Scripture: 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. John 2:13-22 ESV
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Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, John introduces us to Jesus’ mother and his first of seven miraculous signs, thematically presented as evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. The setting is a wedding feast, and a major social disgrace is about to unfold because the hosts have run out of wine. Hence, Mary approaches Jesus for a solution. Jesus counters that it is not his time (to consume the cup of suffering). But Mary ignores her son’s cryptic comment and tells the servants to do whatever he asks. So Jesus instructs them to fill six large purification vessels to the brim with water and serve a chalice of it to the master of the ceremony. Once tasted, the MC questions the bridegroom why he saved the best wine for last when the inebriated attendees would not fully appreciate its quality. As Jesus’ disciples watch this drama unfold and witness his miraculous sign that reveals his glory, they put their faith in him.
The setting of today’s devotion is Jerusalem as Passover nears. Jesus and his disciples made the three-day journey from Galilee to celebrate this high feast. Upon entering the temple, Jesus sees the money changers carrying on business in the Court of the Internationals, selling animals required for Passover sacrifices for exorbitant prices. Infuriated on a couple of levels, Jesus makes a whip from cords, drives these unscrupulous merchants out of the temple with their sheep and oxen, chucks their coins, turns over their tables, and tells the remaining few selling pigeons not to make his Father’s house a house of trade—quite the display of emotion!
As expected, the onlooking Jewish leaders question Jesus about his authority to act in this manner. Jesus bypasses their question and announces that if they destroy the temple, he will raise it in three days (implying his physical body). Missing the metaphor, these supposed guardians of the faith counter that it took forty-six years to build the temple and question how Jesus could reconstruct it in three days. John then adds a footnote that his disciples remembered this exchange of heated words after Jesus’ resurrection and resultantly believed all spoken by him and the Scriptures that pointed to him.
Of note: In 20 BCE, Herod the Great commissioned the construction of a new and more grand temple that took forty-six years to complete (placing the time of the above conflict at 26 CE). Given Herod died in 4 BCE and that most scholars agree Jesus’ birth occurred no later than a year before Herod’s passing, the timing of this conflict supports Jesus’ age at the beginning of his ministry to be in his early thirties.
Takeaway: The three Synoptic Gospels place this or a similar event at the end of Jesus’ ministry on the Tuesday after Jesus’ Triumphal Entry. The two most common explanations for this seeming discrepancy are that John thematically placed the same event at the beginning of his ministry or that Jesus twice cleansed the temple. The latter has merit since the Pharisees did not push back as hard this first time around as they would later when they decided to find a way to execute him to avoid an uprising from his growing number of followers who might provoke Rome’s wrath (John 11:49-50).
So assuming there were two incidents, we have bookend events to Jesus’ ministry that point us to his body being the final temple of God. Paul picks up on this imagery in describing Jesus as the cornerstone of God’s new and last temple, where the apostles and prophets are its foundation and all future generations of believers complete its structure (Ephesians 2:19-22). Paul builds on this spiritual reality by stating that we are God’s sacred temple and that his Spirit dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). This is terrific news, but there are responsibilities for its maintenance:
- God will not tolerate abuse of our bodies from others or ourselves (1 Corinthians 3:17).
- We must yoke with other believers; righteousness cannot be conjoined with lawlessness (2 Corinthians 6:14-15).
- We must bring holiness to completion by cleansing ourselves from every defilement of the body and spirit (2 Corinthians 7:1).
- We are not our own, for Christ bought us with his priceless life. So we must glorify God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
So what’s our takeaway? In my December 23, 2022, Daily Focus, I address the righteous anger Jesus exhibited here that brings life. And in my April 26, 2023, Daily Focus, I elaborate on how these corrupter money changers took advantage of those who sought to worship the Lord and how Jesus continues to drive out evil that would compromise us. So while it is true that our Triune God initiates, as Paul implies, we have a part in cooperating with the Holy Spirit to:
- Seek help if we struggle with addictions.
- Repent and offer restitution, if possible, to those we have wronged.
- Heed the guidance of godly, trusted people regarding those we might consider a marriage partner.
- Keep submitting to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit even though it taps into our guilt and shame.
- Glorify God with our bodies, presenting them with modesty and dignity as sacred houses of worship that host his Spirit and Son.
It is not about trying harder but trusting and submitting to our gracious and loving Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who have given their all to dwell with us.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who presented his body as a living sacrifice for us to clean house. And we thank you for your Holy Spirit, who strengthens and guides us to tidy our temple homes. Yet, we confess that we are prone to follow the defiling ways of the world, the flesh, and the devil. So would you please help us persevere in submitting to your Holy Spirit so that we might be a fit host for you to dwell with us? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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