THE TIME JESUS CLEARED THE TEMPLE

John 2:12-25 / Keywords 2:19

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

 

2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts

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.

Footnotes

c. John 2:17 Psalm 69:9

d. John 2:23 Or in him

1. Many Jews came from all over Israel to Jerusalem during the holy festivals, including Jesus and his family, during the Passover holiday. The temple in Jerusalem was a sign of God's dwelling place and was the most holy place for the Jewish people. When Jesus saw people buying and selling in the temple courts, he became very upset and passionately cleared them all out. God's dwelling should not be a place of greed or selfish ambition. Likewise, it may take drastic measures to nurture our own life so God’s grace and love can grow and flourish. Sometimes, it is the things that we have always done that are the most difficult to notice we need to repent of.

 

2. When asked for a sign of his authority, Jesus made a reference to his own body as a temple. Jesus alluded to his own death and resurrection as God's sign. In Jesus, we have God dwelling among us. We have Jesus’ power to give us new life that overcomes our sin, suffering, and even death. We can put our faith in his authority.

 

Prayer Lord, you have come to purify our hearts so that you may dwell there. You have the power to give new life and cleanse us of all our sins.

One Word Purify my heart