cell phone during the whole service.
o Someone was listening to the Super Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday night.
o Someone brought their lap-top computer & was working away.
o Someone was playing a video game.
Jesus saw their attitude and actions. Our attitude toward the house of God, is a reflection of our attitude toward God.
We need to be UNDISTRACTED in our worship of God. I realize that there will always be some natural distractions. Most of these can’t be helped. Babies will cry … children will wiggle … people might need to use the restrooms … books will fall to the floor. BUT … we need to be sensitive about being a DISTRACTION from the worship of God.
How many of us can say: “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.”? Would that it were true, that all children would say: “I can’t wait until it’s Sunday, and I can go to church.” OR … “I thought Wednesday Night would never get here!” Maybe, we (I) have failed the Lord somewhere down the line.
2:17 – This is a quote from Psalm 69:9. This Psalm is a Messianic Psalm, that prophesies the coming Messiah. When Jesus cleansed the Temple, He was showing them that He was truly the Messiah sent from God.
His zeal was eating Him up … He had a PASSION for the things of God. Would that we had such passion when it came to the things of God! We are passionate about our sports … our eating … our work. I wish we were as passionate about our worship … about serving Christ … about Church.
2:18 – The Jewish religious leaders wanted to know: “Who do you think you are to be doing this?” They understood that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah when He called the Temple “My Father’s house”. “If you’re really the Messiah, show us a sign.”
2:19-20 – It took them 46 years to build the temple … no way were they going to tear it down. And, even if they did, how could Jesus build it back up in just 3 days? They thought that this was ludicrous.
BY THE WAY, this was the charge that they used against Jesus to crucify Him – Mt. 26:60-61 – ribbon. They also used this to ridicule Him while He hung on the cross – Mt. 27:40
WHAT WAS JESUS TALKING ABOUT?
2:21 – Jesus was talking about His BODY … which they would destroy … BUT … which God would raise 3 days later. They had desecrated God’s Temple … God would raise up a new meeting place for worship … centered on Jesus. They came to the Temple to offer their sacrifices. God would sacrifice His Son Jesus, so there would be no more need of a Temple.
With the resurrection of Jesus, God raised up a new Temple in just 3 days.
2:22 – Nobody got it! UNTIL AFTER the resurrection. “So, this is what Jesus meant!” It’s ironic, that the Disciples didn’t remember what Jesus said until AFTER the resurrection. HOWEVER, the religious leaders remembered it BEFORE - Matthew 27:63 – “Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.”
CONCLUSION:
WHAT DID JESUS MEAN … FOR US?
“God Don’t Want No Dirty House”. Jesus wants a clean temple. AND … He’s not just talking about our church building. Jesus was talking about His “body” – 2:21
You and I, as Christians, are part of the “body” … the “body of Christ. Romans 12:5 – “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Jesus is walking through His “temple” every day … looking at the “body” of believers. What does He see? Does His “body” … His “temple” … need cleansing … AGAIN?
LET’S GET A LITTLE MORE PERSONAL – 1 Cor. 6:15, 19-20 – all turn.
In just a few weeks, we are going to have Revival Services. BEFORE we can come to Jesus to be “revived”, we need to be clean “temples” to present to Him. “God Don’t Want No Dirty House”. If Jesus cleaned the Temple in Jerusalem, maybe He has some house-cleaning He needs to do here in Priscilla Baptist Church.
Is there something in your life that is defiling God’s “temple”? Is there something that Jesus needs to drive out of your heart … something that’s standing between you and your worship of holy God?
Only you can answer that. AND … only Jesus can cleanse your heart. Romans 12:1 – “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
“God Don’t Want No Dirty House”. God won’t FILL a dirty vessel. God won’t USE a dirty vessel. You can’t worship God in a dirty “temple”.
If you’ve got some dirt that needs to be swept away from your Christian life … only Jesus can make you clean. Pray along with David, in Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” “God Don’t Want No Dirty House”.
STAND - PRAY
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
“God Don’t Want No Dirty House”
John 2:13-22
INTRODUCTION: Jesus was consumed with passion over God’s house.
2:13 – Passover was a special time of worship for God’s people.
2:14 – The Temple had become a Mall … a one-stop shopping center in the Court of the Gentiles.
- Greed and corruption had taken over the Temple of God.
- The Gentile proselytes had been crowded out.
- The Jews thought they were righteous because of their
birth – Romans 9:6 – they looked down on the Gentile proselytes.
2:15 – Jesus didn’t fly off the handle … but He was ANGRY.
- Have WE lost focus of true worship of our Heavenly Father?
- God’s house is to be a house of PRAYER – Matthew 21:12-13
2:16 – They were DISTRACTED from worship – Psalm 122:1
- Let’s be sensitive about being a distraction.
2:17 – Psalm 69:9 – Jesus was showing them that He was the Messiah … with a passion for the things of God.
2:18 – The Jewish religious leaders understood that Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah … and wanted a sign.
2:19-20 – This was the charge they brought against Jesus when they condemned Him to death – Matthew 26:60-61
- They ridiculed Jesus while on the cross – Matthew 27:40
2:21 – Jesus was talking about His death and resurrection.
- There would be no more need of a Temple, or animal sacrifices … God would raise up His sacrifice as the center of worship.
2:22 – The religious leaders remembered this statement BEFORE the Disciples!
CONCLUSION:
- Jesus wants a clean “temple” (2:21) … you and I are the “body” of Christ – Romans 12:5
- Does His “body”/”temple” need to be cleansed again?
- 1 Corinthians 6:15,19-20 – Maybe Jesus needs to do some house-cleaning in your heart and life – Romans 12:1
- “God Don’t Want No Dirty House” – Psalm 51:10
PRISCILLA BAPTIST CHURCH – Ray Scott, Pastor
