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The Gospel of John, The First Appearance at Jerusalem, the Purification of the Temple, John 2:15-25, Part II - Lesson 13
Read John 2:15-25
Verses 2:15,16, And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
In Zech. 14 the Lord tells us that all nations will go up to Jerusalem to worship.
The only place within the temple area open to people of all nations was the outer court.
Jesus saw that the place of prayer for all nations smelled like a barnyard, sounded like a cattle market, was filled with noise, and was the scene of many a swindle.
If this area were taken up by trading, it could not be used for worship.
A temple that is used for merchandising of the things of God cannot be used for worship.
God expects his temple to be pure and usable for worship.
Ye are his temple, and he intends to purify you and to clean out the corruption or anything that gets in the way of worship.
Sometimes that will take a whip of cords, many times it will hurt.
Jesus used small cords of rope that probably were used by the guilty profiteers to tie the animals in the courtyard.
It is interesting to see that sinners provide their our scourges by their sins and evil habits.
God has the right scourge for you.
God can turn a "den of thieves into a house of prayer."
There is no one like the Lord to drive out of our lives, the evil within.
The Lord made a clean sweep of this desecration of his Father's house.
He identifies with the Father here.
He claims Divine Sonship.
One man, single handed, takes a whip and the whole crowd flees.
This was the terror of the Lord that Jesus expressed.
One side of Jesus is easily accepted by the world.
Jesus kindness and his love, his gentleness and compassion.
But what about his inflexible righteousness?
God is Holy, separate, totally righteous as well as merciful.
We live in an age of compromise and tolerance of sin and wickedness.
We are called upon daily to accept or tolerate evil and a mixed multitude in all areas of life.
We are told to lighten up, loosen up, don't take things so seriously, be cool! No we need to be hot!
The scripture speaks of "the wrath of the Lamb" and these verses provide a vivid illustration of this wrath.
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," and all who defy him will one day discover.
Notice it says in these verses that he drove them all out of the temple.
This was 14 acres. A huge area filled with people and animals.
No small feat for a man but when Jesus took on a task he had the power of the Holy Spirit to endow him with the necessary power to finish the job.
"Let all things be done decently and in order," Did Jesus do injustice to this verse?
Notice that he drove out the sheep and the oxen.
These were in no danger of being lost by this treatment.
The money of the changers he threw on the ground and this could be easily picked up and recovered.
The doves he simply ordered the owners to remove, thus safeguarding the innocent birds.
Had he released them they may had been lost to their owners.
Isa. 52:13, declared of the Messiah to come, "Behold my servant shall deal prudently."
We may look upon this event as one of anger and loss of control, but Jesus Christ was in full control and knew exactly what he was doing down to the smallest detail.
Verse 2:17, And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
How you view Jesus determines what you call this.
The disciples called it zeal.
The Jews would call it madness or demon possession.
We may share the Master's zeal but we cannot take up the scourge of cords.
That's God's business.
The disciples remember Psalm 69:9, quoted 17 times in the New Testament and one of the most quoted Psalms in the New Testament.
Evidently a message that God wants to get across to us.
What about your zeal, my zeal, for the things of the Lord?
Verses 2:18-21, Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us,seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.
The Jews reaction confirmed their unbelief. Instantly they demanded an explanation.
Who was this fellow who dared to upset their system and to challenge their rights and responsibilities as custodians of the temple?
They demanded a sign.
The demand for a sign, is itself a sign of unbelief, as Paul said in I Cor. 1:22, For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.
Jesus said, Believe and you shall see, the Jews said Show me a sign and I might believe.
With the right kind of heart, a heart of faith they would have been longing for someone to come and make the temple right, where worship could have been exercised and the humble heart would have found a quiet place of devotion to the Lord.
The right kind of heart would have praised the Lord for the sign that Jesus had given, not demanded a sign but believed because of the sign.
That is the right reaction to a sign.
Signs are good because they are designed to bring about belief.
The Jews were not interested in following the design of God but demanded a sign because they refused to have faith.
The way he had cleansed the temple was sign enough.
The boldness and the zeal and the efficiency which he had shown was enough to convince the hungry heart of his authority to act on his Father's behalf.
He answers them so that they would not understand. Jesus does not reveal himself to anyone unless they exhibit faith with a humble spirit.
Matt. 13:13, Therefore speak I to them in parables: because seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Perhaps he said as he gestured toward himself, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
The answer he gives is one to provoke them into further unbelief.
They think in physical terms, their mind is in a temporal or earthly mode.
It has not been cultivated to think in spiritual terms.
It can't be cultivated because it is stony ground.
The temple had been in building for 46 years compared to 7.5 years for Solomon's.
All during the life of Jesus this construction had been going on.
Herod the Great began the work in 20 B.C. and it would not be finished until 64 A.D. i.e. 84 years in building.
But, as we know the temple that the Jews built was destroyed in 70 A.D., but the Lord did not raise that one up.
They tried to destroy his temple made without hands, by nailing him to a cross but only succeeded in destroying their temple made with hands.
Jesus spoke of his body.
He knew what he was talking about and he did not correct them when they jumped to the wrong conclusion.
He knew what was in their heart.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple", they reported he said, "I will destroy this temple."
Jesus foretold his death here at this early event in his ministry.
The disciples remembered the saying after he was crucified and I imagine they were thrilled to finally understand what he meant and to realize he was right again even when they may have wondered at the time.
They gloried in Jesus Christ when they recalled this event.
We receive the same blessing when we see a verse in the Word of God take on a life we had not seen before because of some experience and blessing which confirmed the Word and applied it to our hearts.
Verse 2:22, 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.
Verse John 12:16, These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.
This verse indicates that the disciples were also confused by this statement that Jesus made to the temple authorities.
Only in the light of later events was the significance of what Jesus did fully appreciated.
This illumination, of course, was given by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the Spirit will guide you into all truth.
In John 14:26, Jesus says, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John found that to be true. Another witness to the truth of God's Word
John notes in this verse how critical the resurrection of Christ was to the disciples final grasp of the truth that Jesus Christ was God come in the flesh and they saw how all the scripture applied to the One whom they had handled, touched, walked and talked with.
This fact is the heart of the Gospel and the church stands on this solid rock of doctrine.
It is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we preach.
Because of Christ's resurrection the disciples had all they needed to believe on him.
You also have all you need to believe on him.
Verses John 2:23,24,25, Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
There are two levels of believing in Jesus name.
The one level, that expressed in John 1:12, and the level expressed in this passage.
The level spoken of in John 1:12, carries with it the authority to become God's child, but the level here indicates a superficial faith that depends only on the signs or miracles and does not extend to a full acceptance of Jesus Christ's claims and commands.
In John 1:12, it says, "but as many as received him," as many as gave themselves to him in unreserved commitment and acknowledged him as the Lord, reached the level as sons, but those who believed "in"his name when they saw the miracles did not attain sonship because they saw the signs but did not see him.
We see this in action in John 6:66, "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."
This is always the case with a faith that is based on the spectacular, for it is never a saving faith.
Staying power comes with the new birth, because it is God given to his children.
Faith that is based on the spectacular, is not faith at all. Faith must be in a Person, not some experience.
Many today are basing their faith upon some spectacular personal experience or sign thatsomeone has performed.
The belief here exhibited is soon gone as public opposition rises. Matt. 13:21, "When tribulation or persecution arise, they are offended."
John says here that although they believed on his name, Jesus did not believe them.
He does not depend on spoken words to reveal the inward thoughts and feelings.
The hidden depths of the heart lie open to his penetrating insight. He knows that he cannot trust fallen man.
He knew what was in man.
He knew. He knows.
You don't have to tell God about yourself and try to convince him of your sincerity.
You don't have to have a letter of recommendation from someone who thinks highly of you.
You don't have to prepare a resume' with all your experience and talents expressed.
You don't have to practice religion to impress him.
You can't "snow" Jesus Christ.
He knows your heart.
He has a perfect knowledge of your heart.
Jesus did not commit himself to these "stony ground" hearers.
They were only intellectually convinced. He knew that their profession was not from the heart.
In reading their hearts he manifests his omniscience. I kings 8:39, "....for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men."
Jesus Christ knew the greed and cheating of those who profaned the temple, the opposition and resentment of the Jewish leaders, and here the untrustworthiness of those who professed a faith based on "signs." The Lord read the hearts of them all. |