seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 2:13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
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Here's the link to the commentary I read.The Passover of the Jews was at hand: Jerusalem would be crowded with thousands of visitors coming at Passover. The temple mount would be particularly crowded, and Jesus saw many doing business in the outer courts of the temple.
The moneychangers doing business: “Astonishing as it may sound, it is likely that as many as two and a quarter million Jews sometimes assembled in the Holy City to keep the Passover.” (Barclay) According to Barclay, they all had to pay the temple tax, which was the equivalent of about two days wages for a working man — but had to be paid in the special temple coin. This is why the moneychangers did so much business.
The Passover of the Jews: “Our Evangelist repeatedly refers to festivals as festivals ‘of the Jews’ — not because he himself was not a Jew by birth and upbringing (he was), but because many of his readers would be Gentiles, unacquainted with the details of the Jewish sacred year.” (Bruce)
He drove them all out... poured out the changers’ money and overturned tables: Those doing business in the outer courts of the temple spoiled the only place where Gentiles could come and worship. This area (the court of the Gentiles) was made into a house of merchandise.
What sign do You show to us, since You do these things? This wasn’t necessarily a bad question. Anyone who drove the merchants out from the temple courts claimed the authority to do it. The Jews wanted to know if Jesus really had this authority. The problem is that they demanded a sign from Jesus to prove it.
Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up: Jesus spoke here of the temple of His body. He probably even gestured to Himself as He said this. Jesus knew that these religious leaders would attempt to destroy His body, but He also knew that they would not succeed.
The irony is that the religious leaders themselves would be the means by which the prophecy was fulfilled. When Jesus said, “Destroy this temple,” He knew that they would in fact do their best to destroy it.
Destroy this temple: Jesus wasn’t against the temple, but He certainly looked beyond it. He told the Samaritan woman that there was a day coming when people would no longer worship at a temple in Samaria or Jerusalem, but they would worship God in Spirit and in truth.
Many believed in His name when they saw the signs: Jesus knew that this was thin, superficial belief. It wasn’t based on anything other than an admiration of the spectacular. Knowing this, Jesus did not commit Himself to them.
He knew what was in man: Knowing what was and is in humanity, Jesus still loves. He knew and knows the worst; yet also sees the image of God, even upon fallen men and women.
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Jesus needed a way to get on the Cross. The best way to do that would be to draw attention to Himself.
John the Disciple is writing about Jesus taking the "money" out of the Temple. According to the commentary, Jesus did this more than once. I haven't studied the dates the other disciples used for their descriptions of Jesus having a temper tantrum in church.
Humans love shiny coins. Money is like little idols to the money grubbers. There are money grubbers in every church, synagogue, or Temple.
The money grubbers figured out a way to make a buck off of the people who came to Jerusalem to worship.
The Temple was a segregated place. Some Jews had to bring Gentiles with them [caregivers or slaves comes to mind]. The Gentiles were only allowed in certain parts of the Temple. It was kind of like the balconies in the Southern Churches being held for the slaves back in the day.
That's where the money grubbers set up their rip off stores. People had to buy a special coin to give to the church. The money grubbers would sell them that special coin at a hefty profit. The people would need to buy a live animal for sacrifice. The money grubbers controlled the price of the sacrifice.
The money grubbers were making a profit off of the Temple. Jesus could not abide by that. I bet He had conversations with His Father God about that while they were preparing for His trip to Earth.
Jesus dumped their tables and combined their livestock. They would have been on their hands and knees looking for any shiny little object. They would have been crying over all the doves who just flew off.... hoo hoo hoo!
The venders must have had a deal with the Pharisees and Sadducees to use the court. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were probably paid to look the other way. They were not happy with Jesus.
In modern day language... I bet the conversation would go something like this....
Pharisee: "Who told you to do this? Who do you think you are, coming in here and causing all this trouble?"
Jesus "You want a part of me? Come on.... you won't hold me more than three days. Go ahead take your best shot."
The sad part is they thought they were "doing the right thing" opening up that money grubbing shop. They thought they were "allowing choice".
I wonder, when Jesus and Our Father were getting Jesus ready for the Mission, did they look down on the money grubbers and say.... "we'll start there, that should rile them up enough to use the Cross"?
It looks like Jesus threw a temper tantrum in the Temple.
Did He?
Jesus threw a temper tantrum in the Temple?
