#1464 John 2 Part 2 Consumed

 

13 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this sanctuary, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking about the sanctuary of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, when they saw His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He had no need that anyone bear witness concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. John 2: 13-25 LSB

John 2: 13-25 Zeal for Your House

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12: 1-13

And the Passover of the Jews was near - The Passover was a feast instituted by God when the Israelites were in Egypt. It was to be continued every year in each generation, teaching the children that without the shedding of blood there is no remittance of sin. This was a shadow, a picture of what was to come and be fulfilled in Christ, the sinless Lamb of God. Just as those with the blood painted on the doorway were saved from the angel of death, so those found in Christ will be saved from God's infinitely Holy and just wrath. This is an important holiday, it is the perfect leger of a Holy God, Who has willed to show grace to some but not at the cost of His own righteousness. It is God's redemptive plan, the call of sinners from eternity past through the Son, Who makes such an act of mercy possible by His atoning sacrifice, realized by the power of the Holy Spirit calling to life those who will believe. There is no more serious matter than this, nothing more valuable to discuss.

Jesus went up to Jerusalem - Jesus was obedient and fulfilled all righteousness, attending the Passover even as a young man. 

41Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. 42And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the Feast. 43When those days were over and they were returning home, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware He had stayed.… Luke 2: 41-43

V. 14 And He found in the temple - It was a long journey for many, from all over the Roman empire, and so some purchased their sacrificial oxen, sheep and doves once they arrived in Jerusalem and not everyone would raise sheep. Note that is says, "found in the temple", because this exchange use to be outside, but for the liberal priests it had become a market place. The Roman Catholic church and the prosperity teachers of our day would offer the similar picture of this in apostate Christianity.

…28A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God. Romans 2: 28-29

“The very fact of the market being held there would produce an unseemly mixture of sacred and profane transactions, even setting aside the abuses which would be certain to be mingled with the traffic.” (Alford)

ii. 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. - E Word

V. 15 And He made a scourge of cords - He, God, belonged here, this was His house, and it had become stained, tainted by the greed of the Sadducees. It was not being treated as God's house, but as a house of commerce, a house of unjust weights and out of place priorities. It is estimated that from across the Roman kingdom there were anywhere from 1 to 2 million Jews who converged on Jerusalem annually for this festival. This was like bike week where I grew up, some little bars made more money in that week than all the rest of the year, and at the temple this became known as the Bazaars of Anas, the old high priest who still ran the mafia there of that time. The temptation to grab riches off the backs of pilgrims has inspired the creepy of every age, selling indulgences, prayer handkerchiefs, self help books and holy water.   

…18For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,… Philippians 3: 18-20

V. 16 Stop making My Father's house a place of business - This should make so many look around and take account of their "religious" surroundings. This is a statement of authority, this explains the calm braiding of the whip before the storm, this is His Father's house, and you have not been invited here to behave in this way. Think about this too, He has made Creation as well, so Who does that belong to? Who has the right to unmake what no longer glorifies them, or pleases Him?

…9Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 11But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.… 1 Timothy 6: 9-11

V. 17 His disciples remembered - They recalled the Psalmist David, King of Israel, who had become so passionate about His God, calling the people to a more meaningful relationship. The cry of many a pastor throughout the time of the gentiles, tired of a godless people going through the motions, but not loving the Lord Who died for them. So many today believe that the worship service is for them, but David came to worship God. It is not about you, you bring nothing to the cross but the reason for the cross. 

…8I have become a stranger to my brothers and a foreigner to my mother’s sons, 9because zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me. 10I wept and fasted, but it brought me reproach.… Psalm 69: 8-10

V. 18 What sign - They were all about the signs and wonders, the free fish and bread, but now they were angry because He attacked their god of profit, profit at the cost of integrity, the loss of reverence for the office they were to uphold. Strange they don't ask, "what reason do You do this, what are we doing that is so wrong?" The disciples are starting to get it, somehow they see that it is zeal for His Father's house. I have sat down with many evangelicals and Roman Catholics and tried to discuss matters from the point of Scripture, but, and I am not innocent in this because I come from their ranks, they answer me with how they feel rather than contextually. They are ripe for every sign and wonder, "did you here what happened over there? It was a miracle, the statue of Mary cried, the sky turned all sorts of colors and glowed with a strange light (this turned out to be aurora borealis), I feel like I am doing the right thing because God is blessing me financially. God spoke a word to me, or to someone else for me, saying that I was meant to be rich, famous, or find love." If Christ would have come with that message the Pharisees and the Sadducees would have fought each other to be the first to embrace Him. Instead He comes calling sinners to repentance and these men think, "that's not us, I don't need a lecture, I don't need a Savior." 

V. 19 Destroy this Sanctuary and in three days I will raise it up - He was talking about His body, the place where the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. 

V. 20 It took 46 years to build this Sanctuary - They are not on the same page, He is talking about His body which is only some 30 years old. They are talking about the temple, but again, this is the One through Whom all things were made and for Whom all things were made, in six days, the heavens and the earth. He will demonstrate this sort of power as the Creator throughout His ministry, but they suppress everything having to do with Him and His gospel of self denial. 

17For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.… Romans 1: 17-19

V. 22 His disciples remembered that He had said this - We are very reactionary, and even today with all this example written down for us, still we read briskly, coming across such things as, "if they hated Me they will hate you also", and we think, "certainly not, I am too likable for that." Jesus' talk about His coming arrest, trial and crucifixion did not go over well with those wanting the Kingdom they had imagined in their minds, and still seeing themselves as good men, it was difficult to understand the need for Him to come as a Lamb before He struck as a Lion. 

…7‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ” 8Then they remembered His words. 9And when they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.… Luke 24: 7-9

43and He took it and ate it in front of them. 44 Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” 45Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.… Luke 24: 43-45

Many believed in His name - In the verses following this seems to describe a superficial response to the miracles.

…20The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.… Matthew 13: 20-22

THOUGHT - These persons (MANY) do not appear to have really believed with the heart (ED: see Ro 10:9,10+), but to have been only convinced in their understandings (ED: SO-CALLED "INTELLECTUAL ASSENT"). The distinction between intellectual belief and saving belief, and between one degree of saving belief and another, ought to be carefully noticed in Scripture. There is a faith which devils have (James 2:19+), and a faith which is the gift of God (Eph 2:8+, cf Ro 2:4+). The persons mentioned in this verse had the former, but not the latter. So also we are told that Simon Magus “believed.” (Acts 8:13+) Again, there is a real heart-belief which a man may have that admits of great increase. This is the belief spoken of in the preceding verse. (J C Ryle) - Precept Austin

V. 25 He had no need that anyone bear witness concerning man - We can't see the hearts of men, but our actions show what is in our hearts to do. We are told to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves, and also to look for fruit. A tree is known by it's fruit. I have no right to pass any final judgment on a person, only to tell them what sin leads to, to repent and be saved by trusting in Jesus. Many of these people saw and believed what they saw, miracles, even professed the first part, believing in His name, but God looks at the heart. Many will say Lord, Lord, but He will say, depart from Me I never knew you. The miracles showed Who He is, that He was God, but the demons know that and they tremble. We can intellectually ascent to the fact that we saw or felt something, but like the old saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. We have to look for fruit, but Christ saw one of His own disciples and knew him to be a devil. Judas saw the miracles, walked with Christ, was taught by Christ, and yet like the seed on the rocks or amongst the weeds and thorns, his root was shallow. He wasn't born again. 

…17“I have no husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said to her, “You are correct to say that you have no husband. 18In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.” 19“Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You are a prophet.… John 4: 17-19

…38then may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions and spreading out his hands toward this temple— 39be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and act, and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart— for You alone know the hearts of all men— 40so that they may fear You all the days they live in the land that You gave to our fathers.… 1 Kings 8: 38-40

…8But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.… Romans 10: 8-10

…20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. 22Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.…

…23Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you. 25Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come.… Revelation 2: 20-25