John 2:18-25

13-15, 16-18, 19-21, 22-25

Recap John 2:13-17

As we know from last week, we talked about what went on in the temple. Money-changers, sellers, etc were treating God’s house poorly and using the platform of the temple for personal gain, for personal pleasure. Not using it for what it was meant for, worshipping God, praising God, glorifying God. AND they were causing others to stumble, hindering them from doing those same things.

We saw Jesus enter the temple and realize this, then act righteously on it. Flipped tables, poured out the coins of the money-changers, then drove out the livestock.

John 2:18-22

Here we are now, Jesus drives out these people from the temple and the Jews basically come up to Him and are like, “who do you think you are?” “What gives you the right? What gives you the authority to do what you have done today?”

Jesus then tells them. Read John 2:19

John 2:19 ESV

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Here the Jews come back at Him and are like, you’re ridiculous Read John 2:20

John 2:20 ESV

The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”

However, Jesus was speaking about His own body as we see in vs 21. The sign was that after the Jewish leaders had torn down his body, he would raise it up in three days. He was referring to His resurrection.

Jesus resurrection is the ultimate sign of His authority. Then they will understand how He has the authority to do what He did.

John 2:23-25

Here we see that while Jesus was at the Passover Feast, many people are believing in Jesus name when they saw the signs He was doing. However Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to them because he knew all people. He knew what was in man..

Main Point: Is your faith based on sight?

Here we come to our main point.

Here, in both the conversation with the Jews at the temple and the conversations with the crowd in Jerusalem, we have a commonality. Can anyone guess the commonality?

Sight-based faith.

The Jews stood there and wanted Jesus to prove Himself by doing something before their eyes. Then with the crowd in Jerusalem, it talks about how Jesus understood what was in man and that in verse 24, Read John 2:24

John 2:24 ESV

But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people

He didn’t entrust Himself to them. Jesus was intentional in His delivery, He was intentional in how He revealed who He is. He realized that faith based on sight is not sufficient because it was a temporary excitement. People believed because they saw what Jesus did not had faith because of who Jesus is.

WHAT JESUS DID, NOT WHO JESUS IS

What’s interesting and as we continue diving into God’s Word, we will see that when Jesus was telling of the parables we see Him being intentional again. He purposfully gave veiled sayings, things that would require those who actually wanted to know, to think about it instead of just giving them the answer they wanted to hear. We see an example of the “veiled sayings” when Jesus responds to the Jews about the temple. Jesus was not merely talking about the temple itself, but of His resurrection.

He spoke in a way that the point was hidden unless you were truly seeking the answer. “He desired that His hearers ponder the saying in order to perceive its significance.”

Satan knows the powerlessness of a doubting believe. Remember that our hope is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s the promise that turns our faith from “in vain” to “invaluable”.

Questions:

How can Jesus be speaking of his body when referring to the temple?

What does it mean to have a faith based on sight?

Understanding that Jesus did not reveal Himself to people because of their inward hearts (only believing in Him because of what He did physically), how does this effect your faith? If you were honest, do you believe Jesus is who He says He is because of things you’ve seen or just because your parents say so?

How do you trust in Jesus when you can’t see him, physically?