Read John 2:12-22.

Introduction⤒🔗

A Christian man describes his conversion and subsequent Christian life in these terms: One evening that I shall never forget, I invited Christ into my heart. He came into the darkness of my heart and turned on the light. He built a fire in the cold hearth and banished the chill. He filled the emptiness with His own loving, wonderful fellowship.

That man then announced to Christ, “Lord, everything I have belongs to You. Let me show You around and acquaint You with the various rooms of my life, Your new home!”

He first took Christ into “the library,” (the study of the mind). What would Christ find in your “library” or mine? Is it filled with romance novels? Would He find there any copies of pornographic magazines? What about the T. V.? Would He find it constantly turned on? Would He find it being used with little or no discretion? Would He find it polluting our mind with immorality, wanton violence, obscene “humor,” and the hedonistic philosophy of the world: if it feels good, do it? How about the use, or misuse, of the internet?

Next the man took Christ into the “dining room,” (the appetites and desires of one’s life). How much of our weekly budget of time do we spend on such “junk food” items as sports, internet viewing, or just hanging out at the coffee shop? How much do we spend on such unhealthy fare as gossiping with friends, fighting with our spouse, struggling with our parents? How much of our weekly budget of time is spent on soul nourishing “foods:” reading the Bible and engaging in times of prayer, using our spiritual gifts for the glory of Christ and the sake of His body, the church?

Then that man and the Savior proceeded downstairs to “the recreation room,” (that part of the life reserved for entertainment and friendships). Do we have Christian friends? Have we asked the Lord to provide us with a good Christian friend? Is our life filled with unwholesome friendships: friends who have no time for God and no place for God in their lives? Do our unbelieving friends draw us away from Christ? Or are we, by our life and witness, drawing them to Christ?

Once back upstairs, they walked past “the hall closet,” (the secret part of one’s life); but Christ would not allow it to remain off limits and outside of His inspection and control. What needs to be cleaned out of our “hall closets”? Is it a long-held grudge against someone for a wrong committed against us? Is a particular case of jealousy or envy? Is it a love affair with a liquor bottle? As Christians, we must live lives that are consecrated to Christ, because that is what Christ demands of us.

In the passage of John 2:12-22 we find the Lord Jesus coming to the temple in Jerusalem, taking offense at what He finds there, and then taking the dramatic action of cleansing that holy place. The temple in Jerusalem no longer stands as the earthly dwelling place of God; today, the LORD has made the church of Christ and the individual Christian’s life the temple and dwelling place of His Holy Spirit:

...do you not realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You do not belong to yourself; ²⁰for you were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God with your body. 1 Cor. 6:19-20

Both as the church of Christ and as individual believers in Christ, we must live lives that are consecrated to Christ, because that is what Christ demands of us.

Consecrate Yourself to the LORD, because This is Your Calling←⤒🔗

John informs us that this act of cleansing the temple took place when “the Passover of the Jews was at hand.” The Passover was one of the three great feasts of the Jewish religious calendar; one of the three times in the year when all the Jewish males were required to appear before the LORD.

It should be noted that in conjunction with the Passover, (directions for its annual observance are given in Exodus 12:1-14), there occurred the Feast of Unleavened Bread, (directions for its annual observance are given in Exodus 12:15-20). On the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month, the Jews partook of the Passover meal; then, commencing on the fifteenth day of the month, and continuing for seven days, they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread.¹ Thus, these two sacred festivals were closely connected to one another.

What was the significance of the Passover? It was the yearly commemoration of the LORD’s miraculous deliverance of His people from their Egyptian bondage, sparing them from the divine judgment that befell Egypt, by virtue of their homes (and lives) being covered by the shed blood of the sacrificial lamb. The Passover event itself was a type, (or living, prophetic model), that depicted the LORD’s deliverance of His people from their affiliation with the sinful world, by virtue of the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus the Messiah, upon the cross of Calvary.

What was the significance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread? As the name indicates, the significance of this feast lies in the fact that the people were required to eat nothing other than unleavened bread throughout the entire seven-day period. This requirement is emphasized in Exodus 12:15,

For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread. On the first day remove the leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything with leaven in it from the first day through the seventh shall be cut off from Israel.

As the O.T. commentators, Keil & Delitzsch, explain: As bread may be regarded as the symbol of life, so the unleavened loaves were symbolic of the new life, cleansed from the leaven of a sinful nature.² They go on to explain, (and for the sake of clarity we paraphrase them): Since the eating of the unleavened bread symbolized the new life into which the people of Israel had been transferred, [by virtue of the atoning sacrifice provided by the Passover lamb], anyone who ate leavened bread at the feast was renouncing this new life, and, therefore, ”shall be cut off from Israel.”³

Thus, the message being graphically reiterated by means of this sacred feast is the fact that the people of God are to be wholly consecrated to their Lord and Savior; this being symbolized by their eating of unleavened bread, bread that was “unpolluted” with the presence of leaven. The Apostle Paul alludes to this symbolic usage of the unleavened bread when he exhorts the Corinthian Christians to live lives of moral purity:

Get rid of the old leaven so that you may be a new batch [of dough] without leaven, just as you are unleavened, for Christ, our Passover [Lamb], has been sacrificed. ⁸Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Cor. 5:7-8

The message being graphically reiterated by means of the Feast of Unleavened Bread occurring in close connection with the observance of Passover is the fact that the people redeemed by the LORD were being redeemed for the LORD; they were redeemed to become His holy people. The Apostle Paul reminds the Corinthian church of this fact:

...do you not realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You do not belong to yourself; ²⁰for you were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God with your body. 1 Cor. 6:19-20

The Lord’s cleansing of the temple, coming at the time when the people of Israel were about to observe the annual Passover, with the accompanying Feast of Unleavened Bread, powerfully bears witness to His demand that His people be a consecrated people.

Let us, therefore, consecrate ourselves to the Lord, because, as a Christian, this is our calling.

Consecrate Yourself to the LORD, or You will Experience His Indignation←⤒🔗

Upon entering the temple courts, Jesus found the sacred precincts occupied by peddlers and money-hungry merchants. Some were selling sacrificial animals to the worshipers; others were carrying on a profitable trade as moneychangers. “The ‘changers of money’ plied their trade because it was only permitted to make money offerings in the temple in the approved currency. Men from other countries would bring all sorts of coinage with them and this had to be changed into acceptable coinage.”⁴

It must be noted that beyond the temple confines, on the Mount of Olives, there were four markets where pilgrims could buy doves and other ritually pure objects of sacrifice for temple offerings. It was there, too, that the money-changers legitimately carried on their business. There was no need for such trade to be conducted within the temple precincts. As a matter of fact, it appears that the sale of sacrificial animals, and all that such trade entailed, was a recent innovation, introduced by the High Priest Caiaphas, who wished to set up a market that would be in competition with the traditional markets located on the Mount of Olives. Thus, the transaction of business within the courts of the temple was an exceptional and shocking desecration, started by Caiaphas around the year 30 A.D., (some forty years before the final destruction of the temple and the city in 70 A.D.)⁵

Upon witnessing this abominable spectacle, the Lord Jesus fashioned a whip and proceeded to cleanse the temple. The sheep and oxen were driven out of the temple precinct, with the merchants fleeing behind them. The profits of the moneychangers were poured out upon the floor as their tables were overturned.

Can this be an act of righteous anger and indignation performed by the sweet and gentle Jesus, as He is pictured by so many people; the “harmless Jesus,” whose placid portrait adorns so many homes?

This is an act of the holy Son of God when His righteous eyes witness an offense to the sanctity of His Father’s house; when His eyes behold His Father’s house turned into a common marketplace, instead of being maintained as a hallowed place of worship; when His eyes behold love and devotion to money instead of love and devotion to God; when His eyes behold religious formality and the entertaining of sin, rather than purity of life and commitment of heart to God.

To bear the name of Christ, but to persistently practice impurity of life-—in any part of our lives-—is to invite an encounter with the righteous indignation of the holy Son of God. Let us soberly bear in mind the words of the Apostle Paul, “Do we dare provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” (1 Cor. 10:22)

What is true on an individual basis is equally true on a corporate level. The Apostle Peter warns that the sanctifying/separating judgment of God will begin with the house of God. Referring to the suffering the church was undergoing, Peter declares, “the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins first with us, what shall be the final destiny of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17) In other words, the Lord will purge and purify His church before He finally judges the world. Indeed, our Lord’s cleansing of the temple was a messianic act of purging, in accordance with the prophecy of Malachi 3:1-3,

...the LORD, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple...²But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. ³He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Note: The sons of Levi are here representative of the whole covenant nation.

The church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the United States, at the close of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century, is fearfully ripe for such a visitation. Two Christian researchers offer the following assessment of their findings:

...numerous indicators suggest that rather than adhering to a Christian philosophy of life that is occasionally tarnished by lapses into infidelity, many Christians are profoundly secularized, and only occasionally do they respond to conditions and situations in a Christian manner. Recent research shows that many Christians are especially vulnerable to the worldly philosophies of materialism, humanism, and hedonism.⁶

Regarding materialism: Two out of three [professing Christians] express such love for money, possessions, and other material objects that their Christianity cannot be said to rule their hearts. For instance, more than half of the Christian public believes that they “never have enough money to buy what they need;” not what they “want,” but what they “need.” [In other words, these professing Christians have re-interpreted their “wants” as “needs” or “necessities.”] One out of four believers claim that “the more things you have, the more successful you’ve been.” Not only are these beliefs counter to those expressed in Scripture, but the fact that the proportion of Christians who affirm these values is equivalent to the proportion of non-Christians who hold similar views indicates how meaningless Christianity has been in the lives of millions of professing believers.⁷

...seven out of ten Christians support at least some of the principles central to the humanist perspective. Attitudes about abortion provide such a clue. The fact that forty percent of the “born-again” [quotation marks added] public believes that there is no right or wrong position on this matter intimates their frivolous, clouded understanding of the sanctity of human life in the eyes of God, and the responsibility that we have to honor God through life.

Similarly, forty-two percent of Christians interviewed said that without the government laws there would be no real guidelines for people to follow in daily life. When close to half of the Christian body overlook the Bible as an authoritative guideline for society, the restricted relevance of faith and spiritual commitment in peoples’ lives becomes clear.⁸

A recent national survey discovered that no fewer than seven out of ten Christians are prone to hedonistic attitudes about life. The study found...strong support among Christians for the...notion that an individual is free to do whatever pleases him, as long as it does not hurt others. Two out of five Christians maintain that such thinking is proper, thus effectively rejecting the unconditional code of ethics and morality taught in the Bible. A similar proportion of [professing Christians] deny the possibility that pain or suffering could be a means of becoming a better, more mature individual. That, of course, refutes the scriptural teaching that pain and suffering are a means to perfect our faith. As a final example, three out of ten Christians agree, “nothing in life is more important than having fun and being happy.” The Word of God clearly teaches that the highest values are those of praising God, obeying his commands, and seeking his Kingdom.⁹

...even on purely spiritual matters an appallingly high ratio of Christians strays from the nucleus of their professed faith. One out of five “born-again” [quotation marks added] people do not even consider religion to hold a place of great importance in their lives. One in ten asserts that many of the values and principles taught in the Bible are outdated and of little practical use. Twenty percent consider the mere possibility of sacrificing their lives for the advancement of Christianity to be out of the question.¹⁰

Let us soberly consider what the LORD has done in other parts of His church, and what instruments He has seen fit to use: An East European scientist told us, “Communism with the suffering it has brought to believers has swept away corrupt and lukewarm Christianity in our country. It has created a vacuum in millions of people...that can be truly filled only with vital Christianity. And that is what is happening: Christianity, purified and revitalized, is spreading throughout our country.”¹¹

Let us consecrate ourselves to the LORD, lest we incur His righteous indignation.

Consecrate Yourself to the LORD, by Exhibiting Zeal for God←⤒🔗

The Lord Jesus identifies the temple as “my Father’s house,” and the words of Psalm 69:9 are applied to Him: “Zeal for your house shall consume me.” Our Lord Jesus Christ was consumed with an all-encompassing passion for God: love for God, devotion to God; the fulfilling of the great commandment, as expressed in Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”

When it comes to the glory and honor of God, our Lord Jesus Christ is consumed with holy and godly zeal. The example He sets for us in matters of religion is not one of cold formalism or pious indifference. It is, rather, that of holy passion for God and for His honor and glory, for His house and His kingdom, for His righteousness and truth.

By the standards of the world, it is appropriate to display fanatical passion at such things as a sporting event or a rock concert. It is expected that one shall not hesitate to sacrifice himself and his family, giving all that it takes, to make a success in the realm of business. But in the matter of religion, zeal and devotion are looked upon with the highest degree of contempt: they are considered to be abnormal and dangerous to the peace of society. In the eyes of the world, the ideal religion is that which is polite, tolerant, and kept “locked away in the closet of private opinion.” This is precisely what a thoroughly secularized government wishes to implement upon the society when it begins to speak about “freedom of worship,” (implying the limitation of religious expression to the confines of houses of worship), instead of “freedom of religion,” (with all that that freedom was intended to consist of, namely, the full and public expression of the Christian faith).

But the religion of the Bible, the truth of God, must be lived out to the full in a life of devotion to God, imitating the zeal of the Lord Jesus Christ for the things of God His Father.

The Lord Jesus teaches us by His life and actions that the one thing you cannot do in moderation is serve God: “[Jesus] said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment’” (Matt. 22:37). Addressing the church in Ephesus, the Lord Jesus declares, “I know your works, [I know] that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were [either] cold or hot. ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16).

Let us consecrate ourselves to the LORD, by exhibiting zeal for God and His kingdom. What this means is seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness; growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; drawing spiritual life from Christ; and living a life that revolves around Christ rather than around ourselves.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

As Christians, we must live consecrated lives, because that is Christ’s demand. Christ not only demands that we live consecrated lives, Christ also stands ready to forgive when we confess our sins and He stands ready to supply His own power to live a new and consecrated life for God. We all need to be pointed to Christ as the Source of cleansing as well as the Source of spiritual power.

Let us hear again that Christian who describes his conversion and the living of the Christian life in terms of Christ coming to occupy his life as one takes ownership of a house:

I said to myself, 'I have been trying to keep this heart of mine clear for Christ. I start on one room and no sooner have I cleaned that then another room is dirty. I begin on the second room and the first room becomes dusty again. I am so tired and weary trying to maintain a clean heart and obedient life. I just am not up to it!' So I ventured a question: Lord, is there any chance that you would take over the responsibility of the whole house and operate it for me? Would you take the responsibility to keep my heart what it ought to be and my life where it ought to be?

He replied, 'Certainly, that is what I came to do. You cannot live the Christian life in your own strength. That is impossible. Let me do it through you and in you. That is the way.'¹²

Review Question←⤒🔗

1. When Jesus enters the temple, what does He find, and what does He do? See Jn. 2:14-15. What do you think of Jesus’ display of anger; how does this act compare with your view of Jesus? If you find it to be startling and out of character for Jesus to exhibit such a display of righteous anger, what does that tell you about your view of Jesus, is it not less than biblical? Do you find it shocking that God should express His righteous indignation; if so, why? Note Psl. 7:11; also, Jer. 10:6-7a,

In the temple courts he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting [at their tables]. ¹⁵He made a whip out of cords and drove all [the animals] from the temple courts, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned their tables. Jn. 2:14-15

God is a righteous judge; indeed, a God who has indignation [with the wicked] every day. Psl. 7:11

Inasmuch as [there is] none like you, O LORD, (you are great, and your name is great in might), ⁷who should not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your rightful due... Jer. 10:6-7a

2. What motivated the Lord Jesus to express His righteous anger? See Jn. 2:16-17. How do you react when the things of God are blasphemed, or the sacred name of God is taken in vain? Are you, yourself, guilty of doing such things? What does the LORD say about those who take His holy name in vain? See Ex. 20:7,

¹⁶To those who were selling doves he said, Take these things out of here; do not make my Father’s house into a marketplace. ¹⁷His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for your house shall consume me. Jn. 2:16-17

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Ex. 20:7

3. John informs us that Jesus cleansed the temple at the beginning of His public ministry, He would do so again at the very close of His ministry (cf. Mk. 11:15-18). How does this act compare with the prophecy of Malachi 3:1b-2 concerning the appearing of the Messiah? What does Jesus’ act tell us about His true identity? How is this present act a precursor of a future act on the Final Day? As Christians, do we live in the light of that coming Day? Note 2 Cor. 5:9-10,

...the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, Says the LORD of hosts. ²But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like launderers ‘soap. Mal. 3:1b-2

...we make it our aim...to be well pleasing unto him; ¹⁰for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the things [done] in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:9-10

4. When the Jews demand a sign, verifying Jesus’ authority to perform such an act, how does He respond? See Jn. 2:18-19. Of what temple was Jesus speaking? See Jn. 2:21. What does John 1:14 tell us about Jesus’ true identity? Note, also, Matt. 1:23. Should this not cause us to join Thomas in his response of solemn, reverential worship? Note Jn. 20:28,

The Jews, therefore, demanded of him, What sign do you give us, seeing that you have done these things? ¹⁹Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Jn. 2:18-19

But he was speaking about the temple of his body. Jn. 2:21

The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, his glory as the one and only [Son who came] from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jn. 1:14

This verse literally reads, “the Word became flesh and tabernacle among us.”

Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call His name 'Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'Matt. 1:23

And Thomas answered and said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, 'Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' Jn. 20:28

5. The Lord Jesus was zealous for the sanctity of God’s earthly dwelling place, the Jerusalem temple. But that structure was destroyed in 70 A.D.; in this N.T. dispensation, where does the Lord dwell among His people? How does the Apostle Paul describe the church? See Eph. 1:22-23 / 1 Cor. 3:16. Is Christ zealous for the sanctity of His church, both corporately and individually? See 1 Cor. 3:17. What is the Lord Jesus presently doing in the life of His church, both corporately and individually? See Eph. 5:25b-27. Are you yielding to and cooperating with His sanctifying work in your life?

And [God the Father] put all things under [Christ’s] feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, ²³which is His body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Eph. 1:22-23

Do you not know that you are God’s temple, and that the Spirit of God is living in you? 1 Cor. 3:16

If anyone desecrates the temple of God, him will God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, and this is what you are. 1 Cor. 3:17

...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷so that he might present the church to himself in glory, without blemish or wrinkle or any [other] such thing, but being holy and blameless. Eph. 5:25b-27