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John 2:12-22
You know there are shops you can buy everything you need for a particular purpose or an occasion. You don’t have to move from shop to shop. Just enter that one shop and you get all you need. So you will hear things like A One Stop Shop for all your baking needs. A One Stop Shop for all your construction needs. A One Stop Shop for all your Easter Shopping. You enter this shop, you can buy everything without hoping from shop to shop.
Now the scene of these verses can be described as a “One stop Shop.” There is a religious festival going on and everything needed in the temple or place of worship for the festival was available to be bought on the corridors of the temple: “The Passover of the Jews was at hand…” (v.13). The Passover is one of the first Jewish festivals or feasts commanded by God to be commemorated by the Jews. It remembers the story of the angel of death passing over Israel but killing all the first born male child of every Egyptian and beast or animal. This was the last of 10 plagues brought upon the Egyptians which broke the Camel’s back so to speak and Pharaoh finally will let the Israelites go. (Exodus 11:1). Later on this event will be instituted as a feast or religious festival (Exodus 12:24-26; Leviticus 23:4).
Now Jesus being a Jew therefore went to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast: “Jesus went up to Jerusalem” So from a wedding, to Capernaum, he moved to Jerusalem for the feast. And what transpired at the feast will be our attention for this morning. And for a title, I want to call this message, The New Temple (John 2:13-16). We will walk through these sub titles: Jesus The New Temple, Jesus Our Passover, Reverence In Worship and A Response.
When Jesus entered the temple for the Passover celebrations, he met with all kinds of sellers selling the things that are needed for the Passover celebration (v.14). This is a celebration involving sacrifices and there is a market of convenience at the temple where every sacrifice needed, is available Oxen, Sheep, Pigeons: these three are the common sacrifices of the Israelite. And those sacrifices are given based on once wealth. Wherever in the then world you are coming to Jerusalem from, you need not carry these items for the sacrifice. You can get them right at the temple. The money changers were also serving the purpose of a Forex bureau. In the life of the Jewish people, there is a temple tax required for the upkeep of the temple and every Jew 20 years upwards, is required to pay this tax (Exodus 30:11-14).
If all these things are needed for the event, why then will Jesus make a big deal out of it and drive the sellers away like he did in verse .15). Because they have turned the temple into a place of merchandise. A place of business, rather than a place of worship (v.16). R.C Sproul calls this Legitimate Activities, Inappropriate Place. Why, because they were selling in the temple. Jesus may have not bothered them if they were selling outside. Not only that, it is known also that they were making exorbitant profit. They were fleecing the pilgrims. You know how prices go up during Christmas celebrations? This is precisely what was going. John MacArthur in a commentary.
The money changers were needed because the temple tax, paid annually by every conscientious Jewish male 20 years or age or older… had to be in Jewish or Tyrian coinage (because of its high purity of silver). Those coming from from foreign lands would need to exchange their money into the proper coinage for the tax. The money changers charged a high fee for the exchange. With such a large group of travellers and because of the seasonal nature of the celebration, both the animal dealers and money changers exploited the situation for money gain.Religion had become crass and materialistic
Jesus Is The New Temple
Notice that when Jesus drove the sellers away, he described the temple—the place of worship—as his Father’s house (v.16). The Jews clearly understood this. To describe the temple as his Father’s house is a claim God is his Father. And if so, he is divine. Rightly, the Jews were stunned and literally asked him the authority with which he did what he did (v.18). And he gave them an astonishing answer: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” (v.19). At this moment, you could hear all the grumbling. One guy will shout “What?”, Another will say what did you just say? And the question the Scriptures records is in verse 20: “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? However John is quick to tell us “But he was speaking about the temple of his body” (v.21).
This then brings two types of temples in mind. The physical temple built by human hands and Jesus’ body. So there is the Old Temple and the New Temple. The Old temple is in Jerusalem and the new temple is heavenly. The temple is corrupt worship. The new temple is pure and holy worship. The new temple is the very body of Jesus Christ. When he said they should destroy the temple, he was talking about his death. And when he said he will raise it up, he was talking of his resurrection. And these two things are very important Christian doctrines. Jesus’ death and resurrection is the Good News. He died and resurrected for the salvation of sinners so that whoever will believe in him will find salvation.
God communed with his people in the Old Testament Temple. But in Jesus, we have God come to live among his people. That’s what John 1:14 means. The word tabernacled amongst us. Jesus is the new temple through whom we worship God.
Jesus Is Our Passover
Jesus is not just a new temple. He has also fulfilled all the sacrificial requirements of that Old Temple. So that you and I will not need to celebrate the Jewish feast of the Passover. We will not need to offer any animal sacrifices. Because Jesus himself is the Passover. What the Passover lamb was to the Jew, Jesus Christ is to the Christian. The Lamb slain for the Passover was a type of Christ. In theology, a type of Christ is someone or something that happened in the Old Testament, that pointed us to Christ or the work of Christ or salvation. The Passover lamb pointed to Christ. And clearly in this text, we see the death of Christ spoken about.
Just as the angel of death passe over the Israelite, by the blood of the Lamb, as Christians, we have passed from death to life by the sacrifice of Jesus in his death. We have been delivered from the bondage of sin and translated into the Kingdom of Christ. We have been delivered from Egypt, a type of sin and heading towards the promised land. In Jesus, we need not offer any sacrifice again. It’s finished! That was the cry of Jesus. It is finished. The work has been completed. Jesus has offered a Once and for all sacrifice (1 Corinthians 5:16-17; Hebrews 10:1-14).
Now just as the Passover celebration was established, Christ established a new covenant in his blood by the Lord’s Supper. So the Passover is replaced by the Lord’s supper (Luke 22:7ff; 1 Corinthians 11).
Reverence In Worship
Reverence means a deep sense of respect and honour. And when Jesus drove them out of temple, he was enforcing reverence in the temple. In a note from the Reformation study Bible, it is noted that “Jesus fulfils the prophecy of Malachi 3:1-4. He comes suddenly to the temple and purifies the sons of Levi, as a demonstration of his zeal for God and for keeping God’s ordinances holy”.
And this dear friends is required of the New Testament believer, that we be holy. The Bible describes Christians as members of Christ’ body. What was required of the temple worship, is required of us as the body of Christ. Our body is the temple of God and anything we do to dishonour Christ’s body will be met with discipline and chastisement from Christ. Reverence and honour is required then (1 Corinthians 14:40; John 4:24).
Response
Having heard all these, what must we do? In the narrative, two times we are told the disciples remembered Scriptures and they believed (John 2:17;22). Again, this is consistent with John’s agenda for writing his gospel. He wrote that his hearers will “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing they may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
This in a broader sense is why all Scripture is written, that it may produce faith in Jesus. The disciples viewed everything happening in the eyes of Scripture. They didn’t just believe Jesus’ signs and sayings. They believed Scripture. And you will notice also that, this belief and remembrance of Scripture is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).
Dear friends, we have the centrality of Scriptures here. Whatever we believe must have biblical basis. Is it true? Is it biblical? We must weigh everything according to Scripture (Matthew 4:4; 1 Timothy 3:16).
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