John 2:12-17
INTRO: Good morning church. Last week Mark began teaching on the section of scripture we call the beatitudes where Jesus sat down, His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them. Today we will look at Jesus teaching them in a different way.
Our text is John 2:12-17. The Apostle John begins this section, that we often describe as the cleansing of the temple, by calling it the Passover of the Jews. He concludes the section in verse 23 by again noting that it's the Passover feast of the Jews. I suspect that John noting this is the Passover twice indicates there's something important we should look for. There is some critical symbolism here in this observation that it is the time of the Passover.
It is important to keep in mind that John's gospel is not in chronological sequence. That is not his purpose. This gospel is in theological sequence, in that John is choosing signs and events to argue a particular theological point. His focus is that all would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He's not just telling us about the life of Jesus, and not just recording various events. He's selecting events and selecting signs that will validate his point in this theology of who Jesus is as the Son of God.
That is important for a number of reasons. First of all, it is sometimes argued based upon John's gospel, that Jesus cleansed the temple twice. It has been suggested that what we see here in John 2 is an early cleansing, and then in Matthew 21, Mark 11, and Luke 19, we read about a cleansing that occurs near the end of His life. I am not sure about that. Instead I suspect what has occurred is that John has moved this event into the front of his gospel for some reason.
One reason for my thinking this is that none of the gospels record two of these events. If there had been two, the other gospels would probably have recorded them. We would expect to find two events in the gospels that describe a more chronological sequencing of Jesus' life. I note though, the other gospels only record a cleansing once.
I suspect John is pulling it forward and sticking it after the wedding at Cana and before the discussion with Nicodemus for some reason. Let’s start thinking about what John is doing here. What is his purpose? Keep that in mind.
We also note that the Gospel of John is probably the Gospel that was written last. The contents and the structure of this Gospel presuppose the reader's familiarity with the three synoptic gospels. According to tradition this Gospel was written at the end of the first century AD. Therefore John has no reason to recap and rehearse what are in the other gospels. He has a purpose. He has a point.
John does not have to write this gospel like a newspaper reporter recording all the facts in some particular sequence. He's already told us he has a purpose. John isn't marking Passover so that we would have time markers and know that three years went by.
When John mentions a Passover, I suspect he's got some kind of Passover symbolism that he's inserting with this sign or event.
With that in mind, let's read the whole story.
I. Temple Court Scene – John 2:13-17, “13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 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. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.””
A. It is the Passover time that tells us every male Jew from all over the land is coming. This is one of the three appointed times when male Jews had to come for their offering and sacrifices. It would have been a very busy scene.
1. Verse 14 records that in the temple complex are found those selling animals and birds, and those changing money. These animals and birds were required offerings in the Jewish sacrifices; however, can you imagine a Jew who lived in Rome ensuring that his animal made the trip all the way to Jerusalem without any blemish? It became an element of convenience to purchase the offering when you arrived. I have also read at some point the worshipers were required to purchase them from the temple functionaries and were not allowed to bring their own.
2. On top of that, the money changers are there because the scriptures describe what would be called a temple tax in first century times. Each person was to give what would be a half shekel as part of their census. You can find that described in Exodus 30:12-14.
3. Also the only money allowed be used in such purchases or tax was the coinage controlled by the temple. The denarius and other coins were prohibited, probably due to the image on the coin. Thus, with the temple concessionaires having the only supply of animals and a supply of money by which they could have been purchased, there was ample opportunity for graft.
II. Jesus’ Response - Jesus does not simply scold them and say, you shouldn't be doing this; it is not an appropriate thing to do. This is a pretty ferocious act we see as He takes some cords, binds them together and drives them all out of the temple. Not only that, but He poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
A. This is quite a disturbance, quite a scene that is taking place in these temple courts. I suspect getting the attention of all the Jews coming there. They are looking to purchase these animals and pay their tax, and Jesus comes in like a tornado, completely obliterates the tables and runs the animals off.
1. What are you doing Jesus? What is going on here? Aren’t they just providing a service of convenience to these people as they try to worship God? I think the description that Jesus gives in verse 16 is important to be able to understand what He is driving at.
2. Notice in verse 16 He says, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” This is what John records, now let’s compare it with the other gospel accounts. In Matthew 21:13 “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” In Mark 11:17 “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Luke 19:46, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” It appears in the other gospel accounts; the problem emphasized is they are cheating the people.
3. Apparently in the exchange rate of the coins and the purchasing of the animals they are making unfair profit. In the synoptic accounts it sound like they are taking advantage of this process. We notice that's not the point Jesus makes here as John highlights.
B. John does not emphasize Jesus’ point that the merchants have made this a den of robbers. Nor is Jesus criticizing not bringing their offerings from home. The issue is clear that the problem is business was being done in the temple courts! That's what He identifies. Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade. You've turned this into a marketplace.
1. That's the idea Jesus drives at as John points out. What is at stake here is people are no longer focused on worshipping God in this complex. What should have been a place of reverence, a place of prayer, a place of praising God, has now turned into a supermarket.
2. We can imagine all the hubbub that is going on with this trading. That is Jesus’ point. I think this offers us a reminder about the nature of our worship. I first want to make a caveat that it is important to recognize that the temple, or the church building, is not the point. The point is NOT to say, within these walls God lives and that’s why this merchandising shouldn't be happening. No, that is not the case.
3. In fact even regarding the temple itself, God didn’t actually live there. Stephen said in Acts 7:48 – “Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things?”” Stephen referred to the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 66:1f. Even Solomon understood that for all the glory of what he built, God doesn’t actually live there.
4. The parallel for us is not to suggest that God lives here. The parallel is that this is supposed to be a place of worship. The purpose wasn't for them to set up tables, make money, turn it into a marketplace, rip people off, if that's what they're doing. That's not what is supposed to be going on. This is supposed to be a place of devotion to God; of worship, of prayer, of encouragement, of fellowship, and of learning. It is where hearts are supposed to be turned to God in a focus that is strictly on God!
C. This is an important message in our day and time especially. In a time where churches are increasingly engaging in selling branded items like apparel, accessories, and study materials, driven by a desire to foster a sense of belonging, promote their activities, and _ generate _ revenue. I'm not kidding. Some are suggesting that selling merchandise can be a way to generate income to support their ministries and operations.
1. This is a tremendous reminder that our purpose is not to come here and find a way to be comfortable, a way of convenience. That is not why we are here. Our purpose here is not to make money. Our purpose here is not to take your money. It's not about buying or selling. May we never do so.
2. That's what these Jews had done to the temple courts. It had turned into a kind of marketplace and lost the singular focus of coming to worship God. That's what it should all be about. I believe that worship to God should be in our minds as the clear purpose of why we do the things that we do.
3. Our singular focus should be worshiping God, and I believe that is what we learn from what John says. It's not about all the peripherals. When we come together, it should be coming to glorify God.
D. When we come together, let's and avoid focus on anything else. This is what Jesus is criticizing them about. What a massive distraction is going on in these temple courts. Here you are, you have come to worship together and you have this hubbub, this marketplace of buying and selling, vendors calling, animals and birds making racket, this massive distraction from worship.
1. It is a reminder to us to put aside distractions and come to the fountain of living water. That is what we're supposed to be doing. It is so easy for us to get sidetracked and become distracted with so many other things.
2. We can do it mentally as well, because we are so concerned about the things of the world and the cares of the world and the schedule of the day or of the week or our phones.
3. Consider how often and how easy it is to turn the worship of the true and living God into a consumer-driven experience. A funny YouTube video that I've seen is a thing that is called “What if the church was run like Starbucks?” I don't know if you've ever seen it or not. It's quite funny when you start trying to turn church into a business and you recognize the foolishness of what occurs.
4. This is not about a consumer experience. In fact, coming here is not about our comforts. It's not about our convenience, and it's certainly not about our desires. We come here because we are keenly aware that we want to serve and worship God, and that is our primary focus.
5. Jesus is indicating that the distractions these Jews were bringing about was an enormous problem because it was turning the hearts of the people and turning their focus away from the worship that should have been going on. We need to take great care that what we are doing is not causing people to no longer be able to worship God in a focused way.
E. This cleansing of the temple is showing Jesus as the loyal son who has come to set right the worship that has gone wrong, to cleanse it of impure activity, to get people focused on the right thing. He does this in such an interesting way because what He does has messianic implications, though not directly stated. Yet, in the words “… My Father’s house…” we see the indication of the unique sonship of Jesus, and a focus on the messianic import of this event of cleansing. As A. M. Hunter noted, "The cleansing is far more than a Jewish reformer's act; it is a sign of the advent of the Messiah."
1. Nowhere will we find in the Old Testament the direct statement saying when the Messiah comes, He will cleanse the temple. There are allusions to that idea however. Like In Zachariah 14 where he is talking of “The Coming Day of the Lord” and then in the very last line of Zechariah he says “And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the Lord of hosts on that day.” Here's Zechariah making a curious prophecy of the wiping out of that kind of activity.
2. Malachi begins Malachi 3 by speaking of the Lord coming to His temple and they will then begin to offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. What happened is they had allowed chaos to rule here rather than it being the place of coming to worship God.
3. The church in Corinth was also admonished for letting chaos rule in 1st Corinthians 14 which concludes “… all things should be done decently and in order.” What Jesus is doing is removing the barriers that are interfering with true worship of the living God.
4. If we are properly putting our hearts on God and worshiping Him the way that we should, then we can't help but come away encouraged and lifted up. They didn't understand that. They had put the cart before the horse.
III. The Disciples’ Reaction – John 2:17 - The disciples reaction is interesting. Look at what John says about this in verse 17. “His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”” The reason why I find this fascinating in light of what Jesus does, is they do not remember a scripture about God’s wrath. I find it interesting that it is not wrath that the disciples think of.
A. It's zeal that comes to their minds. I think that is important for us to observe, because too often this text has been used to suggest that Jesus is in a fit of fury. He went all Clint Eastwood on them… Not from the perspective of His disciples.
1. They do not perceive what Jesus is doing as wrath, but rather a calculated approach on Jesus part of telling them, look, this isn't the way it ought to be. He is zealous for that. He is concerned about what is going on in the house of worship.
2. The scripture the disciples remember is in Psalm 69. In Psalm 69:7-12 we see the cause of David’s suffering. King Saul had classified David as an outlaw and is seeking him. In Psalm 69:9 David says, “For zeal for your house has consumed me…” How had it consumed him, eaten him up? It had precipitated the murder of the high priest and his entire family (close friends of David), and it had launched Saul's army in their ruthless hunt to seek out and kill David.
3. David in a statement of sadness is calling out to God for salvation. He is overwhelmed and this is a psalm of despair. Notice it in Psalm 69:7, “For it is for your sake (speaking of God) For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons.” Why has this happened? Why are you enduring this hostility David? Why are you dealing with all of these reproaches and difficulties? Verse nine is the answer. “For zeal for your house has consumed me…”
4. David is not saying he has an overwhelming emotion of zeal. That's not the point. David is enduring hostility because of the zeal he has for the Lord's house. The reference here is to the tabernacle of course. Had David been zealous for that? Certainly! Where did he take the sword of Goliath following his God-given victory over the Giant? He took it to the Lord's house, the tabernacle. That action, along with the sackcloth, the fasting, and the other acts of devotion adequately establish the truth that David did indeed exhibit a genuine "zeal for God's house."
5. That's the point that's being described here by David. He wants others to understand that his zeal for the Lord's house has led to this intense hostility. This is the reason why he feels like he is suffering. This is the reason why he is sinking and has floodwaters overwhelming him. Others don’t seem to understand his commitment to the Lord. They don't understand his zeal and love for God. Because of that love for God, he is being eaten up and consumed by the hostility coming at him. They are trying to destroy him. They are trying to kill David.
B. That's the backdrop of Psalm 69 brought forward to Jesus and to what John tells us. Jesus in this temple cleansing, is putting things right with God. He is calling for a cleansing of heart and showing a concern for the true worship of God and calling for people to have a right relationship with God.
1. Because of His zeal and His concern for this right relationship and the calling for the people to have a right heart, He's going to endure hostility. He is going to be consumed. That's the picture that is being offered here. That's what the disciples are thinking. It is going to bring about hostility.
2. I suspect the hostility is already starting, and that’s one of John’s intentions in pulling this forward. It is for us to see the start of hostility that Jesus is going to receive because of His zeal and His love for the father. It was precisely this manifestation of the Savior’s zeal that set in motion the murderous animosity of the religious apparatus in Jerusalem, which never relented. It is only going to grow and intensify.
3. Here in John's account the words of Psalm 69:9 are prophetic. Zeal for your house, it's going to consume me. It is looking forward and saying this is what is going to happen. John is putting it together now in this scene. Look at the His love for God; look at His zeal for right and true worship. It will consume Him.
C. The rest of Psalm 69 is also interesting. I intentionally cut that off the last part of Isaiah 69:9 which says in full, “For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.” God, I know I'm dealing with the hostility toward you because of my love for you, and my devotion for you. Their hatred for you now turns and comes upon me. Thus David expresses this in his love for God. He is enduring suffering and Jesus in His love for God will be enduring suffering as well.
D. This passage is quoted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 15:1-4. “1. We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
CONCLUSION:
There are two fallouts that will occur because of our zeal and our love for God. The first is; if we truly love the Father, then we are going to deal with one another appropriately, graciously and kindly. That's how Paul begins in Romans 15:1-2.
Jesus did not please himself. Because of that, we know we are not in the business of pleasing ourselves. We're in the business of watching out for one another. In the process, there will be issues. We will be in second place. We will be concerned about what our actions and what our words mean for other people.
My love for God, my zeal for him, will bring that about. We certainly see that in the life of Jesus. We absolutely observe this as we begin to go through the pages of John. We're going to read about His love for the Father that shows the kind of compassion He has for the people, how He could look at people who were going to be His enemies and crucify Him and still be moved with compassion for them and the desire for them to be saved. The reason why, is because of His great devotion to the Father.
The other side of that coin is that in our zeal for the Father and our love for the Father, there is an expectation of hostility. There is an expectation of resistance from those who do not understand. The disciples experienced it. Jesus experienced it.
That is exactly what the apostle Paul is teaching in Romans 15. When we display that same fervency and devotion to our Lord and in our worship to Him, then just like David, just like our Lord's disciples, and just like our Lord Jesus Christ, we are going to suffer for the cause. We will endure reproach; we will bear with suffering what will come upon us, in our zeal for the things of God.
It already occurs in many ways. How often people think you're strange because you came back here because of your zeal for God. They say, well, you know, that's kind of kooky. You just need to go every once in a while, right? You know what? You guys are just kind of over the top. It happens from very subtle levels to very extreme levels where you will stand face to face against someone who's an enemy of the cross.
You'll be called upon to stand in your faith and say, I confess Jesus and I love Him with all of my heart. I will not deny Him and I will not cower and I will not hide my faith and love for Him. There is a need for a reminder that when we do that, there is always a strong reaction to it. The world today continues to have a strong reaction to those who profess their faith openly and declare their love and devotion for Jesus. We should not be surprised by this, it was predicted. This is exactly what the prophet is saying. Zeal for our Lord will bring about these kinds of difficulties. I pray that as we wrap up, we all have zeal so that it will bring about right action, and right words with one another.
Second, it will firm your foundation to deal with those who will oppose you as you try to do what is right, holy, and good for the sake of Jesus Christ. Lord willing, next Sunday, we'll get to look at the rest of this section where Jesus is talking about the destruction of the temple.
The message is yours. The invitation is there for any who have a need to be baptized into Christ, or those Christians who need prayers of faithful people, to come forward while we stand and sing.
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Reference Sermon: Brent Kercheville
