John Part 6
Notes
Transcript
The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
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.
And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Ok, this story is showing a somewhat harsher side of Jesus
than what is traditionally conveyed
When most people think about Jesus
They think about the miracles
The parables
The healing of the brokenhearted
The weeping over Lazarus
His love for all humanity while dying on the cross for our sins…
But there is another side of Jesus that John is showing us.
We see glimpses of it when He heals Jairus’ daughter
and he drove out the unbelivers
We see him snap at Peter and call him Satan
When Peter attempts to overrule Jesus’ will
And here, we see it when Jesus cleanses the temple.
And this shows us that even God himself
In all of His grace and mercy
Does despise doubt, disobedience, and disrespecting His house.
And while Jesus is standing in a physical temple
and cleaning the literal house of God
We have to remember that Jesus is also himself the temple of God
Remember Jn 1.14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
So, keep that in mind as we look closer at this story.
Jesus is the temple of God.
The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
This is the first Passover that Jesus attends during his earthly ministry.
Most scholars believe he attended 4.
Between his baptism and his death.
The final one was on the eve of his death.
So, this passover would have been at about the 6th month mark
So, the first Passover is half a year after his baptism
The 2nd is at year 1 and a half
The 3rd is at year 2 and a half
And the 4th is at year 3 and a half.
This one way we calculate that Jesus ministered 3 and a half years.
Because can see him attending 4 passover feasts
when we combine all 4 Gospel accounts.
In the 4th passover that Jesus attends
Just before his death
He cleanses the temple again.
According to Matt 21
So, in just 3 years, the cleansing has to be repeated.
Albert Barnes says in his commentary concerning this…
Luke & John Chapter 2
And from this we may learn[three things], 1st. How soon men forget the most solemn reproofs, and return to evil practices. 2d. That no sacredness of time or place will guard them from sin. In the very temple, under the very eye of God, these men soon returned to practices for which their consciences reproved them, and which they knew God disapproved. 3d. We see here how strong is the love of gain—the ruling passion of mankind. Not even the sacredness of the temple, the presence of God, the awful ceremonials of religion, deterred them from this unholy traffic. So wicked men and hypocrites will always turn religion, if possible, into gain; and not even the sanctuary, the Sabbath, or the most awful and sacred scenes, will deter them from schemes of gain.
So, what is it they were doing in the temple that caused Jesus to respond this way?
Vs 14 says they were simply selling some animals
and exchanging money.
In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
This doesn’t sound too bad at first glance
But once we realize what was going on
We can understand why Jesus was so upset.
First, the reason they were selling animals
Was for the sacrificial offerings
We know by looking at the OT
The people needed these kinds of animals
To offer proper worship to God
So, the animals was required to worship
Now, when those laws were first instituted
Almost every family raised all these animals
But by the time Jesus walks the earth
We find men who are tax collectors
Men who are fishers
Men who are carpenters
They may not have any animals at home.
So, how can they worship God
If these animals were required?
Well, some business men saw an opportunity
To capitalize on this need
and started selling the animals required for worship
and they did so right where the worship was to take place
I don’t think this would have been too bad
If that is all that was happening
But there is another factor at play here
and that is the money changers
The Jews were occupied by the Roman empire
And therefore, had to buy and sell and pay taxes with Roman coins
Roman coins had graven images of Caesar on them
And graven images were against Jewish law
So, the sellers of animals decided they couldn’t take Roman coins
for the purpose of worship to God
But, they would take those Roman coins and trade them for Jewish coins
for a small surcharge.
Can you spot the hypocrisy here?
If they were willing to sell Jewish currency
By taking Roman currency plus a fee
Why wouldn’t they just take Roman currency for the animals without a fee?
Well Jesus knew exactly why.
They were hypocrites, and they wanted to take advantage of people trying to worship God.
Jesus saw right through their clever scheme.
and it made him drive them out of God’s house.
Now, when I was growing up
I recall trying to sell something for a school fundraiser
and my grandmother let me take the order form to church
but I could only take orders in the parking lot
She wouldn’t let me buy or sell anything inside the church.
And she cited this story about Jesus turning the tables
as the reason why we could not buy or sell inside church.
Now, I don’t have anything against that standard or conviction
But I think it does miss the point.
The point with Jesus is rarely about WHAT you are doing
and more about WHY you are doing it.
Jesus is more interested in where your heart is
Selling candy bars for a school fundraiser
is not the same as profiting off people trying to worship God
So, the litmus test for me is not simply buying or selling something
But it is whether or not we are trying to profit off of people worshipping God.
You might then assume that taking up an offering would fall into the category
or profiting off of people trying to worship God
However, taking up an offering is actually a way to allow people to worship God.
There are some people who may be using offerings to make a profit
and they would be wrong for doing so
but even then I think the giver is still worshipping God by giving.
So, the closest analogy that I think we have today
Would be churches that charge money to be baptized
They are making a profit off people trying to worship God.
And to me, this is the kind of thing Jesus would be upset with.
I used to get flyers in the mail from a Catholic church in San Diego
that said they only charged $500 to be baptized
Jesus would have turned those tables if He saw that.
Verse 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.
I do not think that Jesus used the whip on the people
Although, they probably needed it.
I think he used the whip on the animals
and by driving out the animals
it drove out the people selling the animals
He drove them, the people, out WITH the sheep and oxen.
So, in other words, he drove out the animals
and in driving them out
the people went with them
This sounds a little more plausible
than using the whip on the people
but the text could be read either way
And the justification is given in vs 16 and 17
And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
So, it is the zeal for God’s house that consumed Jesus.
This is a quotation from Ps 69
Zeal here means…
Intense positive interest in something.
Jesus is zealous about what goes on in the House of God.
And that zeal causes him to take responsibility
to put things in God’s house back into order.
So, we can apply this principle today to our church
This is where we come to worship God today
I’ve always felt that we should respect the church
You say, it is just a building
but to me it is more than that.
It is no different that then altars Abrahama built
or the Mountain where Moses talked to God
or the tabernacle where God’s presence dwelt
The church is that place to me
and I think it should be that place for everyone
It isn’t a playground. It isn’t a social club
It is a place to move the chairs and play bingo
It isn’t a place throw trash on the ground
or leave behind a mess
It is the place where we meet with God
and God’s people
And it is a place that should be respected
We can show this respect by caring for God’s people here
By fellowshipping with one another
By keeping it clean
By dressing our best
I don’t think we need a dress code
and for any brand new guests,
I want them to where whatever they have
so long as they come to church
but as we mature in our faith
we should come to respect God’s house
and dress differently that we do when we go to the park
the ballgame, or the beach.
We dress up for weddings out of respect for the bride and groom
We put on our best suit at a funeral to respect the dead
We dress nice for interviews to respect our future boss
Why would we not dress nice to come to worship God?
Some people think that God doesn’t care what we wear
But He replaced the fig leaves of Adam and Eve
with animal skin coats that covered more of their bodies
He told Moses to take off his shoes in the presence of the burning bush
He told the priest not to show off their thighs when they lifted their robes to walk up the stairs in the temple
He actually told the priest exactly what to wear
Including the type of fabric
He told Moses that women should not wear men’s clothes
And that men shouldn’t wear women’s clothes
and Paul told timothy
That when we come to worship God
We ought not wear immodest clothes
expensive jewelry
or cosmetics
So, for those who say, God doesn’t care what we wear
They are not really listening to what God cares about.
God cares about his house.
And that applies to the church house
But it also applies to our own bodies
Because remember
Jesus is not just IN the temple of God
Jesus IS the temple of God.
and this is confirmed in vs 21…
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Now, we know that since we have been filled with the Holy Spirit
That now, our bodies are the temple of the God’s Spirit.
Paul said…
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
So, if God cares how you treat his house
Then he cares how you treat your body
Because your body is his house.
This is why we should take care of our bodies
Don’t do things that harm the body
We don’t worship the body
but we don’t disrespect it either
Because our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
I want to back up to vs 18
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
Here, the Jews in the temple
The ones that Jesus was driving out
Asked Jesus for a sign
And the reason for the sign
was because, they wanted to know what gave Jesus the authority
to make them leave God’s house.
So, if He did a miracle, they would take that as proof of his authority
and they would gladly move their business elsewhere
Or if he prophesied, or foretold the future
They would believe in his authority
So, rather than accept His authority on the spot
They wanted some evidence of this authority
And this is an issue some people have today
Instead of making Jesus Lord
They want Jesus to perform something first
If you heal me, then I’ll serve you
If you fix this financial struggle, then I’ll give you my allegiance
If you put my house in order, and fix my relationships, then I’ll make you Lord
and obey your authority
So, Jesus does give them a sign
he foretells his own future
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
Now, he is standing in the temple
And the Jews thought he was talking about that building
But remember… Jesus isn’t just IN the temple
Jesus IS the temple.
So, here Jesus is not foretelling the rebuilding of the building they are standing in.
Jesus is foretelling his own death and resurrection.
If you kill this body, I will resurrect this body in 3 days.
Remember one of the main themes of John’s gospel
Is to prove Jesus is who he said he was
And to do so by providing witnesses
This is a witness that Jesus told them from the very start of his ministry
that he was going to die and be raised on the 3rd day.
John then tells us in vs 22 that he realized later on what Jesus was talking about that day.
When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
And John does this a few times in this book
Where he indicates that he didn’t fully understand Jesus at the time
but looking back later it all became clear to him.
In vs 19, I want to look at one more phrase before we move on…
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
Jesus says…
I will raise it up.
Not He, or Him, or someone else
but I will do it.
So, since we know that Jesus is talking about his own body
and not the physical building they were standing in
We know that Jesus was claiming that he would raise up his own body from the dead.
This is important to note because it shows who Jesus really is.
Remember, in chapter one vs one, who is the Word?
God.
What man has the power to raise himself from the dead?
No one.
So, if Jesus claims to raise himself from the dead
He must be God
That is a claim of omnipotence, or having all power.
Because only and omnipotent God can raise his own body from the dead.
Or any body for that matter.
But then it also shows his omniscience
Or attribute of all knowing
Because what mere man can foretell his own death
Let alone the number of days he would be dead
before he resurrects himself from the dead?
So, here, Jesus is asked to show them a sign
Meaning, prove you are a prophet that has authority to drive us out of the temple
and Jesus does more than show them the sign of a prophet
Jesus shows them he is the omnipotent, omniscient God
who created the heavens and the Earth
And Jn 1.18 says… He has made HIM known.
Who is He? Jesus
Who is Him? God the Father.
Okay, moving to the next section, and we will end here…
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
The cleansing of the temple showed doubt about who Jesus was
They questioned his authority as a prophet
They wanted a sign
Which is like asking for a badge or warrant or something to prove you can make us leave.
And here at the end of the chapter
We see the opposite
We see many who believed in His name according to vs 23.
And they believed because of the signs.
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
So, the primary catalyst for their belief was the signs, miracles, and wonders that Jesus did.
He was healing people
casting out demons
raising the dead
making the lame walk
making the blind see
and many believed in Jesus because of the signs.
But notice in verse 24, Jesus didn’t believe in them yet…
But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
In the first 6 months of his ministry
He amassed many believers
But being a believer in Jesus
Didn’t make Jesus a believer in them just yet.
He didn’t trust them yet
even though they believed in him.
There is a lot we could unpack here.
I mean, there are entire denominations that teach…
Just believe in Jesus
But they never stop to wonder… Does Jesus believe in them?
What caused Jesus to withold himself from fully trusting in His believers?
It says… because He KNEW all people.
God knows our heart
he knows our intentions
He knows when we are just giving him lip service
He also knows how to spot the difference between a follower and a fairweather fan.
Two people can say that believe in Jesus
Both can read their Bible everyday
Both can spend the same amount of time in prayer
Both can show up to church early and leave late
Both can be involved in ministry
Both can be involved in outreach
And Jesus can tell which one is jumping on the bandwagon
and which one is really committed to him
Many of these same believers will turn their backs on Jesus
and cry crucify him at the foot of calvary in just 3 years.
They were believers in John 2, and rooting for his death in John 19
Jesus knows all people
he knows our intentions.
He knows our motives
He knows why we do what we do
and why we don’t
And Jesus is more interested in the heart than the hands
And the Spiritual over the Physical.
and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
Again we see this subject of bearing witness
But in this case, John says, Jesus didn’t need any witness about man
Jesus knew what was in every man already
So, this book is not about us
It is about Jesus
It is about making God known through the life of Jesus
But man is already known by God
He doesn’t need us to tell him
He knows exactly who we are and what we are thinking
Closing
Closing
In the next chapter, we talk about a very important subject
Don’t miss next week
when we come back here to see what Jesus tells a man
about being born again
