Jesus cleanses the Temple (John 2:13-17)
“And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
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 a house of merchandise.
And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”
In Mark we have his account (Mark 11:15-19)
“And they come to Jerusalem:and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves.
And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine.”
The scene we are a part of is that which was most scarce to Christ and man had profaned it. The call of going to the Temple was one of a holy journey. All Israel on special Holy Days made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship and sacrifice in the temple. For some the journey was long and taxing, therefore making or bringing a sacrifice enroute difficult. Taking advantage of this problem the “temple merchants” provided animals for sacrifice at inflated prices. It became a most profitable business. For us the thought of killing something for our sins does not sit very well. However in that time it was clearly understood. My violation of God’s law equaled separation from God, for I was no longer pure. God’s call to man was to “be ye holy for I am Holy.” (I Peter 1:16) A command that man could not and cannot keep. Since God could not become “less Holy” God instituted the laws of sacrifice so that man could have an on going relationship with Him. The chosen vessel be it a lamb, pigeon or cattle was the substitution for man. Through a repentant heart and the placing of ones hand on the animal the sin was transferred. The animal became the “profaned vessel”-the vessel that now bore the sin. The animal was then sacrificed and the sin atoned (paid) for. Saving man by restoring his relationship to God.
For the Pharisees to turn this precious scene into one of commerce was beyond what Christ could tolerate. His zeal for his “Father’s house” to be pure consumed him. He made a whip of cords and literally beat the money changers and vendors turning over their tables and spilling their money. A percentage of which the Pharisees were to receive. Christ was a man’s man. To the broken, repentant, rejected by society, he represented the heart of God’s compassion and forgiveness. To the arrogant, greedy and prideful he represented the anger and judgement of God. No man would stand in his way. He fully acted as God’s Son by making this statement “make not my Father’s house a house of commerce.” He also fully acted as God incarnate by making this statement “…My house shall be called by all nations a house of prayer? But you have made it a den of thieves.” Both these statements clearly depict Christ’s identity as well to the degree temple worship had degraded too under the hands of the Pharisees. These religious leaders filled with their own sense of self righteousness and importance had completely mislead the people.
How about us? God has not changed. He is just as Holy, He is just as compassionate and He is still just as zealous for His temple to be Holy which now has become our hearts. We have no need of a “physical temple” to sacrifice because Christ was the final and complete sacrifice for man. The presence of God has come to dwell within man through faith in Christ. So if you “abide in Christ and He abides in you,” you are His temple. Have you sold out your heart to other passions? Does pride keep you from bending the knee and making Him Lord fully? These are personal, searching questions that only you can answer. However if you are pretending to be a believer, be prepared to have “your tables turned over” as God’s judgement comes. That judgement comes because He loves you. For He pursues His own, seeking to bring you unto Himself freeing you from that which deceives and binds you. I would worry more if I was free to do my own thing. In extreme cases He will destroy the body bringing repentance to the soul redeeming it for eternity. It is not beyond Him. For He is zealous, passionate for His temple, which temple you are.
“And they sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him,” The verb to destroy here is “apollumi.” Ollumi by itself means to destroy. However when “apo” is added it adds the force of “fully or wholly” to the word. In our vernacular we would say “let’s wipe him out!” They hated Christ because he revealed to the people the hypocrites that they were. Christ came to represent to the people who God truly was. The picture the Pharisees were giving was completely and utterly wrong, and Christ could not play their game. Therefore they hated him intensely because he unmasked them before the people. How about us, where do we stand? Can we receive God’s conviction knowing that it is for our good, or do we love our ways more? Do we use pride and legalism as masks to prevent us from dealing with the real me? Do we understand that on the other side of repentance lies the open arms of Christ? Once they were opened to receive nails (spikes), now they are open to receive sinners with price paid in full. Amen
Father God,
We say ” Grace without measure” as though we understand; truly we have no clue as to depth or width of your love. For those who are honest with You change always scares us, but we are not on our own to make those changes. You are here with us for you have given us the Holy Spirit to guide and abide in us. Though it is not an easy walk, your presence abides and guides those who seek you. Thank you and Amen
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur