John 2:13-22
The scene for our Gospel reading from this week’s Lectionary is set in the Temple at Jerusalem right before the feast of Passover. The Temple area is crowded with multiple hundreds, with thousands of devout pilgrims come to celebrate the great religious festival. They have come from all across the nation of Israel, and farther away. Many have come from Egypt and the north African coast. They have come from Greece and Asia Minor (Turkey), from the east around Babylon and Persia. Some have even come from as far away as Rome, the capital of the great Empire. As we read in our passage, Jesus and His disciples are among the crowd that day (vs. 13).
As Jesus approached the Temple right before this special Jewish festival, you might think He would find a spirit of worship, praise, and reverence for God there. Instead in the outer courts of the Temple, in the Court of Gentiles, He finds hundreds of sheep, oxen, and caged doves. He finds tables set up with money changers (vs. 14). Because many who came to Jerusalem for the Passover came from a long distance, it would have been difficult for them to bring sacrificial animals with. Merchants set up stalls right in the outer courts of the Temple to sell animals at extremely high cost to take advantage of the people and gain a good profit. Also at Passover the Temple tax had to be paid. It had to be paid in special Temple coinage. Many pilgrims came from foreign lands. Their money had to be exchanged. They could not use Roman money, which was the coin of the realm. Money changers didn’t make an even exchange, but charged an exorbitant fee, again taking advantage to make huge profits.
As Jesus approached the Temple and saw all of this going on, right in the Temple, God’s house of worship, He was filled with a righteous anger (vs. 15-16). The people who had come a great distance in order to keep the religious festival were being essentially robbed of their money right in the Temple, under the eyes of the religious authorities, in order to properly worship God. Jesus drove them all out of the Temple, saying that God’s house is to be a house of worship. He called them a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13).
This was not a tantrum or Jesus losing His temper. The holiness of God and His worship was at stake. Jesus was not going to stand by and allow that. God’s holiness demands holiness in worship. What Jesus was seeing was a people whose religious worship had become materialistic, making money, and without a thought towards God. Furthermore, all of this was being done in the outer courts of the Temple, called the Court of Gentiles. This was the only place in the Temple area that Gentiles were allowed to come. In essence, this was hindering any God-fearing Gentile from coming to seek and worship God. They were to be a light to the Gentiles, drawing them to come to God, not to block them from seeking Him. This had become a mockery of God’s house of worship, and Jesus wouldn’t stand that.
The disciples then remembered a verse from Psalms (Psalm 69:9). Jesus wasn’t going to tolerate irreverence toward God. He had a zeal for His house, and defended His honor (vs. 17). The people needed proper attitudes and holiness in worship. The disciples were able to remember this Scripture because they had spent time in the Word of God. We have to have first read the Bible for God to use it in our lives, and have passages pop to mind at critical times.
The Jewish religious authorities wanted a sign, something to indicate Jesus’ authority for what He had just done (vs. 18). The answer He gave puzzled them, though He was speaking about His future resurrection (vs. 19-22). Later, at Jesus’ trial, they used these words against Him, saying He threatened the Temple.
Many of the people at the Temple, along with the religious authorities who allowed all this to go on, didn’t care that God’s house was to be a place of worship, not a place to make a profit. We should always make sure that our churches are a welcoming place of worship to everyone who comes.
Amen!
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