First Temple Cleansing

First Passover – Cleansing the Temple: John 2:13-22

John 2:13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a [a]place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us [b]as your authority for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this [c]temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this [d]temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the [e]temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

Footnotes

a. John 2:16 Lit house

b. John 2:18 Lit that You do these

c. John 2:19 Or sanctuary

d. John 2:20 Or sanctuary

e. John 2:21 Or sanctuary

Commentary

Quick correction: I mentioned in the video that I didn’t know what type of animals were for sale in the temple, but the passage is pretty clear – oxen, sheep, and doves. Please forgive my brain lapse.

As we learned in a previous study, the Jewish law required every male, 12 and older, to attend Passover. When the scriptures say Jesus went “up” to Jerusalem for this purpose, the direction indicates the elevation of the city, rather than the path he followed to get there. It was common among Jews to refer to Jerusalem as “up”, no matter which direction they traveled (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1301).

The state in which Jesus found the temple was a result of the Sanhedrin’s allowance of merchants to sell sacrificial animals on the temple grounds, as well as permitting foreign currency to be exchanged for the Jewish money that was required for the temple tax (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1301). In case you’ve never exchanged foreign currency, there’s generally a transaction fee, and these guys were in a position to charge about as much as they wanted. However, the vendors’ function was not impractical. Of course, not all Jewish families were farmers, so they would have had to purchase animals in order to proffer sacrifices. Additionally, they would have needed exact change in small coins, in order not to be cheated; hence, part of the function of the money changers was to make small change, as well. However, the problem(s) Jesus had with their practice was their proximity to the place of worship, or that they were overcharging, or both (Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 4 pg. 270).

The cacophony of sacrificial animals, with the dialogue of various transactions taking place must have been a total distraction for anyone who actually came to the temple for true worship and reflection. The whole transactional environment demonstrated the greed of the religious leaders, the laziness and unpreparedness of the worshippers (who could have purchased sacrificial animals or changed money before they arrived at the temple), and the hollow rituals that had replaced honest repentance. All this enraged Jesus to the point that he fashioned a whip and drove man and beast from the temple grounds. Consider for a moment if Jesus were to come into your church, snatch some cords from the window blinds, and start whipping your barista or bookstore clerk. What a scene, right? If He hadn’t wanted to become a public figure at the time of the wedding in Cana, He certainly became memorable to the public with this act a few days later. In fact, one of His statements in the temple was so memorable that it seems to be one of the only things His mocking accusers remember as He is being crucified. See the passages in the scripture references from Matthew and Mark, below.

On top of that, He overturns tables and scatters money all over the place, only after which do we find out why He’s doing any of it. As He tells the last of the vendors to leave with their wares, He opens everyone’s eyes to the fact that the temple has been turned into a place of business. This isn’t the last time He makes a scene like this, either. As we’ll see in later passages, the next time He unleashes on the temple merchants, He says the temple has become a den of thieves. Since the “den of thieves” is the one we remember more often, I just want to point out that this first time, Jesus’ condemnation is exclusively related to creating a business environment in a place which was intended for worship. This should be a sobering reminder to today’s churches.

So why was the temple so close to Jesus’ heart? The temple, in its various forms has played a significant role in God’s relationship to His people, and even prophecies which are yet to be fulfilled contain many allusions to the temple. There are some really interesting prophetical facts and insights in this message https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MkTvCOzx3I and some pictures of the temple and grounds here https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/what-did-the-temple-look-like-in-jesus-time/.

Following this statement by Jesus, the disciples recall Psalm 69:9, where it says, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” If you read the rest of Psalm 69:9 in the scripture reference section below, it finishes the thought by saying, “the reproaches of those who have reproached You have fallen on Me.” This is exactly what happens next when the Jews, who had allowed these insults to God in the temple, reproach Jesus by demanding a sign of His authority. Never mind that He’s right and shouldn’t need any position of authority for the leaders to be able to concede the righteousness of His actions. Even the disciples, with no formal religious training, can see the relevance of the various scriptures in the Old Testament to this event. The cleansing itself was a sign foretold in Malachi 3:1-3 (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1301), so there’s your sign. An earlier passage in Malachi bears particular relevance to this situation, as well, given Jesus’ reference to God as a father, “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ (Mal 1:6). In short, the priests should have known better.

In verse 20, we learn the temple took 46 years to build. In fact, the construction was still ongoing at the time of this statement. After Solomon’s temple was destroyed, temple construction started again with Nehemiah, but it was not fully completed. King Herod, desiring to create goodwill with the Jews, later pledged to build a great temple, which would recall the splendor of Solomon. The priests were disinclined to allow it because they thought Herod would either take the opportunity to destroy the existing temple altogether, or that he would build something profane. However, Herod’s promise was in earnest, and construction began in 19 B.C. The priests still had misgivings about the project, so Herod also financed carpentry and masonry training for the priests, so the portion of the temple known as the Most Holy Place would only be crafted by priestly hands. After a few construction snafus on the part of the priests, the structure was completed in A.D. 64, only to be completely destroyed by the Roman army in A.D. 70 (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1864-1865).

Of course, the temple to which Jesus referred in verse 19 was His own body, which would be resurrected from the dead three days after His death. Even His disciples wouldn’t fully understand this principle until they recalled this statement after His resurrection. There are so many of these references in John, where he points out that the disciples realized something only after Jesus’ death and resurrection. I hope to be able to recall them all, as well, when we get to the end of the gospel story and study the resurrection. Deeper than that, though, is the idea that the Jewish temple was a place erected for the sacrifice of animals for the atonement of sin, as well as the intervention of priests on behalf of the people. Neither of these things would ever be necessary again, after the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus’ body and the gift of direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. “Consequently, the destruction of His body also meant the destruction of the Temple” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1301). However, the new temple is the body of the Christian, where the Holy Spirit dwells. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/06/04/early-response-to-jesus-miracles/

Scripture References

Dt 16:1 Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name. 3 You shall not eat leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), so that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. 4 For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory, and none of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning. 5 You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your towns which the Lord your God is giving you; 6 but at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt.

Jn 5:1 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem

Jn 6:4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.

Jn 11:55 Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves.

Lk 2:41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

Jn 2:23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.

Mt 21:12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.” 14 And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.

Mk 11:15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves;

Mk 11:17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den.”

Lk 19:45 Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘And My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a robbers’ den.”

Mal 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.

Lk 2:49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

Jn 2:2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

Ps 69:9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

Jn 1:19 This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

Mt 12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

Mt 26:61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’”

Mt 27:40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Mk 14:59 Not even in this respect was their testimony consistent.

Mk 15:29 Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,

Ac 6:14 for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us.”

Ezr 5:16 Then that Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been under construction and it is not yet completed.’

1 Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Lk 24:8 And they remembered His words,

Jn 12:16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him

Jn 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Ps 16:10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay

Lk 24:26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Jn 20:9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead

Ac 13:33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’