John 2:13-25: The True Temple

The True Temple:

The Gospel of John begin with God coming to this world.

John 1:1–5 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Why was it that Jesus came? Jesus came as light for those who were in darkness. Everyone was is darkness, cause of sin, but Christ came to those who were lost in darkness and offered a new life.

John 3:19–21 ESV

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Christ came as the Truth to show those in darkness the way to God. In the Old Testament God dwelt with His people in the tabernacle. A tent of meeting that was located in the center of the Israelites camp as they were on their way to the promise land. Showing God’s presence with His people.

The Tabernacle letter became the temple a permanent structure for the people to come and worship. God longed for His people to abide with Him, so much that he sent Jesus Christ to make away for His people to dwell with Him permanently

Here in John, Jesus refers to Himself as the temple, God in the flesh dwelling with man and showing that He is the new way of access to God.

John 2:13–25 ESV

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. 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.

Why were there animals in the temple?

Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John :

The cattle, sheep and doves were used in the sacrificial worship of the temple. Especially for worshippers coming from a distance, it was a convenience and a service to be able to purchase them on site instead of having to bring them from afar.

John Zeal for the Worship of God

The sacred grounds that had been set apart for worship had become chaotic. Yes, people’s needs were being met. I’m sure the temple authorities were saying, “We’re just trying to be relevant; we’re being seeker-sensitive for those who can’t bring their lambs from home and who need their money exchanged.” But in their efforts to make these procedures easy and convenient for the people, they had impacted the people’s ability to worship.

The temple, God’s house was never ment to be a place for money exchange, but rather a place of true worship

John 2:16 ESV

And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”

Although the religious leaders probably thought they were doing a favor to those who had journeyed for Passover by provided them a chance to buy an animal for sacrifice, God desired true un-chaotic worship.

Can you imagine coming on to Church to worship God, and as we are praying you hear all the sounds of a barn yard? What a distraction that would be. Or the smell that would be in the room, as we tried to worship.

God wanted not just the ritual, but the whole heart. To sacrifice an animal ment nothing if it was just done out of ritual. Our worship means nothing if it is done out of ritual. When we come into this place God desires our whole heart, our whole being. Not just o sing the songs because they are the songs we like. True worship isn’t music, true worship in our lives. Our response to the amazing mercy and grace that God has lavished on us, while we were still sinner and deserving judgment.

Romans paints this picture:

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The temple was never ment for money to be made but rather to show God’s presence with His people, and His desire for fellowship.

Worship Matters to God:

God’s desire is for us to come to Him, not because of the lights, or the music, but because we love Him. We are is debt to an amazingly gracious God, who while we were His enemies He gave His son Jesus Christ on the cross for us.

Christ came not because we were so valuable, but because we were so filthy because our sins, that we needed a perfect sacrifice. We could never pay for the debt of our sins, so God so out of Love sent Jesus Christ, because God is love. Our sin called for judgment not Grace, but God being love provided the only payment for such debt the blood of Jesus.

So our worship should be done out of grateful hearts, knowing what was done for us, and the weight of the gospel message. God desires for our fellowship.

Christ is the new Temple

The religious leaders had a temple tax that had to be paid in order to worship. God desire was that the people would come to Him, and the religious leaders made that hard, buy making a temple tax, and then even hard cause there was only certain coins they would except.

What does Jesus do?

John 2:15–16 ESV

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.”

God desire for fellowship with His followers went all the way to the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus says to the the religious leaders in verse 19:

John 2:19 ESV

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

Was Jesus referring to the building? No, what was the temple He was talking about where God would fellowship with us? Himself. Jesus is the New Temple, the point where God and man fellowship together.

Ephesians 2:18 ESV

For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

There is a new way to worship and it is in and through Jesus Christ. The Bible says that when Jesus died the veil in the temple was torn. The veil was used to separate unholy, sinful man from Holy and righteous God. The blood of Jesus has made a way for us to be able to worship God and fellowship with Him. This greater way Jesus also made it so that God’s presences wasn’t just a geographical location.

1 Corinthians 6:17–20 ESV

But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

If we have come to follow Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour God has given us His Holy Spirit. When we come to God each day in worship we have the promise of the Holy Spirit in our lives to guide us and help us understand the scripture. You see the work of Christ as the New Temple by which God and man now dwell together is far greater then the tabernacle, and the temple, because we have the Spirit of God in us. We don’t aimlessly walk about but we let God’s Spirit Guide and direct us, and produce the Fruit that we need in our lives.

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Those Who Truly Worship Jesus Follow Even When there are no Miracles

John 2:23–25 ESV

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.

Many believed because of the miracles that He did. It is easy to believe when you are seeing the miracles. This believing that we see in this passage is not necessarily saving faith. They believed He was a great healer, but not necessarily a great Savior from sin.

When we come to Christ only because we need something we miss out of the true call of Christ which is to “Follow Him” (John 1:43.)

In our Passage Jesus knew that a temporary excitement or faith based on signs was not sufficient or enough. God’s sees beyond the superficial to people’s hearts.

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

God’s sees mine and your hearts. He knows when we sing songs of worship who’s heart are actually His and who is here just to fell good, or need something like a miracle in order to believe. He knows who words roll of their toughs and have no meaning and who’s words come from a heart that is devoted to Him.

God is not genie here to grant us wishes to be “healed, wealthy, or have no struggle.” God is Lord, meaning He is King of our lives. We don’t get to say “God do this, and I will believe.” He is god and we are just humans. When we come to Christ we say, “We will follow you no matter what! Where ever this life leads we will follow, because you are life!”

Is Christ Enough? It the work of the cross enough for us to follow Christ, or do we show up just for a sign to make us fell better?

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Church, Involvement in

An athlete who desires to be effective on game day must first be properly trained. He must spend many hours keeping himself in shape and developing his skills to a high degree. If he does not, he will not be able to accomplish all that he wishes when it is time to play the game.

Any Christian who desires to be effective in the work of ministry must also realize that the public moment of any effective ministry is always preceded by many hours of careful preparation. Effective ministry will never be done by a weak and unhealthy church whose members neglect regular participation and sacrificial service.