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.”[c]
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.[d] 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.
c. John 2:17 Psalm 69:9
d. John 2:23 Or in him
Jesus threw a temper tantrum in church. Good for Him.
OK.... I think the language is the issue with this wonderful story. I would like to put it in language I can understand better. I never understood that "rebuild the temple in three days" stuff.... until this morning. I didn't get it the last time I went through John either.... chapter by chapter didn't let me see it clearly.
According to the commentary at blueletterbible.org, this is not the only time Jesus ransacked the money changers. According to the commentary.... Jesus did this twice. The other three gospels discuss the second tantrum. However, the easy English site says they were all reporting on the same event. I wasn't there so I don't know how many times He did this. I'm just glad He did and that I finally understand it.
Once a year all the descendants of Jacob [Israel] had to go to Jerusalem to the Temple to pray at Passover. In Exodus 12, the Bible tells us that God had the people kill a lamb and spread the blood of that lamb all over their front doorway. That night, the angel of death went through and killed the first born of everyone and everything that didn't have blood over their front doorway. This became known as the Passover and it had to be celebrated every year by every descendant of Jacob [Israel]. So once a year.... everyone had to go to the Temple in Jerusalem and pray.
Now... this Temple that Jesus was at... the building itself.... was not the original Temple built by Solomon. That Temple had been destroyed. Israel had been invaded and the Temple was totally destroyed.... remember the Babylonians? When they invaded they murdered or castrated the men, and murdered or raped the women before putting a ring in their nose so they could lead them to Babylon by the nose. Daniel was one of those castrated males. Anyway... they destroyed the Temple too.
After the proper amount of time... God started the ball rolling and the Temple was rebuilt. It was never brought to the beauty and splendor of Solomon's Temple.... but it was a good place to pray. Apparently, though, the Temple reconstruction was run by the government and it came at a cost. Everyone that came to Temple had to pay a Temple tax.
The Temple was divided into sections. Of course there was the Holy of Holies.... that's where only the Chief Priest would go on very special occasions... with a rope tied around him in case he did something stupid and God struck him dead. It was a real fear for those priests. There was a larger court were the Jewish men would worship. Yep... no women or slaves allowed. The women and slaves of the Jewish males had to worship in another "outer" court. Then there was another court for the Gentiles to worship. The reason there was a place for the Gentiles to worship and the Jewish Temple... was they were the people who believed in the One True Living God... but they weren't a descendant of Jacob by pure blood.
It was in that last court.... the court for the Gentiles.... that the venders set up shop. So when the good Gentiles came to worship.... there was no room or quiet atmosphere for them.
The vendors and money changers were a smart lot. A couple million descendants of Jacob [Israel], along with their women, slaves, children, and gentile friends would gather in Jerusalem for this event. Those men had to have a sacrifice to offer. Each and every person.... male, female, slave, free, gentile or descendant.... had to have at least one animal, bird, oil, or grain to sacrifice for their sins. It was a long journey and along the road there were bandits. They knew the descendants of Jacob [Israel] had to make the trek and they were there waiting to rob them.... like wolves watching a herd of sheep.... ready to pounce... the bandits hid along the road. So the people didn't bring their animals with them... they brought coins to purchase an animal in Jerusalem.... and they sewed the money inside their clothes or packs for safe keeping. So they would have it when they got there.
Back in the days of Jesus.... there were lots of different coins from the different regions. Some coins were good metal and some were poor. Like some coins were made of gold or silver.... while others were made of iron or some other metal. Some had the face of a governor on them... and some didn't. So... when the descendants of Jacob [Israel] got to Jerusalem .... they had to pay a temple tax and that required a certain coin that the government would accept. I guess the easiest way to explain it would be to say they couldn't pay the Roman tax with home made coins. They had to have their coins weighed and converted to Roman coin to pay the Roman tax. That was the at the pleasure of the money changers.... who had sole say over how much each coin was worth in "their" coins.
The venders and money changers took over the Gentile court.... leaving them no quiet place to worship. The gentiles never saw the quiet worship. All they knew of the Temple was the exclusion of it all.... men.... women and slaves.... and everyone else..... and everyone else had to compete with the greed of the money changers and the animal vendors to pray. That's what made Jesus angry.
John says that Jesus made a whip out of cord. I can just see Him now.... walking around the gentile court.... looking over all the fine animals.... ready for purchase.... listening to the vendors like carnival barkers.... "for the low low price of only $39.99 you can give this prime lamb as your finest sacrifice"..... and listening to the money changers.... ripping off the poor to line their own pockets. Jesus was walking through the crowds, looping a handle of cord for His hand constructed whip..... and when He couldn't take it one more second.... He ripped those vendors and money changers a new one.... He ran off their livestock and turned over their money changing tables.... all the coins scattered all over the ground of the gentile court.... no one would have known which coins belonged to which money changer. It was a violet chaos. I bet He was not smiling.
At the news of the chaos.... the Pharisees were hustled right out there.... and according to verse 18 they wanted to know who told Jesus He could destroy those tables and disrupt the Passover event for them. They had to be livid. Can you imagine what it would be like if someone walked into a farmer's market and tore it down? They wanted to know "just what makes you think you can get away with this?"
In verse 23 it says that Jesus didn't trust the humans. He was there when they had been sculpted. He knew the high hopes God had for those humans when they were sculpted.... He also knew they would disappoint God by going bad.... getting greedy.... or worshipping power.... so Jesus didn't let His guard down around them. He also knew.... that when He tore up the market in the Gentile Court..... He made enemies... and they were going to put Him on a Cross. He had stuff to do first... there was a woman who would be waiting at the well..... so He couldn't let His guard down.
They asked Him who told Him He could do that. He knew they were threatening Him.
His answer was clever.... so clever... it couldn't be translated in easy English..... but translated.... into today's lingo... based on what I read and what Jesus knew.... His answer was clever.....
Jesus replied to those angry Pharisees.... [paraphrased]..... "So.... What are you going to do to me? Kill me?"
