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The Cleansing Of The
Temple - John 2:12-2:17
Imagine you pull into the church parking lot on
Sunday morning. Your heart is full of anticipation. Your cup is empty
and you are ready to fill it. You are ready to enter the church building
and join your brothers and sisters in joyous worship. You look forward
to singing hymns of praise. You feel the need to commune in prayer. You
anticipate the Lord’s Supper being served. You have your tithe and
offering. You long to hear the Lord’s word spoken and taught.
But as you pull up, the parking lot is crammed full. You can’t even find
a place to park.
You are undeterred. You park down the street and walk a few blocks. But
as you try to enter the building there is a long line. There are tables
set up at every entrance. People are writing checks and putting down
cash on the tables and getting tokens in return to place in the offering
plate. You finally make it to the table and are told that you need the
new church currency in order to make an offering. So you place a $20
bill on table and get a $10 church coin in return.
You finally make it through the entrance, only to find the halls very
congested. Booths are set up all throughout the hallways. People are
selling hymn books at two booths. “Get your hymn books here. You can’t
sing without your official church song book. Rent yours for only
$19.95." Across the way there are tables where people are buying and
selling communion bread. The sign reads “Official Unleavened Communion
Bread. Get your pinch for only $5.” On up ahead you notice merchants
pouring wine. The sign reads “100% Pure ’Fruit of the Vine’ for
Communion. Individual Cups only $7.50.”
There is so much commotion and commerce going on that you throw your
hands up in disgust realizing you’ll never make it into the sanctuary to
worship.
If you can imagine an experience like this and how frustrating it would
be, then you can understand what it was like inside the temple court
yard during the time of Passover when Jesus came to worship. John
records the event for us:
John 2:12 – 17
To help us better understand this story I encourage you to look up at
the screen behind me at an artist’s reconstruction of the temple and its
courts. Every Jewish male was commanded in the Law of Moses to make a
pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the week-long Passover celebration. Sometime
early in the week, Jesus went to the temple. The large court around the
outside of the temple is the Court of the Gentiles. It is where
God-fearing Gentiles and converts to Judaism could come to pray and
offer sacrifice. As Jesus made His way through the gate and into that
courtyard, the sight He saw must have been unbelievable. It smelled and
sounded more like a livestock auction than a temple. Men were selling
cattle, sheep and doves, and others were sitting at tables exchanging
money.
In Deuteronomy 16:16 God said to Israel, "Three times in a year all your
males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He
chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and
at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the LORD
empty-handed.”
The Feast of Unleavened Bread was the Passover Feast. It was called the
Feast of Unleavened Bread because in preparation for the Passover meal
the Jews were to examine their house and make sure there was no leaven
in the house. Leaven is symbolic of sin—“a little leaven” Paul wrote in
I Corinthians 5:6 “leavens the whole lump.” That is significant to what
Jesus is about to do in the temple. He is going to rid the house of God
of sin in preparation for the Passover.
As a devout Jew Jesus had been to the temple many times prior to this
occasion. He was there when He was 12 years old. And I’m sure that he
fulfilled the law and was there at least 3 times a year.
What was happening in the temple didn’t just begin. It was a slow
process that I am sure Jesus had witnessed His whole life. And I’m sure
He had been progressively grieved by what He saw. In obedience to the
Father He held His peace. His time had not yet come. But now He has been
anointed by the Spirit for His Messianic ministry. Now is the time for
Him to announce His arrival to Israel.
And how does He do that? Does He do it with a kind, gentle miracle that
will win everyone’s favor? Does He do it with a word of encouragement
that fits all the principles of Leadership 101? No, He suddenly appears
in the temple, makes a whip probably from the ropes used to restrain the
animals and drives the moneychangers and animal merchants out of the
temple. Is that any way to get a ministry started?
Now the reason for all this commerce is not altogether bad. After all,
Jews and God-fearing Gentiles from throughout the world had traveled to
Jerusalem and they needed the bulls, sheep, and doves for sacrifices.
And since there were dozens of nations and currencies represented, the
money changers were doing a service by exchanging the foreign currency
so that the sojourners could purchase their sacrificial animals and pay
the temple tax.
As I said, this is not all bad, but there are at least three problems
with what they are doing, which angers our Savior. First, the merchants
are likely charging exaggerated prices. Just like when you go to the
theater and a 50-cent bag of popcorn costs you $4. And the money
changers are likely not doing a fair exchange either. Just like if you
went to a pawn shop with a $1000 dollar ring and the broker would only
offer you $100.
Second, there were plenty of other places in and around Jerusalem where
these merchants and moneychangers could have set up shop. The temple was
never intended to be a market place.
Third, and perhaps the most indicting, hundreds of head of cattle and
sheep and all the commerce distracts–if not prevents!–the Gentiles and
the God-fearers from praying and worshiping.
So, John tells us that Jesus made Himself a whip and began cracking that
whip and crying out the Aramaic equivalents to “Shew,” “Haah,” and
“Go-on-n-get!” I mean it must have been like being in one of those
villages in Spain when they let the bulls run loose in the streets. Cows
and sheep are running loose. People are yelling and screaming, “Help!
Out of the way! The Carpenter has gone crazy!” When ever Jesus sees one
of the merchants, He points the finger and says, “How dare you turn My
Father’s house into a market!”
So today I want to look at three issues that must be dealt with.
I. The first issue, which we must deal with, is ADORATION verses 12-17
The temple was the place of God’s presence. Yet, it didn’t seem as if
anybody thought He was around. It was at this time of the year that two
important matters of worship occurred.
First, Jews and proselytes would pay the half-shekel temple tax as an
offering to the Lord.
Second, a sacrifice would be offered for the atonement of sin.
These were good things, but there was a problem that had developed The
temple had become a place of profit.
Since the temple tax was to be in the coinage of the temple, foreign
monies were unacceptable. True believers that did not have the right
kind of coinage were exploited. The pilgrims were charged exorbitant
prices to have their money changed into the coinage of the temple.
And, when it came to the sacrifices, each worshipper was allowed to
bring to the temple an animal of his own selection, but let him try it!
In all likelihood, the judges would not approve it. Some blemish or
defect would be found, so that approved animals pre-arranged by the
Jewish authorities would have to be used.
To save trouble and disappointment, the animals were conveniently
brought right into the outer court.
Remember for 30 years Jesus had been to the temple and watched these men
pollute the house of God. It was nothing less than a religious circus.
Jesus had to be disgusted that the floor of the temple was carpeted with
animal waste. He had to be disgusted that a place of worship had been
turned into place of greed.
So Jesus demonstrated an unrestrained passion. “This is my Father’s
house!” “This is my Father’s house!”
Jesus has passion, love on fire. Jesus has a passion that God’s place
was not to be defiled. It was to be a place of holiness, not sinfulness.
II. The second issue, which we must deal with, is AUTHORITY verses 18-22
You know what I like about this passage? Jesus didn’t ask for
permission. Jesus acted with authority. Everybody moved out of the way.
No one presented a fight. It was not so much physical force that kept
them at bay, it was moral power. He spoke; they moved.
Harry S Truman was credited for the phrase “The Buck Stops Here.” That
was Jesus’ attitude. This has to stop here and now.
But after the commotion settles down and the profiteers have been
removed from the temple, another group comes to confront Jesus. You see
the Jews presumed that they were in charge. I like their response, as
though what he’s done is the act of a prophet.
Their challenge is not to what He has done, but, “Who do you think are?”
So they seek to examine Him without any self-examination, for how can
they have allowed this to happen? Nevertheless, they have the audacity
to stand in authority over Him and demand a sign, even though His
actions are already a sign to them. But, He does agree. He will give
them a sign.
To establish His authority, Jesus gives a prophetic sign. It is the
ultimate sign.
And though they clearly are stuck on a literal translation of His sign,
He is giving them one nonetheless. They will know that He is who He says
He is by His death and resurrection.
The third issue, which we must deal with, is AUTHENTICITY verses 23-25
Jesus perceived the difference between the believer and unbeliever.
In these concluding verses, John tells us that Jesus can’t trust
everybody. He can’t, because He knows hearts. He knows that there were
those that were already following that will abandon Him and call for His
crucifixion.
Jesus places trust in the person that is genuine. Jesus was looking for
genuine conversion, not just enthusiasm for the spectacular. Many people
were going to follow and fall away because they wanted to know what was
in it for them. Jesus placed His trust in those that followed Him for
who He was.
To full understand the meaning of this text to us today, we need to
recognize that…
1. God’s presence is no longer centered in a building, but in a heart (I
Corinthians 6:19).
Paul made this clear to us in I Corinthians 6:19 when he wrote: 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?
The temple we need to be concerned about is not in Jerusalem.
The temple we need to be concerned about is not this building.
The temple is sacred, but it is not this room.
What is sacred is you. Let that sink in for a moment. You are the temple
and wherever you go, the temple goes. Just think…the God that created
the world lives in you. He is present in me and you. And just as much as
He loves you, to the same degree He hates sin. He absolutely hates it.
He has been consistently communicating this all along.
He didn’t say to Adam and Eve that they had been bad in the Garden.
He didn’t tell Noah, “Noah, I am going to make everybody tread water for
a couple of minutes.”
He didn’t just turn the heat in Sodom and Gomorrah to 120 degrees.
No, He didn’t do it like that.
He hates sin and He punishes sin.
So what if Christ came in here, right now, right down that aisle? Would
it be the Lamb or the Lion that would meet you?
2. Does your heart need the attention of the Master Cleaner?
While Beverly Popham was visiting her parents’ home, her 3-year-old
daughter announced that she was finished with her supper when she saw
the cookies come out for dessert. Since her plate still had vegetables
on it, her dad said, "You have to clean your plate in order to get
dessert." Her daughter smiled her best smile and wiped her hand over the
plate so that all the food went onto the table. "I’d like some cookies
now," she said.
I liked that little story because we think the cleansing is going to be
as hard as getting a 4 year old to eat Brussel Sprouts. So we don’t do
it.
And we miss out on the best God has to offer. We miss out on the
cookies.
The Lord needs to do an inspection of your heart. What is He going to
find?
Is he going to find anger, bitterness, hatred, lust, immorality,
unforgiveness, indulgence, or compromise?
You may think it is hidden, but your heart is not hidden from God? Some
of you need to clean up the temple, or better yet, let Jesus drive out
the dirt and manure in your life.
Perhaps you have had a spiritual experience, but since then, its been
back to R rated movies, music that denigrates your spiritual life,
television that you know is inappropriate, and your heart is full of
lust and pride. You are polluted again and it is time for a cleaning.
Jesus needs to purify you and cleanse you.
Christ has no desire to leave you the way you are. Just like He changed
water into wine, He wants to change the clutter, compromise and
corruption of the temple courts of your heart, so that your heart may be
a proper residence.
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