Purging Covetousness: The Zeal of Christ in God's Temple

Introduction

We arrive at a very interesting scene as we continue our journey through the Gospel of John. One of the things that we must understand about this gospel is this. Not everything recorded in John fits the same timeline as the other gospel accounts. For example, this particular incident in the Temple comes much later in the Jesus ministry timeline. In Matthew, Christ’s cleansing of the Temple occurs at the close of the Lord’s public ministry rather than at the beginning, as seen in John’s Gospel. Let me state this without getting bogged down about the similarities and the reasons why there is a difference in the timeline. John’s Gospel is uniquely different from all the other gospels. The Holy Spirit uses this gospel account to emphasize Christ as the Lamb who took away the world's sins. Much is given to the topic of Christ being God and how He, as God, dwelt among us so that He might give Himself for us. This all makes much more sense when we get to chapter 3. In chapter 3, we have the dialogue of Christ and Nicodemus. It is only in John’s Gospel we find this extended conversation. What is at the heart of that conversation?

John 3:16 KJV 1900

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Thinking again about the Temple cleansing, why would the Holy Spirit place this event at the beginning of John’s account? That is a great question. As you may recall, the last event recorded in this chapter was Christ’s first miracle. In that message, we noted the presence of six waterpots of stone. Those waterpots represented the spiritual condition of all people. However, since Christ first offered Himself to Israel, these waterpots gave special attention to Israel’s spiritual life, which was devoid of any hope or true purpose. They were empty pots with hearts of stone. With this in mind, let’s turn our attention to this next event recorded in John 2.

John 2:12–17 KJV 1900

12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. 13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Earlier in our journey through Chapter 1, we noted this verse and its significance.

John 1:10–11 KJV 1900

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Then, later in that same chapter, John the Baptist proclaimed the following.

John 1:26 KJV 1900

26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

The Holy Spirit is noting how abysmal the spiritual condition of Israel truly was at the time of Christ. They were utterly ignorant of Scripture. They were unaware of Christ's existence, even though it was foretold many times. Even though He stood among them, they did not know. Even when they did know, they rejected Him and received Him not. Now we come to this account of the Temple. Note its condition.

Matthew 21:12–13 KJV 1900

12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

If you thoroughly study the Old Testament, you discover that the Temple was the permanent replacement of the Tabernacle. It was one of the main things that marked Israel as different from all the other nations. Instead of worshipping many false gods, the Temple was where the only true and living God was worshipped. The Temple stood as the center of purity and holiness. It was the one place in which God’s shekinah glory shined in the past, marking it as the place of God. No nation other than Israel could say that Jehovah God dwelled in their midst. But now, in that moment, what had God’s Temple become? It was not a house of prayer and worship. It was now a “den of thieves.”

‌There is one other exciting thing to note about this account. At what time of the year did Christ choose to visit the Temple?

John 2:13 KJV 1900

13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

Again, to understand the significance of the Passover, we must turn to the Old Testament. The Passover was the feast God ordained for Israel to remember when God brought Israel out of bondage to Egypt. You may recall that the last plague God brought upon Egypt was how He brought death to the firstborn of every family. However, for His people, Israel, He spared them by having them kill a spotless lamb and apply the blood of that lamb on the doorposts. God spared each house that had the lamb’s blood painted around and over the door. The devastating effect of that last plague pushed Pharoah over the edge and drove Israel out of Egypt. Thus, the Passover was instituted by God to remember His deliverance from oppression and bondage. In fact, note the description given in Exodus 12:11

Exodus 12:11 KJV 1900

11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover.

Note specifically it was the “LORD’s Passover.” Now, look back at our text and note this.

John 2:13 KJV 1900

13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

It was now the “Jews’ Passover.” I believe that it is quite interesting. Things had changed.

If you recall, the Passover was supposed to be a busy time for every Jewish family. God instituted that whenever a Jewish family observed the Passover, each household underwent a rigorous cleaning. They were to sweep and clean the house from top to bottom, removing anything “unclean.”

The Law of Moses, given by God, stated that there was to be “no leaven” in their houses. Leaven, as we know, symbolizes sin.

In our account, who is standing once again in the Temple? Jehovah God Himself was standing in the Temple. What does He find in His House? It was no longer a house of prayer. Instead, He finds people buying and selling. It is now a place of merchandise and selfish greed and gain. It is no wonder Israel was oblivious to His presence. Nothing speaks louder to their oblivion and ignorance for Him to be standing in the middle of the Temple, and not one person notes that He is there other than the Holy Spirit.

I want to return to this thought, which will be the heart of today’s message. In Matthew’s account of this same story, Christ noted that His house was now a “den of thieves.” What a fascinating thing for Him to say!

Whenever you think of a “den of thieves,” your mind automatically envisions a place where the love of money is prevalent. At the heart of thievery is covetousness.

Here is the first thing we must know and understand.

A Biblical Perspective on Covetousness

If you turn with me to 1 Corinthians 5, we find the Holy Spirit giving us a remarkable discourse on the effects of sin.

1 Corinthians 5:6–8 KJV 1900

6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

As I mentioned earlier, leaven is often used in God’s Word as a symbol for sin. Now, look at the following two verses in that same passage.

1 Corinthians 5:9–10 KJV 1900

9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

The Holy Spirit, in these two verses, references four sinful deeds as leaven - fornication, covetousness, extortion, and idolatry.

Now, keep that in mind as we go back to John 2 and our text. Remember, it is the time of the Passover when every Jewish family is supposed to be busy removing the “leaven” from their households. Jesus stands in the Temple, His House, and finds cattle dealers, moneychangers, and profiteers. His House, much less all of Israel, was desecrated with covetousness and extortion.

Now, let’s take God’s teaching on covetousness one step further. Please turn with me to Colossians 3:5

Colossians 3:5 KJV 1900

5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Here, the Holy Spirit equates covetousness with idolatry. What are we learning?

We are learning that God hates sin and demands that we, as His people, deal with the “leaven (sin)” in our lives by removing it. He uses the term “mortify” here in Colossians 3. Mortify means put it to death. Back in 1 Corinthians 5:7, the Holy Spirit says...

1 Corinthians 5:7 KJV 1900

7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

What does purge mean? It means to get rid of it, remove it.

‌There is no doubt throughout both the Old and New Testament Scriptures that God has consistently demanded that His people, both Israel as a nation and individual believers of today, get rid of sin in their lives. At the top of the list are fornication, covetousness, extortion, and idolatry. We are to root them out of our lives. We are to put them to death. We, as believers, are to have no part in any of them.

‌Why is God so adamant about these four, especially covetousness?

‌A passage in 1 Timothy gives us some insight into this answer.

1 Timothy 6:10 KJV 1900

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

This is a crucial verse, considering what we are talking about. Note the “love of money is the root of all evil.” No verse stands more accurate today than this one. The “love of money” is the heart of the American dream. What is the American dream? The American dream is to be wealthy. Everything in American society screams this. From the open gambling problems in America to the vast mansions of California, everyone wants the almighty dollar and will do anything to get it. They will do it if it means they must beg, borrow, or steal to live the American dream. What is that? It is the essence of the Holy Spirit’s statement, “The love of money is the root of all evil.”

But wait a minute before we get too carried away with blaming a society of sinful men; let’s consider the context of 1 Timothy. To whom was it written? Was it written to unbelievers? The answer is no. It was written to believers and especially to one believer. Who was Timothy? He was a young pastor seeking to serve the Lord in ministry. Thus, the warning of covetousness was to Timothy. He was to avoid the love of money in his role as a pastor, but he was also to warn those he pastored of its dangers. I am doing the same thing for you this morning. Note the strong warning.

1 Timothy 6:10 KJV 1900

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Those who coveted money ended up where? They erred from the faith and suffered (pierced themselves) with many sorrows.

This morning, I am here to tell you that God despises sin, especially the sin of covetousness. If you, as a believer, set your sights on becoming rich at all costs, it becomes an idol in your life, and it will lead you away from God. I have countless examples of this happening in people I know. There are too many to share this morning. I believe God’s Word speaks for itself, and there is no need. Our story stands as a classic example.

Why was Israel so oblivious to Christ, Jehovah God, in their midst? They were consumed with “leaven.” Their leaven leavened the whole lump. It not only infiltrated their lives, but it sat in the very Temple of God, desecrating it daily.

Here is my next point.

The Biblical Principle of Personal and Corporate Holiness

Throughout Scripture, God has taught that we, as His people, are to be holy, even as He is holy.

Exodus 19:6 KJV 1900

6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

In the Old Testament, these words were spoken to the nation of Israel. However, these words were spoken again to us as believers in the New Testament.

1 Peter 1:15–16 KJV 1900

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Later, in the Old Testament, God established the Tabernacle, which became the Temple, His house, a house of holiness.

Exodus 29:42–44 KJV 1900

42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. 44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office.

However, later, in the New Testament, we read this.

1 Corinthians 3:16 KJV 1900

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV 1900

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

What am I driving at? It is simply this.

Today, each believer is God’s temple. Your body is His dwelling place. His Spirit, which is God, “dwelleth in you.”

Thus, we must keep our bodies, God’s temple, free from leaven. It is to be holy and sanctified. We know this as personal holiness.

However, suppose you, as a believer, become fixated on making money and living the American dream. In that case, you pollute God’s temple with covetousness in the very same manner that these Jews did during Jesus’ ministry. You are no different. And, in doing so, you place yourself in a dangerous position.

Let me read you the rest of 1 Corinthians 3.

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 KJV 1900

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Did you see the warning? “Him shall God destroy.” We noted in 1 Timothy that any believer who loves money is setting themselves up for failure. Covetousness is a path of sin, uncleanness, and great sorrow.

We can make the same application to local churches. Much of 1 Corinthians is written because the local church of Corinth allowed leaven in their congregation. In their case, it was the leaven of fornication and covetousness. The result was a local church doing nothing for Christ, filled with division and bringing a blight upon God’s name. The entirety of that first letter was a warning to them. Remove the leaven. Purge it out. Mortify it. Why? It leads to death.

James 1:14–15 KJV 1900

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

How, then, must we deal with the leaven of covetousness?

Look back at our text and see how Christ dealt with it.

Possessing the Same Passion as Christ in Purging Covetousness

John 2:15–17 KJV 1900

15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

I believe it is quite clear how Christ dealt with covetousness.

He acted with great intent.

Note that he intentionally made a “scourge of small cords.” A scourge is a whip. Then, he took that whip and went after those who were making a mockery of His house. He overthrew the tables. He chased out the sheep, the oxen, and the thieves.

He acted with great zeal.

So fierce were His anger and actions that they remained cemented in the minds of the disciples. Long after He ascended into Heaven, they were still thinking about it. Perhaps, whenever they got together, this was one of the stories they spoke about. “Peter, remember that time when Christ drove those thieves out of the Temple?”(Peter) “O yeah, boy, was that a sight to behold; our Lord was on fire that day!” If you stop and think about it, the terror of God Himself fell upon those men.

Here is my point!

When it comes to leaven in our lives, we must drive it out with the same intent and zeal Christ demonstrated that day. Now, I know that we are not Christ. We are not Deity. But we must never forget that Christ often did what He did, and the Holy Spirit recorded what He did about Christ’s life as an example for our lives. His hatred for how they turned His house into a den of thieves must be the same hatred we are to demonstrate concerning covetousness.

‌We are to root it out. Throw it out. Get rid of it. We must be passionate about not allowing it to have any place in our lives.

‌Conclusion

‌Through our story this morning, I have shared God’s perspective on covetousness. It is “leave” that must be purged from the life of every true believer. God despises sin, especially the sin of covetousness. I then shared how our bodies become His temple the moment we accept Christ as our Savior. God expects His temple to be kept clean, pure, and holy. Since it is God’s temple, we must strive to keep our bodies free from leaven and sin. Believers don’t let covetousness pollute God’s temple. Don’t become fixated on worldly pleasures such as chasing the American dream. Instead, consider your body as an instrument God desires to use. However, for Him to use you, you must be a clean and holy vessel.

‌I encourage you to do some self-examination this morning. Have you been more concerned with making money than serving the Lord? Have you chosen to work versus coming to worship the Lord at times? Do you find yourself chasing a dollar?

‌Someone once asked John Rockefeller, the wealthiest American during that era, how much money was enough. He replied, “One dollar more.”

‌I close by reminding you what the Holy Spirit stated in 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 6:10 KJV 1900

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

‌As you examine yourself this morning and find the Holy Spirit convicting you, I would encourage you to repent, seek God’s forgiveness, let Him cleanse you, and leave with a zeal that reflects Christ’s as He drove out the moneychangers in the Temple.