Skip to main content

Spring Cleaning with Jesus



John 2:13-22 in the Common English Bible (CEB) reads:

It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple those who were selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as those involved in exchanging currency sitting there. He made a whip from ropes and chased them all out of the temple, including the cattle and the sheep. He scattered the coins and overturned the tables of those who exchanged currency. He said to the dove sellers, "Get these things out of here! Don't make my Father's house a place of business." His disciples remembered that it is written, Passion for your house consumes me.

Then the Jewish leaders asked him, "By what authority are you doing these things? What miraculous sign will you show us?"

 Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple and in three days I'll raise it up."

 The Jewish leaders replied, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days?" But the temple Jesus was talking about was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered what he had said, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

 These verses describe Jesus' version of spring cleaning: cleaning out the temple. There are several major points to this lesson, including:
  • This, in the Gospel of John, is the beginning of the conflict between Jesus and the Jewish leaders.
  • Jesus is the purifying presence of God.
  • The renewal of the temple equals true worship.
  • Jesus is the true temple.
This scene takes place in Passover, which is the 15th of Nisan. On our calendar, Passover happens in the middle of April.

Also, the story mentions taxes. The temple tax was one half-shekel, which would be your paycheck after two days of work. You had to pay this tax in Galilean or sanctuary shekels. If you were anywhere else in Jerusalem, you could use money from Rome, Greece, Egypt, Tyre, Sidon, or Palestine. Since the temple tax had to be paid in Galilean or sanctuary shekels, there were money changers. And you guessed it, they drew a commission off the exchange rate, which was equal to another day's paycheck.

But that's not all, if you were going to present an animal for a sacrifice--to make atonement for your sins--you had to pay a fee to have the animal inspected. And since animals were sold inside the temple, your animal would probably have a defect if it wasn't bought inside the temple at an inflated price.

How inflated were the prices? William Barclay notes that doves cost fifteen times more inside the temple. This was extortion and exploitation and it was deliberate and shameless. The contrast we see is between Jesus and the religious system. There is a conflict of values. It is a broken system.

The real point of these verses is that Jesus is the temple of God.

A temple was built as a witness to God and as a way that people could draw near to God. It was meant to be a place of worship, not a place for profit.

Is Christ our sanctuary? Are we worshiping him? Or have we put our faith in a system? Is our devotion to God or to a service?

Before we build an altar, we should kneel before God and listen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Midweek Meditation, episode 1

Good evening church! The Coronavirus and social distancing make it impossible for us to meet this week, but we can still chat. So instead of our weekly Bible study in person, let's try this. Follow this link and create an account at Udemy. This course is free if you enroll by tomorrow, March 19th.  Watch the 3 minute course Overview video with Jennifer Loop. She'll explain how this course is put together. . Then view the 3 minute Introduction to the Letter by N.T. Wright.  Bishop Wright mentions Philippians as one of the prison letters. The prison letters are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Do you have a favorite letter of Paul? I love the little book of Philemon. It's a personal letter, short, and tells a beautiful story. I think the whole of Paul's theology can be seen there--Reconciliation is the heart of what it means to be part of the family of Jesus. What about you? Do you have a favorite letter by Paul? Is there some question...
1 comment
Read more

A Light for All

Epiphany is when we remember the magi's visit to see baby Jesus. Epiphany means "manifestation." This day is a celebration--not because of the gifts given to baby Jesus--but because of what God has done through Jesus. Through Jesus, the divine glory has been made manifest. Through Jesus, God's glory has been made known to all. What this really means is that now the world finally gets to see what God is truly like. In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where  is the child who has been born king of the Jews?" . . . they set out; and there ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. (Matthew 2:1-2a, 9) If you're an artistic type who's interested in Christian art, light is the traditional symbol for Epiphany. . . . the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land o...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Anxiety to Hope

In the early winter of AD 28, an extraordinary rumor spread across the shores of Galilee. A new prophet is on the scene. God had been silent for so long. Believers had longed for a new word from God. The last prophet to speak about the Messiah lived nearly 400 years ago. Some thought prophecy was dead. Others hoped it would be revived. Many longed for a movement which would bring them a new kind of freedom. Then John appears. Crowds come to hear this voice in the wilderness. It may helpful to remember the Exodus story: When Israel left Egypt, they were ed through the Red Sea, through the wilderness of Sinai, and, finally, through the Jordan into the promised land. People were desperate for a new exodus, a new freedom. Then John appears. He tells people to turn their lives around. He calls for people to change their hearts and lives. He's not calling for a one-time event. Instead, this is a radical change of life. John is preparing the road for the Lord to return. He...
Post a Comment
Read more