What is the purpose of Jesus clearing the temple?

23rd May, 2010

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

Posted By Teresa Han

Aldersgate’s Sunday

John 2:12-25

Main Idea: The special relationship of Jesus with God

Objectives: a. To teach that we need a special relationship with God like Jesus. b. To teach that our bodies are temple of God and we need to take good care of it.

A. Introduction

- This is one of the rare occasions in the 4 gospels where Jesus was angry, aggressive and he cleared the temple as if he had the authority to do it.

- On what ground Jesus clears the temple as recorded?

- This is where we need to examine some background information and; we have to some explanation on what he says.

B. What is the purpose of Jesus clearing the temple?

- Now, why Jesus was so angry with what happened in the temple courts? Verse 14 says, “In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.”

- The temple here signifies the whole of temple and its surrounding areas. This includes the various courts as well as the holy place. The trading must have been done in the outer courtyard, the court of the Gentiles. The reason for the practice was at the convenience of those who could buy the sacrificial animal. People who came to worship from a distance, they could not bring with them the sacrificial animal.

- Money changers also took the opportunity because worshippers are only allowed to do money offerings in the approved currency. The other currencies were not acceptable was because they bore the Emperor’s image or they contained the image of idols. For whatever the reason, the rule required that money changers must be somewhere at work!

- Jesus made a whip from cords and used it to drive out all the traders with their goods, including the animals meant for trading purpose. He also overturned the tables of the money changers.

- It is clear that it was not so much the physical force that was used as a moral power to empty the courts. One commentator (H. E. W. Turner) said it was the blazing anger of the selfless Christ rather than the weapon which really cleared the temple courts of their noisiness and the mixture of all other goods.

- Who was Jesus who dared to do it? On what ground, what authority he could do it? Who asked him to do it? Was he not afraid of the consequence of his action?

- Simply put, what is the purpose of Jesus clearing the temple? The answer is found in verse 16 and the verses that follow. In verse 16, Jesus said to those who sold doves, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market?”

- What Jesus objected was the practice of trading at the temple courts. His motive was the reverence for my Father’s house. The temple court was supposed to be a place where Gentiles might go to pray or meditate in the temple. They could do it with peace. But now, it had been turned into a market place, which certainly affected the atmosphere of temple worship.

- Upon seeing the action of Jesus, His disciples remembered Psalm 69:9 which says, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” It is very clear again and again throughout the gospel of John, the writer’s aim is to show Jesus to be the Messiah. John wanted to show Jesus’ actions throughout the gospel as having a special relationship with God. John wanted to show that Jesus behaved like that because of His calling as Messiah. John is showing the readers, may be all the more, the Jews, at that time, that in Jesus, God is working out His purposes of salvation for mankind.

- So, in theological term, Jesus clearing the temple was a messianic action.

- In verse 18, we see the Jews demanded that Jesus authenticated His action with a miraculous sign. The Jews expected their Messiah to perform mighty miracles to prove that He was Messiah!

- But Jesus was to be manipulated by the Jews at their timing. He had his own timing to prove so. So He said in verse 19, “Destroy the temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

- Brothers and sisters, you see again and again, in Jesus’ ministry, He is all the time focused on His mission of salvation on earth. It is number one thing we need to give ourselves priority also.

- The Jews had mistaken what he said to refer to the physical temple which took 46 years to build.

- But, after the death of Jesus, His disciples knew then came to understand what Jesus meant by the statement he made, “Destroy the temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

- They knew that the temple referred to his body. His body was to be a sacrifice for man’s sin once and for all, to bring about forgiveness of our sins.

- Jesus’ word for temple denotes the shrine, the sanctuary, the very place where a deity, a god lives. It may be applied to us as believers also. It is advocated by apostle in 1Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” For this reason, today, I preach to you in the name of Jesus, your bodies are temple of God. Do not sin with your bodies. Your bodies are holy temple of God.

- No matter what, Jesus’ use of the word, temple probably implies that God lives in him in a very special way.

C. Applications

- a. John Wesley’s special relationship with God is like that of Jesus’ special relationship with God. Please do not misunderstand me. I mean John Wesley modeled after Christ’s relationship with God, the father. Can you also do the same? Take a look of Wesleyan movement on holiness through class, society and bands. He mobilized Christians to strike personal relationship with God through these means.

- B. Your body is a temple of God just like Jesus’ body is a temple of God. Do you see how sacred is your body. If only realize it more and more, otherwise, we will sin more and more using body. Sometimes, we treat our body like a pig treats its body. A pig, after it is washed, it will literally gets itself dirty again and again.

D. Conclusion

- Do you see how precious and important are you in the sight of God? Do you still want to sin with your body, mind and soul?