Have you ever been in a situation where someone became really angry or passionate about something, and they started behaving in a wild way?
After my first year of college, I came home for the summer, and I was hanging out with some of my friends from high school. Some of them became a bit wild after high school. I recall when two of my friends were wrestling, and it went too far. One of the guys got really upset and became irrational and wild in his behavior. It kind of caught us off guard. Then, he just started walking down the road, and we didn’t see him again that night. It was wild.
In today’s passage, Jesus is going to show some very passionate behavior.
Some of those who were there likely thought His behavior was wild and irrational.
However, Jesus was perfectly controlled and justified in His behavior.
These actions of Jesus took place at the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, which was the way for the Jewish people to enter into worship at the time.
In today’s message in John 2, we’re going to learn about the True Temple, which is now our way to worship the One True God.
Before we do, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
Let’s look at today’s passage. Look with me at John 2:13-25.
13 The Jewish Passover was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. 15 After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. 16 He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
17 And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me.
18 So the Jews replied to him, “What sign will you show us for doing these things?”
19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.”
20 Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made.
23 While he was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. 24 Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all 25 and because he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.
Just a reminder that John’s Gospel is written in a different style than the others, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
In the other Gospels, we hear of a similar story of Jesus at the Temple.
It’s possible that it’s the same story, but John includes it earlier in his Gospel.
Also, it’s possible that this is a different account of Jesus in the Temple that is only contained in the Gospel of John.
Either way, the meaning is the same for us, and it doesn’t change our beliefs. Rather, it verifies what we’re already taught about Jesus elsewhere.
As I read through this passage in my study, it occurred to me that there was something lacking in terms of the hearts and minds of those who questioned Jesus; even for some of those who were impressed with Jesus.
I want to identify what seemed to be lacking in these people in this passage.
Let’s pay attention to be sure these are not lacking in our lives as well.
First, . . .
I. They lacked true worship.
We have to pause to think for a moment what the purpose of the Temple was: It was to aid the people in the worship of God.
The Temple represented the presence of God for the people to experience and collectively worship together.
Yet, there is strong evidence to suggest that the religious leaders of the day had allowed the Temple complex to become polluted by commerce and greed.
The issue was not necessarily that they were selling animals. In fact, it was probably helpful for many who traveled into Jerusalem to buy an animal there rather than bring one with them.
However, they were likely charging prices that were unreasonable.
I just went on a quick flight to Atlanta this week. I experienced these high prices firsthand at the Tampa airport. I bought a pack of gum, a bottle of water, a mini tube of eyedrops, and a small pack of antibacterial wipes. My total was twenty-something dollars. I bought a sandwich by itself with no chips and drink, and it was about $12.
High prices, beyond what was reasonable. That’s likely what was happening.
Additionally, even if some of the sellers were not charging crazy prices, at times, something that is not necessarily evil can take the place of that which is most important.
What drove Jesus to be so angry was that they neglected the purpose of the Temple, which was to draw people into worship.
In verse 17, Jesus quotes Psalm 69:9 when He says, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Jesus was passionate about the Temple of God. He was zealous for people to truly worship God.
The outer courts of the Temple were to welcome people into the presence of God.
Instead, it had become a place of buying animals and converting money. The people had forgotten the main point.
They were going through the motions, but they lacked true worship. They ended up forgetting what really mattered, the worship of the One True God.
I wonder if some of us lack true worship. I wonder if, at times, our church lacks true worship.
Have you allowed other things to become the center of your worship?
Have we substituted our worship of God for a time that we come hear a nice sermon and feel good about ourselves?
Have we given up an opportunity to praise the King of the Universe in order to gain a time where we can sing songs that fit our traditions or preferences?
Have we exchanged entering into the presence of our Holy Father in order to enter into buildings that are beautiful and historic?
Hear me carefully: There’s not necessarily anything wrong with those things, but they should never take the place of the worship of the God of Heaven.
The people of Jerusalem were lacking true worship on that day Jesus drove out those animals and overturned those tables.
May that never be true of us. May we neglect the true worship of God.
Next, we see that . . .
II. They lacked true understanding.
Look again at verse 18. The Jewish leaders were surely not pleased that Jesus was doing this. So they asked Him:
“What sign will you show us for doing these things?”
This was a common practice in biblical times. People performed signs to show that they had authority or power to do certain acts.
Essentially, people were asking, “Who do you think you are?”
Here’s the reality: They didn’t know to whom they were talking. They lacked understanding about who Jesus was.
Then, we see in verse 19 that Jesus says He will give them a sign:
“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.”
However, the Jews lacked understanding again. They had no idea what Jesus was talking about.
They replied, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?”
They were talking about the physical Temple. The one Herod the Great renovated and expanded to try to make it match the grand stature of Solomon’s ancient temple.
Can you imagine something that took forty-six years to build being rebuilt in just three days? No way!
However, verse 21 helps us understand. It says that Jesus was talking about His body.
He would later be crucified and raised up again in three days.
Notice in verse 22 that John gives us a little comment to help us learn that the disciples would later connect the dots. They didn’t understand what Jesus was saying at the time, but they would later when He rose from the dead, and they remembered what he said.
When they had greater understanding, they had greater belief.
However, not everyone had true belief at that time.
That leads to our third point.
III. They lacked true belief.
Look at verses 23-25 with me:
23 While he was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. 24 Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all 25 and because he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.
Verse 23 starts off by saying that many believed in Jesus.
However, pay attention to why they believed. They believed when they saw the signs He was doing.
They didn’t believe because of who He was; they believed because of what He could do.
Is your belief in Jesus based on the reality that He is the Word who was in the beginning, was with God, and is God? Or, is your belief based simply on the fact that Jesus can bless you?
The reality is, Jesus can bless you, but He deserves your belief, worship, and devotion because of who He is.
Of course, the Jewish leaders of the time didn’t believe in Jesus at all. Their Messiah was standing right in front of them, and rather than believe in Him, they demanded that He show them a sign.
Notice also what verses 24 and 25 say. They’re actually a bit puzzling.
Verse 24 says that Jesus “ . . . would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all.”
Jesus did not show them all of who He is. He would not fully reveal Himself.
Jesus knew that humans are fickle. He also knew that some of those who celebrated Him for His miraculous works would later condemn Him to be crucified.
Verse 25 says that Jesus “ . . . did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.”
Jesus didn’t need the approval of the people. He didn’t need them to verify that He was some special human.
The reality is, Jesus was not merely human. He is God!
Further, Jesus knew that the hearts of humans are sinful. Their belief in Him was not based on a proper understanding of who He was. They lacked true belief.
What about you? What kind of belief do you have in Jesus?
Perhaps you don’t have any belief in Jesus.
Perhaps you have belief that is based merely on what Jesus can do for you.
May God grant you the grace that you have true belief that is based on a true understanding of who Jesus is, which results in true worship of Him.
That takes us to our bottom line for today:
Bottom Line: True worship is found in the true Temple: Jesus
Jesus said destroy the temple, and He would raise it up again.
Here’s what we need to see: Jesus is the true Temple.
The Temple was intended to usher people into the worship of God.
Jesus can do that; He can take us to God.
First Peter 3:18 says:
“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God.”
The Temple was intended to contain the presence of God. Jesus does that.
In Colossians 2:9, the Apostle Paul says:
“For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ.”
Jesus is the true Temple. Indeed, He was destroyed but raised up again in three days. His words came true.
Will you come to the only one who truly deserves your worship?
Will you surrender completely and experience the presence of God in the true temple, Jesus?
Challenge yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: Ground your worship, understanding, and belief in Jesus.
When you worship, worship with a true understanding of who Jesus really is.
When you worship, worship with a true belief in the greatness and glory of who Jesus really is.
Come to God through Jesus, and worship God through Jesus.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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