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The Gospel of John, The First Appearance at Jerusalem, the Purification of the Temple, John 2:12-22, Part I - Lesson 12
Read John 2:12-22
This passage is an interesting contrast to the account of the wedding at Cana.
At the wedding we see a festive, joyous occasion, in this passage we see divine judgment.
Jesus was invited to the wedding, but at the temple he invited himself.
At the wedding he employed human instruments, in this passage he acts alone.
At the wedding he filled the water pots and supplied wine in contrast to this passage where he empties the temple.
His wine at Cana was commended but at Jerusalem he was challenged.
In verse 2:4 he points to his death, but here in this passage he points to his resurrection.
And lastly at the wedding he manifests his glory while in the temple he manifests his zeal.
However, both events, the changing of the water into wine and the cleansing of the temple, are signs of the superceding of the old order by the new, the transition from law to grace and truth.
"The law was given to Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
Verse 13, "And the Jews Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."
In this passage John relates the first of three references to the Passover in his gospel.
This was the time of the sacred memorial of the exodus and deliverance from Egypt, the fourteenth day of Nisan (nis'an), at the time of the March-April full moon.
It was immediately followed by the week long festival of unleavened bread (15-22 Nisan).
An interesting aside is the use by John of the term "Jew".
This word is found only once in Matthew, twice in Mark, twice in Luke, but appears over sixty times in John.
Perhaps by the time of John's writing of this gospel the popular name for an Israelite was the name Jew as it is still today.
Here he calls it the Jew's Passover. It is no longer the Lord's Passover or the feast of Jehovah.
Merely a religious feast, now meaningless, it had become just a ritual for most Jews.
The Passover celebration at this time was similar to Easter or Christmas for most Americans, just a holiday like many observe today by an annual visit to church at Easter.
Another opportunity to profit and to commercialize the day.
All males were required to go to Jerusalem three times a year; at the time of the Feast of Passover, at the Feast of Pentecost, and at the Feast of Tabernacles.
Jesus followed that pattern and goes from Galilee to Jerusalem as was his custom and life long habit.
I suppose that Jesus had seen what was happening in the court of the temple on all his visits from childhood but now he was to reveal himself as God manifest in the flesh. Now he comes with a purpose.
On this day he comes with absolute authority over his Father's house, he came to drive out the merchandisers.
This shows that God may watch for a time and be longsuffering but the time is marked in his appointment book when he will make things right.
On this occasion the One of whom the Passover speaks has now come..."For even Christ, our passover is sacrificed for us." I Cor. 5:7.
On the eve of the Passover each head of the household carefully gathered up and removed all leaven from the house, giving the house a good spring cleaning, so to say.
Yet the Lord's house was allowed to be unclean with the merchandising in the temple.
The Lord finds that true worship of God at the "house of prayer" is hindered by those who were there to make money.
The worshipper who came to the temple seeking quiet and fellowship with God had to push his way through the dealers and sellers and have any devotion he had, disappear by the shouting and bargaining of the market.
What had perhaps began innocently as a convenience to supply lambs for visiting Passover guests, and the exchanging of money for those from long distances had degenerated into a fervent effort to make merchandise of what was needed in order to observe the sacrificial service.
The Lord will not tolerate and unholy mixture of worldly things with spiritual.
Thus we see Jesus' boldness.
No one had been bold enough to interfere with this practice until Jesus enters, without hesitation, and takes charge.
We read in Malachi 3:1, "And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, and shall purify it".
Verse 2:14, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
The Lord is against the commercializing of spiritual things.
This is the error of Balaam referred to in Jude 11.
They "ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward."
They saw an opportunity to make some easy money off of religious practices.
Most likely this event takes place in the outer court of the temple or the gentile court.
About 14 acres in area.
This court was separated from the inner court by a breast high wall which kept gentiles from coming into the inner court.
This event reveals to us that the Jews exhibited their contempt for gentiles by designating the gentile court as the place to transact business.
Christ contrasts that contempt by showing his love for the gentiles by clearing out the court where gentile proselytes could worship.
This is a beginning work of of Grace toward gentiles, who would in the dispensation of Grace make up much of the body of Christ.
The Jews were interested in making sacrifice easy for those who came to the Passover feast.
Why bring your own sacrifice, with all that hardship and difficulty when the priests made it so easy to comply with the letter of the law? (Drive-in churches, 20 minute services, attend church regularly to satisfy the preacher, stay at home and watch religious programs)
And much money could be made by catering to the flesh, the desire to make sacrifice easy.
Perhaps those that operated the booths where the business was conducted paid a handsome fee to the priests of the temple, thereby bringing in substantial money to support the religious system.
Easy religion, convenient religion, comfortable religion.
This is the state of the Jewish religion that John reveals to us by this incident.
Form, form and more form.
The natural man's practice and comfort.
His security blanket.
What he trusts in!
"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof"
The animals mentioned in verse 14 were the principal animals used in the sacrificial worship at the temple.
Their presence in the temple courtyard, he had often seen, I would expect, on previous visits.
Notice the money changers:
No coins bearing the image of the Emperor or any heathen symbol could be paid into the temple treasury, so all offerings of money would require changing into Jewish coins.
Each Jewish man of twenty and over, was obligated to pay the temple tax of one-half shekel for the maintenance of the temple.
Many took this Passover opportunity to perform this duty.
The money changers performed a service for the travelers in changing their Roman currency to the acceptable form for use in the temple.
This service always carried a substantial fee, thereby generating a good profit for the moneychangers. |