Analysis
The first Passover of our Lord’s ministry is recorded in these passages. In sharp contrast with the previous passage, Jesus does not impose his authority quietly; he goes in with a whip. It’s obvious that he needed one; I would imagine people getting physically upset when someone dumps your table with wares on the ground. This is the first cleansing of the Temple. The second time right before his death is given in Matthew 23:38-39 and Luke 13:34-35.
There is also something to say about righteous anger which the Lord perfectly displays here. I believe that our Lord could perfectly judge the intentions of the traders in the Temple and thus display and enact His divine righteous anger. Jesus obviously embarrassed his disciples with such a public display of outrage but they remembered the words from Ps 69:9 and must have realised that what is going on here cannot be the right thing. There is no embarrassment for doing the right thing.
It is also ironic that before the Passover, the Jews meticulously go through their houses to look for any signs or traces of yeast or substance that could cause fermentation and cleansing every such manifestation from their home. Yet, here in the Temple, the holiest place, the yeast of the Pharisees and the money hungry Sadducees is flourishing and infecting all the Jewish worshippers around them. It was no secret that these leaders exploited the worshippers through their money changing and the selling of animals that were “good enough” (without blemish to the priest’s standard) for the sacrifice.
All of this leads up to the first altercation Jesus has with the Jews (Sadducees, etc.) as given in John’s Gospel. In no way can we be ignorant to the fact that the Pharisees and Sadducees by now know what transpired at the baptism of Jesus and how John the Baptist pointed to Him as the Messiah. It is in this light that they, firstly, recognise His authority through his words and his actions and secondly, as a result, demand a sign to prove himself to be the Messiah. Jesus offers the ultimate sign by saying that he will die and be risen up from the dead after three days. Ironically, it went over the heads of the scholars of the Old Testament as they should have noticed the sign from Mal 3:3 – “…he will purify the sons of Levi…”. John also explains (v22) that even the disciples did not understand until after the resurrection of Jesus.
And then John ends chapter 2 with the observation that Jesus knows our every being. He knows when we have committed in our hearts to Him and not just because of the outward signs he performed.
What is your Response?
The fact that the selling and trading and extortion were commonplace in the temple shows that the people just accepted the sin as everyday normal life. The people’s hearts were blunted to the sins in their faces. There is a lot of sin in this world that is accepted as the norm or just overlooked because of fear of ridicule from the world.
When Jesus comes into your life, He is going to throw out all the clutter and corruption sin is manifesting in your life. He is going to go in there to cleanse you of all you iniquity. You will come out a changed person on the other side. Jesus demonstrated that in the public sphere of the temple, not one, but twice. He will also do so in my life for as many times that it takes to get me washed and clean before him.
How is it possible for me to be cleaned by Jesus ? Through his death and resurrection. Not by any wondrous sign or miracle but by the amazing love he has for me that he displayed perfectly by willingly dying on the cross for me (breaking down His temple) and rising 3 days later (building up His temple).
John in essence is saying (v24) that if we commit 100% to Jesus, he is faithful to forgive our sins and clean our lives.
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