Cleansing the Temple
John 2:13-22
John 2
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
John 2
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
John 2
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
John 2
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.
John 2
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
John 2
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”
John 2
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
There is some lesson for us to learn or direction for us to receive from Jesus’ actions in cleansing the temple.
Why did he command the people to stop what they were doing in the temple courts?
Is there something we are doing in our “gathering of people Jesus has called out” or church that Jesus would have to stop if He were here in the bodily form? (Consumer Christian culture)
John 2
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
John 2
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 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.
he was speaking about the temple of his body
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 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.
Wait a minute here… God lives in us and not in Churches or Temples?
Why then was Jesus upset about what they were doing in the temple courtyard?
How is the church building different than the old temple?
In John 2, you see Jesus bringing truth from God, revealing who He is as the Son of God, Overwriting man made misconceptions with His truth, all while fulfilling the prophetic words spoken about Him.
At the Wedding - Jesus took vessels full of water used to purify people of their spiritual uncleanness. And he made that water into wine.
Later, He explains the wine represents His blood which is the only way for me to be made pure.
Now Jesus is teaching we are so worried about the religious places and practices we get in the way of outsiders finding their way to Jesus.
Even more, Jesus is the home of God and in His power He will make us God’s house as well. We need to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Purified, justified, made new, with mercies new each day.