But we know this year was different.
Jesus was publicly teaching, acting on the miraculous, gathering crowds, calling disciples, being commissioned via baptism and the Spirit and preempted by one like Elijah. Jesus' hour for the cross had not yet come, but here at this first Passover in public ministry His time had come to begin reconciling His people to His Father.
Text / 2:12-25
Let's focus on one particular concept, that is, the redefining of the Temple. Check this out:
'In the temple (heiron) courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip and drove all from the temple (heiron) area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a house of merchandise!"
'Then the Jews demanded a sign to prove His authority...
'Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple (naos) and I will raise it again in three days."
'The Jews replied, "It has taken 46 years to build this temple (naos)...
'But the temple (naos) Jesus had spoken of was his body.'
Jesus was not referring to the temple complex. If His use of the word 'naos' was not clear enough to the original audience the author tells us that after Jesus' death and resurrection they recalled this event and realized fully His intended meaning in this mysterious response to the Jewish leaders.
Define: The two words for temple were somewhat interchangeable but still held particular meaning and it's within this meaning that we understanding Jesus' distinct and prophetic use of 'temple'.
- heiron (Greek) - temple proper, holy place
- naos (Greek) - inner sanctuary, Most Holy Place (later on used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:16 to describe the Body of Believers)
This is a small interaction with huge implications for Judaism, for the ancient Church and for all Christians everywhere today.
There is a tendency to think that ministry takes shape in the churches buildings. That we 'go' to church. That God meets us most distinctly in our gathering complexes. And yet Jesus is demonstrating the movement away from the building (Temple, the footrest of God on earth) and noting that this Most Holy Place is within Himself!
He is the fulfillment of any and everything the Temple ever meant to the Kingdom of God on earth.
- John 1:14 Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us
- John 4:21-24 worship neither here nor there but in spirit and truth
- John 17:20-23 Jesus said, 'I have given them the glory that you gave me...I in them and you in Me...'
- 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 you yourselves are God's temple...
- 1 Cor 12:27 you are the body of Christ
- 1 Peter 2:4-10 you are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood...
The destruction of the Naos (Jesus' body) was the ultimate rejection of the very cornerstone of the temple of God. That cornerstone, however, was the building block of the spiritual Naos Jesus was building for His disciples, and their disciples, and all believers in the Christ in all time and space. He is the ultimate High Priest (4:12-5:10, Hebrews 10:19-27) and thus as His disciples / workers / partners - we are all priests in His temple.
Yes, gathering together is important and commanded. Yes, buildings are a blessing and even necessary at times. But no, these material complexes do NOT constitute the Church - they only house us as necessary.
Only Jesus was fully aware of the magnitude of this simple reply to the Jews. Where they assumed a literal destruction of their building - He spoke of a literal destruction of the body of their Creator.
- As with His reference in :4, Jesus' prophetic discussion on his death and resurrection demonstrates the reality that He was fully aware of His divinity and was not surprised to find out His role in Gods plan of salvation as some say.
- Demand of a sign: The Jewish leaders demand of a sign (:18) instead of an immediate arrest leads us to believe they had already heard about Jesus and His powerful teaching and miraculous gifts.
- The synoptic versions of this story:
- Read: Matthew 21:12-13 / Mark 11:12-19 / Luke 19:45-48
- These three take place near the end of Jesus' ministry following His Triumphal Entry into the city, leading some theologians to believe this to be a catalyst for His coming arrest.
- Johns version takes place at the launch of Jesus' ministry and so leads many to believe this happened more than once.
- Key Differences:
- John notes a whip - others do not
- John did not drive out the people (except the dove handlers) - other authors note He scattered all people and animals
- John notes only a turning of the money tables - others note a turning of the dove tables as well
- Jesus' proclamation in John is distinct from the others who recall Him quoting from the Scriptures in the process: 'House of prayer' Isaiah 56:7 & 'Den of thieves' Jeremiah 7:11
In the previous section of the chapter we see Jesus demonstrate the miraculous and reveal His glory and so develop faith in His disciples. In this section we find Jesus passionate about His Fathers Holiness, demonstrating His role as the ultimate Prophet, hinting at his role of ultimate Priest and demonstrating His authority over His people in His temple.
Question /
- What do you think of your body as the temple of God? Both your individual body AND the body of believers in all places in all time?
- How might your self-image change as a result of this realization?
- How might your view of other believers change (those you both like and dislike)?
- How might your role as a disciple change as a result of housing the Holy One?
- What about your understanding of the Church? If the Church is more than a building how might this impact how you live as the Church?
- What implications might the role as the 'priesthood' have as a disciple of Christ? Any? To all believers or only some and why?
What are you going to do about it?
Read: Key Word Study Bible NIV, John Commentary by Towns, MacArthur on John, John by R.C. Sproul