Scripture: John 2:13-25
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.14
In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons,
and the money-changers at their business. 15 And making a whip of cords,
he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured
out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And
he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall
not make my Father's house a house of trade." 17 His disciples remembered
that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." 18 The Jews
then said to him, "What sign have you to show us for doing this?" 19 Jesus
answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it
up." 20 The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this
temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he spoke of the
temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture
and the word which Jesus had spoken. 23 Now when he was in Jerusalem
at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs
which he did; 24 but Jesus did not trust himself to them, 25 because he
knew all men and needed no one to
bear witness of man; for he himself knew what was in man.
Meditation: What can keep us from the presence of God? Jesus’ dramatic cleansing of the temple was seen by his disciples as a prophetic sign of God’s action. The temple was understood as the dwelling place of God among his people. When God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt, he brought them through the sea, and finally to Mount Sinai where he made a covenant with them and gave them a new way of life embodied in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). God gave Moses instruction for worship and for making the Tabernacle, or tent of meeting, which was later replaced by the temple. The New Testament tells us that these “serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary” – God’s Temple in heaven (Hebrews 8:5). Jesus’ cleansing of the temple is also a prophetic sign of what he wants to do with each of us. He ever seeks to cleanse us of sin and make us living temples of his Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). Do you thirst for holiness?
Jesus referred to the temple as his Father’s house which was being
made into “house of trade” (John 2:16) or “den of robbers” (Mark 11:17).
That is why he used physical force to expel the money-chargers. The
prophecy of Malachi foretold the coming of the Lord unexpectedly to his
Temple to “purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver,
till they present right offerings to the Lord” (Malachi3:1-4). Jesus' disciples
recalled the words of Psalm 69: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
This was understood as a Messianic prophecy. Here the disciples saw more
clearly Jesus as the Messiah who burned with zeal for God's house. The
Jewish authorities, however, wanted proof that Jesus had divine authority
to act as he did. They demanded a sign from God to prove Jesus right, otherwise,
they would treat him as an imposter and a usurper of their authority. Jesus
replied that the sign God would give would be his resurrection: "Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up". The Jews did not understand
that the temple Jesus referred to was his own body. The “tent of his body”
had to be destroyed to open the way to the presence of God for us. Through
his death and resurrection, Jesus not only reconciles us with God, but
he fills us with his Holy Spirit and make us temples of the living God
(1 Cor. 6:19-20). God's word enlightens our minds and purifies our hearts
that we may offer God fitting worship and enjoy his presence both now and
forever. Do you burn with zeal for the Lord’s house?
"Lord Jesus Christ, you open wide the door of your Father’s house and
you bid us to enter confidently that we may worship in spirit and truth.
Help me to draw near to your throne of mercy with gratitude and joy".