Jesus' Authority Jn 2@18-22
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Good Friday and Easter are the most important days for the Christian faith. They far surpass Christmas in importance though Christmas is much more celebrated by the world.
The purpose of Good Friday is to focus our attention on Jesus’ death. Why does our Lord want us to remember His death so much so that He instituted the Lord’s Supper for us? The simple answer is that without His death and resurrection, there is no hope of eternal life.
Without Jesus’ death, none of us would be saved. Without His resurrection, we can’t be certain that Jesus is God and therefore we can’t be sure that we’ve eternal life.
With COVID-19 now threatening people’s lives and the world’s economy, can we Christians say with calm assurance, “It is well with my soul?” If you truly own Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can say so!
In fact, if you lose everything now but you’ve Jesus, you can still say “It is well with my soul.” Because God is enough for you. This is what the Psalmist say:
25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. 26 My flesh and my heart faileth: But God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
If you can’t say that then it only means that you’ve something more important than Jesus. Whatever that thing or person is whom you love more than Jesus, that thing or person is your idol.
This morning, we’re looking at a text where after Jesus cleansed the temple, the temple authorities questioned Jesus’ authority to drive out the money changers and merchants. This narrative is only found in the Gospel of Jn and is not in the other 3 Gospels.
@@ Outline Jesus’ Authority
I. His Authority Questioned
A. Jewish leaders ask for proof of Authority
B. Jesus’ Challenge
II. His Authority Misunderstood
A. They thought He meant the physical Temple
B. Jesus is the True Temple
III. His Authority is Understood Later by His Disciples
I. His Authority Questioned
I. His Authority Questioned
A. Jewish leaders ask for proof of Authority
A. Jewish leaders ask for proof of Authority
18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?”
18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?”
18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?”
The Jewish leaders’ reason for asking for a sign is to question Jesus’ authority. Hence NASB translation gives the reason though it is not as literal as KJV.
Thus the Jewish leaders were questioning Jesus’ authority to cleanse the temple.
Interestingly, the Jewish leaders never questioned Jesus’ actions. I think their consciences convicted them that Jesus was doing the right thing. Hence they never even attempted to arrest Jesus.
However, to save their own face, they asked for proof of Jesus’ authority instead.
B. Jesus’ Challenge ;
B. Jesus’ Challenge ;
19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
We see here Jesus’ challenge to the Jews. Destroy the temple and Jesus can rebuild it in 3 days.
The Jews can’t take this challenge because in the Graeco-Roman world, the destruction or desecration of a temple or any other place of worship was judged a capital offense.
In the Graeco-Roman world, the destruction or desecration of a temple or other place of worship was judged a capital offense.
Because of this, when the Jews wanted to find fault with Jesus at His trial, they recalled this statement of Jesus in
61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
However, Jesus didn’t say “I am able to destroy the temple of God,” instead He said
19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
What Jesus meant is that you destroy this temple, in 3 days I will raise it up. Since Jesus is referring to the temple of His body, this literally took place. The Jews crucified Jesus and He resurrected 3 days later.
Hence Jesus is here prophesying of His own death and resurrection before it actually happened. If Jesus has the authority to raise Himself from the dead, He can only be God; He therefore also possesses the authority of God.
Because of this great authority of Jesus as God, we can take comfort in His words. For e.g.,
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
During this COVID-19 period, we can truly find great comfort in God’s Word because of Jesus’ death and resurrection which is the proof of His deity and authority to keep His Word.
II. His Authority is Misunderstood
II. His Authority is Misunderstood
A. They thought He meant the Physical Temple
A. They thought He meant the Physical Temple
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
Because the Jews did not believe and recognize who Jesus is, they find it incredulous that Jesus is saying that He can rebuild the temple in 3 days what took many men to build in 46 years.
But the real irony is that Jesus can rebuild the physical temple with just a few words in the same way that He created the world.
What is really difficult for Jesus is to endure man’s crucifixion and God’s judgment for man’s sins and then come back to life again 3 days later. Man could not not bring back to life a dead person no matter how many years you give man.
B. Jesus is the True Temple
B. Jesus is the True Temple
21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
Why does Jesus use the temple metaphor when speaking of His body?
Remember that the first temple is the Garden of Eden when God dwell with Adam and Eve. After the Fall, Adam and Eve were chased out of the Garden.
@@ Then during Moses’ time, God gave Moses laws on how people can have fellowship with Him again by the construction of the movable tabernacle and the offering of blood sacrifices.
During Solomon’s time, the temporary tabernacle construction is replaced by a permanent building, the Temple of Yahweh.
It was destroyed by the Babylons but a Second Temple completed around 520 BC during the time of Ezra and Haggai. Around 20 BC, it was renovated and expanded by Herod the Great and was called Herod’s Temple. This is the temple that Jesus went to.
But by far the greatest temple was Jesus Himself who is God incarnated in a human body. This is the true temple which the Jews destroyed because of unbelief.
Hence in Jesus’ mind, He is the real temple of God and not Herod’s Temple. Therefore, He has all authority to cleanse God’s Temple.
III. His Authority is Understood Later by His Disciples
III. His Authority is Understood Later by His Disciples
22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
This verse is the epilogue of this narrative which tells us that even Jesus’ disciples didn’t know what Jesus meant when He said those words to the Jewish leaders.
It was only after the resurrection that His disciples who believed the Scriptures understood what Jesus meant.
When the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, believers’ bodies became the temple of God and the Herod’s temple was destroyed during the Romans’ siege of Jerusalem. But believers are very imperfect beings and hence can’t be compared to Jesus as the true temple of God.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
While the focus of the narrative is Jesus’ authority, we must not overlook the fact that Jesus not only predicted His own death but actually allow the Jews and Gentiles to crucify Him.
When Jesus was crucified, He never fought back or even complain about the injustice and injury done to Him. Instead, out of His love for us, He endured all the pain and finally death on the cross.
The lesson for us is that we must not think that after believing in God, God will take care of all our troubles. Our Lord Jesus left an example for us to follow.
34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Why does God allow suffering for His children? I will show in KJV and then NASB for better clarity.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
God has a purpose for allowing His children to suffer. Sufferings will give man perseverance, character and hope.
And God wants us to be like His Son, Jesus Christ.
So don’t fret during this COVID-19 crisis. God has a good purpose for each one of us.