The Seven Signs in John: The Lord in His Temple

Text: John 2:13-24

Theme: Jesus cleansing the Temple teaches that he comes to clean out our temples.

Date: 02/23/2020 Title: SevenSigns-02.wpd No:

Of the seven signs in John’s Gospel, this is the only one that is not a miracle, but certainly it’s a significant sign pointing to who Jesus is, and what he is going to accomplish.

ILLUS. Now, before I go on, let me bring something to your attention. Some or you are aware of this. Jesus’ Cleansing of the Temple appears in all four gospels. All three of the synoptic gospels have the event placed at the end of our Lord’s ministry during his passion week, and appears to be one of several “last straws” that prompt the Jewish leaders to begin plotting his arrest and death. John, however, has the event right at the beginning of our Lord’s ministry. It is something we need to account for. Liberal scholars cry “CONTRADICTION!” There are two really good explanations. 1) John’s gospel is not necessarily arranged chronologically, but topically. It’s built around these seven signs that ultimately lead us to Christ’s passion week. John uses half of his gospel to tell us about Jesus’ last week. 2) All four gospels are correct. Jesus did cleanse the Temple at the beginning of his ministry which John records, and Jesus did cleanse the Temple again at the end of his ministry which Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record.

There is, therefore, no compelling reason not to conclude that John’s account is a different event altogether from what happens three years later. If you read the accounts, you’ll see that Jesus’ response is not the same, and the outcome is not the same.

The Temple Among Men

The Temple that is the Lord

The Temple Within Men

The Temples of the Living God Need Cleansing (from time-to-time)

I. THE TEMPLE AMONG MEN

1. this passage is the account of our Lord's second cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem

A. THE TEMPLE WAS WHERE EARTH AND HEAVEN MET

1. all people in ancient times knew what temples were

a. it was a place where heaven and earth, where the eternal and the temporal, where the supernatural and the natural intersected

b. it was the place where the divine resided and where the presence of the divine was mediated to men

2. all ancient people knew and believed there was an ultimate transcendent mystery

a. there were so many things that took place on earth and in the heavens that they couldn’t explain

3. behind all the mysteries of this world there had to be an absolute, ultimate transcendent power or powers

a. in Judaism, God had personally revealed Himself to their forefathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

b. through signs and wonders, and ultimately though His Shekinah, Yahweh had revealed Himself to them

4. the ancients, including the Jews, also understood there was a gap between themselves, and that God that needed to be bridged somehow

a. it needed to be bridged through priests, and through rituals or through incantations, and through sacrifices, and through systems of worship

5. that’s what temples were all about—the place where the ultimate could be met and where the gap between us could be bridged

a. the Jews saw the Temple as that place where the nation met the only, one and true God

b. Jewish religious ritual was part of God’s promise ...

“I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.” (Leviticus 26:12, NIV84)

6. the Temple complex in Jesus’ day was a magnificent structure

a. God had instructed His people to build the Temple for one reason and one reason only, that purpose is found in King Solomon's prayer of dedication at the 1st Temple

“And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, 60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.” (1 Kings 8:59–60, NIV84)

B. THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE BECAME GOD'S DWELLING PLACE AMONG MEN

1. the 1st Temple, which Solomon built, was a magnificent structure

ILLUS. It was not large by ancient Temple standards, but it’s opulence was unmatched. In 1 Kings, chapter ten, we’re told that the weight of gold used in decorating the Temple—thirty-four tons of it—equals a value of $1.8 billion based on the current price of $1,645.00 an ounce. Some Old Testament scholars think it may have amounted to half of the gold available in the ancient near east.

2. Scriptures tell us that at the dedication of the Temple built by Solomon, God's holy presence—His Shekinah—filled the Temple

a. His presence was so overwhelming that the priests had to leave

“When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.” (1 Kings 8:10–11, NIV84)

3. the Temple was a place where one could . . .

a. meet God

b. offer sacrifice

c. find forgiveness

“Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.” (Psalm 48:9, NIV84)

“But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.” (Psalm 5:7, NIV84)

4. the 1st Temple was destroyed in the Babylonian invasion 586 B.C. and was rebuilt seventy years later when Cyrus the Great allowed the Jews to return to Israel

ILLUS. King Zerubbabel started the project, which was finally finished 21 years after the start of the construction. The new temple was smaller, and not nearly as extravagant or imposing as its predecessor, but it still dominated the Jerusalem skyline and remained an important structure. That Temple remained unchanged for the next four-hundred years. Around 20 BC, Zerubbabel’s Temple was renovated and expanded by Herod the Great, and became known as Herod's Temple. Before work began on the Temple, Herod spent eight years stockpiling materials for its construction. Then, a workforce of over 10,000 men began its building including a contingent of 1,500 specially trained priests who were the only ones permitted to work on the innermost and holiest parts of the Temple. A Temple itself was faced with polished white marble and gold, with large bronze entrance doors. Rabbis of the day wrote that looking at the Temple on a sunny day could blind you. Though he never lived to witness its completion, King Herod’s Temple became one of the largest construction projects of the 1st-century, and when finished in A.D. 64 was one of the most extravagant and exquisite temples of worship in the ancient world. The entire complex covered twenty acres.

a. this was the Temple Jesus and his disciples would have worshiped at, sacrificed at, and taught in

b. it’s hard for us to imagine what it would have been like entering the Temple

5. at the same time, many of the activities surrounding Temple sacrifices and worship had become highly commercialized

a. if a Jewish Pilgrim was from outside of Israel, the first thing that had to be done was the payment of a half-shekel Temple Tax that every Jewish male over twenty was supposed to pay yearly for the upkeep of the Temple

1) it could not be paid in foreign currency ... enter the moneychangers

a) of course this was a business and businesses are about making money and so a small fee of anywhere between 4%-8% was charged

2) the moneychangers booths were found in an area of the Temple called the Royal Portico

b. the second thing a Jewish Pilgrim had to do was purchase an animal for sacrifice

1) at Passover time it is estimated that between 1 to 1½ million animals were slaughtered as sacrifices

c. I tell you all this to tell you that animal sacrifice at the Temple powered ancient Jerusalem’s economy

1) and any time religion becomes big business, greed, graft, and corruption will find a way to flourish

ILLUS. We know that the High Priest in Jesus’s day was a man named Annas. Both his sons and son-in-law followed in being appointed High Priest. Annas was one of the most powerful political figures in Jerusalem, and the family had enormous wealth. Much of that wealth came from kickbacks from the moneychanges, and control of the Temple market and animal stalls. Locals referred to all this as The Bazaars of Annas. The family had a monopoly on the sale of sacrificial animals, as well as on the exchanging of money into temple coins for the offerings. In the Jewish Talmud there is poem that describes the family:

“Woe to the house of Annas!

Woe to their serpent’s hiss!

They are high priests;

their sons are keepers of the treasury,

Their sons-in-law are guardians of the temple,

and their servants beat people with staves.”

6 the Court of the Gentiles was the place where much of the business took place ... the place of prayer for all nations smelled like a barnyard, and sounded like a cattle market

II. THE TEMPLE THAT IS THE LORD

“In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”” (John 2:14–17, NIV84)

1. Jesus sees what is going on—a sight he has witnessed every year since he could remember—and he is incensed

a. the way Jesus reacted to the Jewish merchandising in the temple troubles some who cannot conceive of a loving Jesus being angry

b. he fashions a whip of some kind and begins to wreck havoc in the Temple

2. this was an act surely designed to solicit the attention of those in charge, and it did

“Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.” (John 2:18–21, NIV84)

a. the whole event sparks immediate interest on the part of the people ... because they knew their prophecy ...

““See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.” (Malachi 3:1, NIV84)

b. and so they ask for a sign

c. the sign that Jesus gives was cryptic to them, but obvious to us ... “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

1) even the disciples didn’t “get it” until after the resurrection, vs. 22

2) what’s the result of this second sign?

“ ... Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.” (John 2:22, NIV84)

3. in this second sign Jesus reveals himself as the Suffering Servant who builds the new temple of the Church

a. everything about Jesus’ ministry points to his life and death as being a fulfillment of everything surrounding the Jewish sacrificial system

1) he is our great High Priest who intercedes for us and offers sacrifice as a mediation between the sinner and God

2) he is the Pascal Lamb, perfect and spotless, sacrificed as a substitute for sinners

3) he is the veil in the Temple that separates sinner from God, whose death and sacrifice rips the veil in two giving the sinner full access to the Father

III. THE TEMPLE WITHIN US

1. God's plan has always been to have a Temple among men

“Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD. 13 It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’ 14 The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the LORD. 15 Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the LORD, and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the LORD your God.”” (Zechariah 6:12–15, NIV84)

a. this Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon those disciples gathered in the upper room

b. they scattered into the streets preaching the gospel of salvation in Christ

c. on that day thousands of people from every corner of the Mediterranean world were swept into the kingdom of God

1) these people of every nationality and ethnic group are the "they that were afar off" of Zecariah's prophecy

2. the church was born that day

a. those 3,000 new believer's lives laid the foundation of God's new Temple

b. that Temple continues to be built today

1) every man or woman, boy or girl who confesses "Jesus as Lord" becomes a stone in the Temple of our Lord

2) listen to the words of the Apostle Paul as he speaks of this Temple within men

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19–22, NIV84)

A. BELIEVERS ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD

1. in the days of Solomon, God inhabited His Temple through what is called the "shekinah glory"

a. "shekinah" literally means "the dwelling of God" and is a reverence to the physical manifestation of His presence in the pillar of smoke that guided the Israelites through their desert wanderings

2. since the Day of Pentecost, God has chosen to live in the lives of those who call Upon the name of Christ

a. we are living Temples of a Holy God

". . . ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (2Corinthians 6:16, NASB)

B. GOD DESIRES A PURE AND HOLY DWELLING PLACE

1. Jesus found the Temple in Jerusalem fouled, polluted and mismanaged

a. the vendors had turned a house of worship into a house of merchandise

2. what does Jesus find when he examines the temple of your life?

3. the purpose of God's Temple has not changed

a. Solomon built the Temple so "That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else."

b. your life and my life should be so holy and dedicated to the service of the Lord that "all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else."

4. sin and iniquity can so foul and pollute our lives that it becomes almost impossible for others to recognize us as a Temple of the living God

a. many Christians have become spiritual Ichabods

1) ichabod is a Hebrew word which means "the glory of the Lord had departed"

b. their lives are so backslidden and lacking of spiritual vitality that the "glory of the Lord" has simply faded away

1) they have no peace

2) they have no joy

3) they have no spiritual contentment

IV. THE TEMPLES OF THE LIVING GOD NEED OCCASIONAL PURGING

1. our passage for this evening shows Jesus purging the Temple

a. he drove the money changers and animal vendors away

A. OUR TEMPLES NEED REGULAR CLEANSING

1. if the world is going to see God in these, our earthly temples, we may need some purging from time to time

a. purging of selfish attitudes

b. purging of ungodly values

c. purging of sinful actions

“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." (2 Timothy 2:21, NASB)

1) that word "purge" means to "cleans thoroughly" and comes from a Hebrew word which we may translate as "prune"

2) the idea is that we clip or prune away everything in our life which is not bearing fruit for Christ

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NIV84)

2. the cleansing of our lives can be relatively painless or at times brutal

a. it's less painful if we have a regular devotional life and spend time with God daily

b. it can be very painful if we store up those selfish attitudes, ungodly values and sinful actions and then have to suddenly deal with an overload of guilt and shame when God finally gets a good hold on us

What do you need to let God purge you of this evening? Believe it or not, we’re comeing into the time of Lent (starts Wednesday). It is a time of spiritual development centered around the themes of [1] personal introspection and preparation, [2] repentance and confession [3] self-deniel and spiritual discipline and [4] prayer and emphasis on one's devotional life.

The message this evening challenges us to look within ourselves, to examine our lives and to prepare for the Celebration of Easter next Sunday.