The Temple and Lord of the Temple (John 2:13-25)
Jesus is King over all. He is not just king. He is King of kings and Lord of lords and we are to worship Him as such. At the same time, Jesus is our Redeemer. And both of these are in view today at the end of John 2.
There is debate over our text today. For most of history Bible scholars understood that Jesus cleared the Temple twice. But in recent years, probably the last 100, most scholars have seen only one clearing of the Temple. The reason for this debate is the location of the clearing of the Temple in John’s gospel vs when it shows up in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
I understand the argument for one. Conservative scholars who argue this will say that it’s written like any biography. The event really happened, John placed it here for thematic reasons. This would be similar to how a biography will discuss the home life of a President and then discuss his time as a President. The time line gets all fuzzy, but it’s easier to discuss the theme together. Alongside this they argue that temple guards would not have allowed Jesus back into the temple after He had done this the first time. But I am just not convinced.
It seems to me that Jesus did clear the temple two different times. The first was at the beginning of His ministry, which is accounted for us in John. And the second is at the end of His ministry, which is accounted for us in the synoptic gospels. That difference in time is long and it just doesn’t seem to be possible that they would be the same event. The two temple clearings are also different. Jesus is not as harsh in the Gospel of John as He is in the synoptic gospels. In John, Jesus drives out the animals, whereas in the synoptics He drives out the merchants. And there is an entire line of questioning and discussion in the Gospel of John that does not appear in the synoptic gospels.
As to the argument that Jesus would not have been allowed back in the temple. I do not find this to necessarily be true. The inactivity of everyone in the temple tells me that Jesus took a moral stand that people couldn’t argue with. Nobody stood up to Him because they knew He was right and they knew it needed to happen. This would not cause Him to be kicked out of the temple. And three years later, it might not have even been a thought.
I believe that the two different temple clearings have two different emphasis. The first, accounted for us in the Gospel of John is at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry. And in this event Jesus gives warning to what should be happening in the temple. The less harsh nature of John’s account leads me to believe that. And Jesus uses this event to announce that His authority over the temple and that He is the temple. The second comes at the end of His ministry and is an act of judgment that foreshadows what will happen to the temple when it is destroyed in 70 AD.
Because of that, I will not even consider what took place in the other gospel accounts when thinking through this event. And the reason is simple. I believe them to be two different events. They don’t have anything to say to each other.
When Jesus cleared the temple the first time, He did two things. He declared Himself Lord over the temple and demanded change, and He declared that He was Himself the temple.
Jesus Is Lord Over Our Worship
The time of Passover was drawing near when this event took place. And this was a massive event for the Temple. People were beginning to flood into town for the Passover, which lasted seven days. Merchants and money changers were there doing a lot of business.
Merchants and money changers were necessary for the sacrifices to be made. It would’ve been incredibly difficult for those that made the long journey to bring their sacrifices and them still be worth sacrificing. And there is no indication of dirty business being done here. Money changers did take a cut, but they were doing a service. So, what was the problem?
The problem was the location of their business. The problem was that commerce was not supposed to be being done within the Temple.
Years earlier these same businesses were set up just outside of Jerusalem. There they did the same things that they were doing now, with the difference being it was done within the Temple.
Now, imagine the scenario. Somewhere in the Temple were the sounds of worship and prayer. But you couldn’t hear it. All you heard was the sound of animals, money being exchanged, and bartering. That was drowning out the sound of worship, which was supposed to be there. And Jesus ran them out.
Notice what happened. Jesus had authority there, so He made a whip of cords and drove out the merchants and their goods. He poured the money changers tables over and told the people with pigeons to leave.
Jesus announced His lordship over the temple and the worship that went on in that place. And He said, “do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
Jesus is Lord of the Temple. Everything that happened within those walls was under His jurisdiction. Every action that took place in that temple was His to oversee. It was His to judge.
When the worship of God, the prayers, the words uttered during sacrifice was all drowned out by the activities of merchants, there was a major problem. Jesus was not happy.
And He judged it as such.
Yet in this account, it seems obvious enough, there is not a finality here. In other words, Jesus’s activity here is a warning. They need to repent.
We do not live in Old Testament Israel. But we should understand that there is worship that is pleasing to the Lord and worship that is not pleasing to the Lord.
Who is Lord over our worship?
Who is Lord over how our church is to operate?
Who is Lord over who is a pastor of His Church?
These matters are not small. Yet, how little thought do we give to them?
Think about churches you’ve visited. Why did they order their church services as they did? Was it because the Lord was pleased with the type of worship that went on in that place? Or was the entire church service set up in a way that people would like?
Think about what is happening in churches all over our country where the pastor is wearing rainbow vestments or there is a gay pride flag swaying in their church yard. What are they doing?
They are proclaiming the goodness of an activity that God calls an abomination.
Now consider yourself. What is your attitude toward worship? Why are you here? Why do you do the things you do on Sunday?
Do you believe that the Lord has a right to tell us how to worship Him?
Do you believe that Christ has rights over your worship?
I wonder how many of us could read Leviticus 10 without having any fear. Nadab and Abihu worshipped the Lord in an unauthorized manner and God struck them dead. Do we even think about such things?
And we can extend this beyond the walls of the church and ask, do you believe that Christ has rights over your life?
Do you believe that He gets to tell you how to order your life? What you should be doing with your time? And how you are to behave? How you treat your spouse? How you treat your children? How you do your job?
Jesus was able to drive all those people out of the Temple, and it seems they complied, because everyone understood that He was in the right and He was working from a place of authority.
Christ has authority over our worship here at church and our worship elsewhere. Because the entire life of a Christian is to be an act of worship.
“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.” (Romans 12:1-2 ESV)
When you are making decisions about your life or how you are to respond to a situation, does this even cross your mind? Do you even consider the fact that you are Christ’s and your life is to be an act of worship before Him? Do you consider that the next word or action that comes out of your mouth matters and that you are to be living for Him?
Does that cross your mind?
Person after person today claims to be a Christian yet lives in deep sin. They live lifestyles that God calls an abomination, yet claim that they can do whatever they want to do and it’s okay with Jesus.
As a Christian, it should. And if you profess to be a Christian and are not concerned by it, then I have deep worries for the condition of your soul.
Jesus is the Temple
The announcement Jesus made here is similar to what happened last week. There the water in the purification jars was turned into the wine of the Messiah. The Age of the Messiah was announced through that sign.
Here the disciples remember Psalm 69:9 as Jesus ran folks out of the Temple. It said, “zeal for your house will consume me” (Psalm 69:9 ESV). And in that text it is David that is speaking. But it was understood that this attitude David conveyed, would be shared by the one that would take David’s throne. That person was the promised Messiah. And when they remembered this text, they immediately connected these dots.
Now, Jesus was cornered by some folks that were in charge of what happened in the Temple. He just ran people out and they needed to figure out what was going on. They asked Him for a sign to show them that He had the authority to do what He had just done. And His answer is “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19 ESV).
Jesus’s response was about His own resurrection, as we see in John 2:21. And a lot of people look at this as an evasive answer. But really, it’s not. Jesus answered the question in a profound way.
The Temple was a shadow of the reality. Jesus was the Temple that the Temple in Jerusalem looked forward to. In other words, to destroy Jesus was to destroy the Temple. When Jesus was crucified, the Temple was destroyed. When Jesus rose from the grave, the Temple was rebuilt.
In one powerful statement Jesus declared two things. He foretold His resurrection and announced that He was the Temple.
It’s obvious that they didn’t understand as they ridiculed the statement (John 2:20). But some there understood and it was the disciples. But they didn’t do so immediately. It was after Jesus rose from the grave that they understood what Jesus said here (John 2:21-22).
This passage of Scripture is closely connected to the miracle of turning water into wine. For in many ways, it points to the same thing. Christ fulfilled the role of the temple, just as He fulfilled the role of ritual washing.
I would like for you to think about something for just a moment. Stop and consider all that was going on in the temple when Jesus spoke these words. The money changers were now gone. The animals were no longer making noise as they changed hands. There was no discussion of how much the animals cost and how worth the price they were. None of that was happening. It’s almost Passover. And like Jesus, people are coming there to celebrate. This town that usually contained around 30,000 people was swelling and would swell to around 300,000. Preparations were being made by everyone. The families were buying their sacrifices. The priests were preparing to slaughter animals for each family.
And here Jesus reveals to everyone that when He dies and rises from the grave, He will be the Temple.
The function of the Temple would be fulfilled by Him. For generations these animals had been sacrificed at Passover, for it commemorated the event when the lamb was sacrificed and its blood was spread over the doorpost of their homes. The angel of death would “pass over” their home. And on that night, every firstborn whose household did not have the blood of the Lamb spread over their doorpost died.
That Lamb died so that God’s wrath would not be poured out on them.
And what did Jesus do? Jesus died so that God’s wrath would not be poured out upon you.
Sacrifices were made daily in the Temple. There were sacrifices for sin, sacrifices for unintentional sin, thank offerings, and more. The fires of sacrifice burned constantly in the Temple. Grain was given, animals were slaughtered, wine was poured out upon the altar, and sacrifices for atonement were given. Yom Kippur was on Thursday this year. On Yom Kippur priests would sacrifice a bull for their own sins and then sacrifice two goats. One goat was killed as a sacrificed and its blood was used to cleanse the Most Holy Place and other parts of the Temple. The priest would lay his hands on the other goat and symbolically place all the sins of the people of Israel on that goat, the scapegoat, and it would be sent out into the wilderness. And it symbolized the removal of the sins of the people.
And Jesus fulfilled it all. God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. He lived a perfect life and accomplished all righteousness. And then, the perfect spotless Lamb of God laid His life down and was slaughtered as a sacrifice for our sins. He carried our sins outside of the city and there on the hill called Golgotha He bore God’s wrath in our place.
God the Son died. God the Son took on human flesh and made Himself killable, then laid His life down for our sins. This life, worth more than all the animals that had ever been killed on those altars, was given as a sacrifice upon that cross. That life, worth more than the lives of all of humanity, was given as a sacrifice upon that cross. That life, worth more than the sum of all the angels, was laid down as a sacrifice upon that cross.
The sin of everyone that would ever believe was paid for on that cross. He is the perfect spotless Lamb that was crushed in the place of wicked sinners. And three days later, He rose from the grave. He rose in triumph over sin and death. And from that day forward, He was the Temple.
And now, forgiveness is found in Him!
And this salvation is powerful!
Would you be free from your burden of sin? There’s power in the blood! There is forgiveness in Jesus Christ. And all those that long to be part of God’s family find their full remission of sins and admittance into God’s Kingdom in Him!
Do you feel the burden of your sin? Does the agony and weight of your past bring you grief? There is forgiveness full and free in Christ, who is the Temple. He sacrificed Himself for you!
Go to Him and find forgiveness full and free!