PM Home Bible Study Group; March 28, 2012

John 2:12-25

Theme: The conflicts Jesus began to experience in the temple displayed His identity.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

One of the things that people often find as they read the Gospels for the first time is that Jesus was what they have often thought He was. Jesus Himself even anticipated the ways that He would be misunderstood by the people of this world. He once said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household’” (Matthew 10:34-36). The more the general populous got to know Him, and the more they heard the things that He said about Himself, the more they seemed to have turned against Him. We’re told at the beginning of the Gospel of John that “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11).

The things that people read of the Bible’s presentation of Jesus often surprises them—and the passage before us is a very great example. But should we really be surprised that Jesus is so ‘surprising’? Should it really come as a shock to us that, when the Son of God took human flesh to Himself and walked in the midst of the world of sinful, fallen humanity, He would stir up controversy?

This passage in John’s Gospel shows us how Jesus’ public ministry—and the growing awareness it created of who He demonstrated Himself to be—began to put Him at odds with those who rejected Him.

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In our last passage, Jesus had gone to Cana of Galilee with His growing group of disciples. His mother was there; and it was there that He demonstrated—through His miracle at the wedding—that He was the Creator God in human flesh.

In John 2:12, we’re told, “After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.” Thus we’re introduced to His residency in Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee—the center of so much of His public work. What a privileged city that was! And yet, this great privilege didn’t help them. Jesus would later say, “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you” (Matthew 11:23-24). The privilege of the Lord’s presence wouldn’t protect it from ultimate judgment; because the people in it didn’t believe on the One who had demonstrated His identity in their midst!

They only stayed in Capernaum for a short while before they left for a visit to Jerusalem—another city of great privilege; but one over which Jesus later wept and said, “”If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42). The privilege of Jesus’ proximity doesn’t do us any good if we are not submitted to His Person!

This is vividly illustrated to us in the things that happened when they came to the city.

I. HIS CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE (vv. 13-17).

A. John tells us the reason why they had only stayed in Capernaum for a short time. He wrote, “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (v. 13). The observance of the feast of Passover in Jerusalem was required in the law that God gave through Moses (see Numbers 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16:1-8; esp. vv. 2, 5-6, 7). And as one who lived in perfect submission to the law of God, Jesus went to Jerusalem because the Passover was “at hand”. Jesus had been raised to observe this commandment from God. One of the earliest stories of His life was that of how He went with His parents to Jerusalem for the feast every year (see Luke 2:41ff). Jesus lived a life of obedience to the Father’s will; and even at that early age, He identified Himself in the temple as being “about My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49).

B. We’re told what happened when, on this occasion, He went to the temple; “And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business” (v. 14). Jerusalem saw many pilgrims coming from all parts of the Roman and Greek world to celebrate the feast; and many of them could not come with a sacrifice to offer. And so, they needed to purchase the pre-approved animals for offering that the temple provided. And because they came from various parts of the pagan world, their currency—which often featured images of false gods or that deified the emperor—needed to be exchanged for that which would be acceptable in the temple. There was, of course, a rate of exchange involved; and this is often portrayed as being something that lined the pockets of the priests; but this isn’t told to us. What was most likely the problem was that this filled the court of the general temple area with merchant’s booths and money-changer’s tables. And if the court was being used for marketing (which was not its purpose), then it couldn’t be used for worship (which was its purpose).

C. Here, then, is an instance in which the Lord Jesus surprises people. We’re told, “When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!’” (vv. 15-16). Jesus had been to the temple many times before; but He had not done this until now because it was only shortly before then that His public ministry had begun, and that He had been identified by John the Baptist as the Son of God. And even though He did this same thing again later in His ministry (see Matthew 23:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46), the apostle John highlights this particular cleansing at the beginning of His ministry to establish His identity. This act from our Lord was very much a demonstration of His identity as the Messiah. He not only identified Himself as God’s Son (by the fact that He called the temple His Father’s house); but people would have seen what He was doing and would have thought of Malachi 3:1-4;

“Behold, I send My messenger,

And he will prepare the way before Me.

And the Lord, whom you seek,

Will suddenly come to His temple,

Even the Messenger of the covenant,

In whom you delight.

Behold, He is coming,”

Says the Lord of hosts.

“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 launderers’ soap.

He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;

He will purify the sons of Levi,

And purge them as gold and silver,

That they may offer to the Lord

An offering in righteousness” (Malachi 3:1-3);

and of Zechariah 14:21; “In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts” (a “Canaanite” being a figure for a merchant).

D. What a stunning act this must have been. But His disciples saw it and interpreted it against the backdrop of Scripture. John—who was one of the disciples who saw this— wrote, “Then His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up’” (v. 17)—which was a quote from Psalm 69:9. That whole verse reads; “Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.” Paul quoted that same verse in Romans 15:3 with respect to our Lord; saying, “For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.’” So, there’s not much doubt that what the disciples saw—and how they remembered Psalm 69:9 in the light of it— would have underscored to them that Jesus was the Christ!

II. HIS CONFRONTATION WITH THE JEWS (vv. 18-22).

A. Some readers of this Gospel have registered shock that Jesus would have made a whip and had driven the animals out so forcefully. But others—who have had experience with animals—have said that that’s exactly what’s necessary to get them moved out of the temple area. But what Jesus did would have been very visible and public; and would have caused considerable commotion—and even an interruption to the ‘normal proceedings’ of the temple. So; the Jews—and probably particularly the Jewish leaders in the temple came to Him about it. The fact that they were said to have “answered” suggests that their coming was in direct response to His actions; and so, John writes, “So the Jews answered and said to Him,’What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?’” (v. 18). Jesus was seeming to take great authority upon Himself in doing this—even daring to call the temple His Father’s house—and they wanted some proof of His authority to act in this way.

B. Some commentators have rightly pointed out that the most vivid “sign” they could have been given—based on the promises of Malachi 3:1 and Zechariah 14:21—was the very thing that He was right doing right then and there; that is, cleansing the temple! But Jesus promised another. We’re told, “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up’” (v. 19). When John wrote of the temple in the earlier portions of this passage, he used the word hiero; which referred to the general temple area. But Here, the word that is used to translate what Jesus said is naos, which speaks of the holy place that is within the general temple area—that place where God’s presence was identified. The Jewish leaders didn’t understand His meaning. They thought He was speaking of the physical holy place of the temple. “Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’” (v. 20). When King Herod began to build this temple, the year was 19 B.C. Now the year was, according to the best scholarship, 28 A.D.; and they marveled that a man would not only dare to suggest that they would want to destroy the temple, but that He thought He could build in three days what it had taken the Jewish people forty-six years to construct.

C. Later on, these words from our Lord would be misrepresented and thrown back as an accusation against Him (see Matthew 26:59-61 and Mark 14:57-59). They would even be the basis of their mocking Him as He hung on the cross (see Mark 15:29-30). Others misrepresented His words; but John makes His meaning clear when he writes, “But He was speaking of the temple of His body” (v. 21). Note that, even though He meant His body—and not the literal temple—His body is nevertheless called “the temple”. His body truly was the Holy of Holies on earth—the very dwelling place of God! Even the disciples, however, didn’t fully understand His meaning. John takes us forward in the story and tells us, “Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said” (v. 22).

III. HIS CONSCIOUSNESS OF WHAT IS IN MAN (vv. 23-25).

A. How easily men misunderstood the Savior! And yet, His actions in the temple began increasingly to open up to them an awareness of who He was claiming to be. This was certainly true among those who were His disciples. And it was also true among those who merely watched Him in the temple. We’re told, “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did” (v. 23).

B. But there was a difference in the depth of perception that was experienced by the disciples, and by those who merely “saw” and—in a superficial sense—”believed”. We’re told with respect to those who saw His “signs” in the temple and “believed”, “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man” (vv. 24-25). They saw the signs, but not Him. Later He turned away from many who were present at the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes; and told them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:26-27). People will gladly follow someone who can show them signs. But there’s a difference between seeing “signs”, and truly seeing Him who performed them for who He truly is.

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There was at least one man, however, who saw Jesus’ signs—and more than that, also saw Him who performed them! No sooner does John say that Jesus didn’t need anyone to testify of man, “for He knew what was in man”, than he then goes on to write, “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews” (3:1).

We take up his very important story next!