Destroy this temple; I will raise it again in three days (John 2b)*

John 2:12-25

Key Verse: 18-19

Introduction:

Jesus went to the temple, drove out the animals, and overturned the money exchangers’ tables. This event was the first thing that Jesus did as he began his public ministry as the Son of God. It happened in God’s temple in Jerusalem. Here, Jesus cleansed the temple with an undeterred will in order to stop everything that dishonored his Father and restore his Father’s glory. The Son of God’s will was his driving force to do the things that he did throughout his ministry, until he cleansed the temple again, by forcing himself to the cross in order to honor his Father once more. In this way, Jesus lived the way, the life, and the truth.

What is our lives’ goal? Or what drives our lives? Surely, this has to do with our ultimate purpose. In the Presbyterian catechism, the first question concerns man’s chief end, and gives this answer: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever".

Through this passage, I would like all of us to reflect on the things that have driven us so far, find what was wrong with these things, if anything, and how we can change our lives to better reflect our ultimate purpose. At the same time, understanding this passage will help us particularly understand Jesus' words: "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it in three days," for this word will help us to discern the truth and empower us to act with the same convictions.

The Passover, Jesus' priority (12-13)

In the last event, Jesus changed water into wine during a wedding in Cana Galilee. John called this his first sign, even though this was at a private event and this secret was only known to a handful of people. This private affair seems to have continued, as Jesus' family and his early disciples went down together to Capernaum.

“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:13).

This visit was not recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, most likely because none of the writers knew or were involved in this trip; only John, Jesus’ earliest disciple, recorded this. Here, Jesus waited for some time in Capernaum with his family members and the first believers; the reason for him staying there until it was near the Passover, was in order to wait for the time and place where he would present himself as the Son of God or the Messiah. This was very deliberate and intentional with a clear purpose (i.e., his mission given by the Father; Cf. John 2:4). This waiting was also a preparation for the first presentation of Jesus' work in Jerusalem during the Passover, making this his first public activity as the Son of God. More likely, a few of Jesus' disciples, mentioned in John 1:35-51, surely including John, followed him on this trip to celebrate the Passover.

What might be Jesus’ purpose and will in carrying out this plan and its preparation? To find the answer to this question, it's good to look into both the Passover’s significance, as well as that of the temple.

The Passover was the feast commemorating when God performed His mighty miracles to save the nation of Israel in order to make her His nation. God provisioned this saving work by His will to accept lambs in place of the lives of Israel’s firstborns, while killing all of the Egyptian firstborns. Through this provision, Israel became God’s children, and He became their Father. Also, this relationship, i.e. Father God and His Son Israel was established by Israel's will and obedience to sacrifice the lamb, as God prescribed through the covenant. In other words, this relationship’s soundness is measured by how well Israel offered the sacrifice of lambs, according to the Covenant. So, at the Passover, God’s first salvation work was remembered and reenacted, so that the Israelites might maintain a sound relationship with their Father on an on-going basis. If the Passover and the entire covenant associated with it were compromised, then the very relationship between God and Israel would be placed in great jeopardy.

God said this about the tabernacle, the precursor of the temple:

"There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the Ark of the Covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites." (Exodus 25:22 NIV).

God appointed this as the place of meeting, where He and His people Israel could communicate. As Israel settled in the Promised Land, the first temple was raised in Jerusalem, and God's glory rested upon it. This temple lasted about four hundred and ten years, until it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in 425 BC. Then God subjected the Israelites to all of the punishment ordained for violating the Covenant. In repentance, they were allowed to build the second temple in 352 BC, and it was rebuilt by a pagan king, Herod (BC 19-AD 64); however, that was never sufficient enough to meet God’s holiness, and His glory did not come back upon it again. His name was there, His law was there, and all of the religious rituals, including offering sacrifices, were there; nevertheless, men's hearts remained corrupted and unholy, and God could not dwell among them. This created great stress, mounting to a great crisis in the relationship between the God of holiness and His people Israel. In this situation, Jesus, God's only begotten Son, came to assess the situation, so that this relationship might be rectified and restored. This was similar to God visiting Abraham with His angels (Genesis 17), in order to see how Abraham was doing. At that time, Abraham was doing well as God's chosen source of blessing by serving the angelic strangers. Similarly, Jesus came to see how the nation of Israel was doing. What did he find?

The corruption in the temple must be rectified (14-16)

“In the temple courts, he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.” (John 2:14).

As Jesus went into the temple, he found many cattle, lambs, and doves. These were used to offer sacrifices for the forgiveness of Israel’s sins. When they offered these animals, they were supposed to put their hands on these animals while the high priests killed it. What this means is that each of these animals stood for the person who brought it; however, the temple authorities, i.e., the religious leaders, used this as a means to increase their own wealth. This implies that the cattle, lamb, or dove could not fully represent those who had brought it; instead, some portion of each of these animals was taken by the temple authorities, even before they were offered to the Lord. Therefore, each animal was not fully offered to God, because men were stealing a portion of each sacrifice. Also, for those who bought these animals in order to offer them in exchange for the forgiveness of their sins, their heart, their whole life, was not focused on this offering. It was a total mockery of what God had established in the Law; it had become a formality, and these offerings became nothing but a token, without any true acceptance of their sin, need for repentance, or request for forgiveness. Unlike Abraham, Israel failed this test badly. They not only failed to recognize the Son of God, but were also too busy with their own business. This was a total defamation of God's law and His holiness, which demands the sacrifice of one's life for their sins.

When there is no true acceptance of one’s sins or the necessity for their sins to be forgiven, all sacrifices are repugnant and cannot buy God's mercy; they won't bring any meaningful forgiveness from the Lord. Surely, the relationship between God and His people could not be sustained under such conditions.

This was the true reality of the temple scene, where there were many cattle, lambs, and doves, along with the money exchangers. In God’s eyes, this temple had deviated from its purpose, and had become tainted by human sinfulness; there was a form of godliness, but there was no truth, no true godliness, and no fear of the Lord. Israel’s hearts were corrupted to the core. So, as soon as Jesus entered the temple, he did this;

“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. To those who sold doves, he said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!" (John 2:15-16).

After looking carefully at this passage, we can find one strikingly different response to Jesus than the one that the Synoptic Gospels described, which, I believe, happened three years later, just before his arrest. Jesus made a whip out of cords to drive out all of the animals from the temple courts. How could animals have roamed around in the temple all by themselves? An animal may be brought into the temple only when a man came to offer it as a sacrifice. If this was so, then these men brought these animals in for it to be sacrificed on their behalf. To the Lord, this was unacceptable for His glory. The whip that Jesus made and used to drive out all of the animals was a direct measure of his anger, and an expression of his undeterred will to bring change. Jesus was determined to stop all ungodly and unholy activities.

Jesus' will to bring a new temple to life (17-22)

Likewise, Jesus showed his firm will, in both his words and actions, to bring change in the temple, his Father’s house. This was how Jesus introduced himself to the nation Israel; he carried on in this will and purpose throughout his life. During the last week of his earthly life, he did it again, clearly telling his disciples that he would bring about these changes, even by his death.

When his disciples saw his shocking actions at the temple, they remembered God’s word contained in David's Psalm 69, for they were well-versed in the Old Testament, as we noted in ch. 1.

"Zeal for your house will consume me."

This Psalm is called the psalm of the righteous sufferer, and is unique for three reasons; first, he lead an exemplary life before the Lord and yet he suffered greatly and was scorned, even by his own family. He was afraid that, because of his suffering, the Lord's name might be disgraced, i.e., God is not right and unjust. Second, he was scorned by his own family, even his mother and siblings. Third, in the depths of his heart, his zeal was for God's house and lead him to suffer and be scorned. So, this psalm raises a very serious question as to why God, even though he was righteous and filled with zeal for the Lord’s house, let him go through such great suffering. The answer lies in verse 9. Jesus was willing to suffer because of his zeal for God’s house. Here, the word "house" does not refer to a building, but rather to a family (i.e. the psalmist was willing to suffer for the wellbeing or peace of the entire family (house) of God). God’s house was in great disarray, and the father-firstborn son relationship was in great danger, because all of His children had become disobedient and prideful of their sinfulness. To salvage God’s house, Jesus was willing to suffer for the Father, the Lord of the house, and for the sake of His children. Here, we see a glimpse of what Jesus might have been doing while he was waiting for the Passover at Capernaum. This was an hour of decision for him as he was contemplating his first appearance before the family of God (i.e. at the temple in Jerusalem). What was or could have been his decision during this time of waiting for his first appearance in the temple?

“Then I said, 'Here I am-- it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, my God." (Hebrews 10:7 NIV).

What this means is further explained in the next few verses (Hebrews 10:8-10). Here, Jesus recognized that God the Father was not pleased with Israel’s sacrifices and offerings, despite the fact that they were doing what they thought best. To resolve this trouble in God's household, he decided to offer his life by saying "Here I am, I have come to do your will." This was a sign of his decisive will to give his life as the Lamb of God. Out of this decision came his decisive action, even using a whip. This would continue to the last minute of his life as he prayed to the Father,

"May you will be done." (Matthew 26:42).

While worry and concern was passing through the disciples’ minds , the temple authorities demanded an answer from Jesus:

“The Jews then responded to him, "What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"” (John 2:18).

God entrusted the authority over the temple and all of its affairs to the high priests, who were Aaron’s descendants. When Korah, a Levite, along with some of the other Israelite leaders, challenged Aaron’s authority as the high priest, God severely punished them (Numbers 16), by opening the mouth of the earth to swallow him and all of those associated with him. Then who else would or could challenge the high priest’s authority? If someone has authority, then it must come from God Himself. Here, the Jews demanded a demonstration of Jesus’ power, signifying that God’s authority was upon him.

“Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." (John 2:19).

Jesus meant that, if they destroyed this temple, then he would raise it again in three days. This was a strong allusion to the fact that they were destroying the temple by such ungodly activities. At the same time, he showed his unparalleled zeal to raise a new temple. Nevertheless, it was an impossible proposition for them to accept, because no one could raise a temple in three days. As they knew, it had taken forty-six years to build the current temple.  On hearing this, they were awestruck. None of them could understand his word. Since they were looking for a sign from God, if Jesus could do this, then it would surely serve as a convincing sign of God Almighty’s authority. Nevertheless, this should be left to the future, because, for as long as the temple was standing, Jesus would not accomplish this sign. As we know from history, Herod's temple was leveled to the ground in AD 70 by the Roman army. Even after more than two thousand years, there are only the ruins of the destroyed temple; however, this was the word of truth spoken by the Son of God, which was true and would be fulfilled. The temple’s destruction came long before AD 70. That truth was revealed to those who sought God. Mark described the change that occurred at the time of Jesus’ death.

“With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:37-38).

Here, the curtain formed the partition between the Most Holy Place and the Holy Place in the temple. The Most Holy Place was where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and, in between the two cherubim above the ark, God said He would keep His presence; however, when Jesus died, the curtain was torn from top to bottom, and the Most Holy Place was open wide to the Holy Place. By this act, the temple became obsolete as the dwelling place for the Most Holy God. The most important thing was that the temple’s desecration coincided with Jesus’ death. In this way, when the temple was destroyed, Jesus also died on the cross. Before we go further, it's good to carefully review what Jesus said. When he said, "Destroy this temple", the word ‘temple' is naos (ναος), which was often used as referring to God’s abode/dwelling. This word is different from the word ‘temple' used in v14 hieros (ιερος), which denotes the temple’s building or structure. The temple (God’s residence/abode) was destroyed by the torn curtain as Jesus breathed his last, exactly as he had implied. No one knew or understood this until he rose from the dead.

“But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 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.” (John 2:21-22).

Likewise, Jesus' resurrection became the ultimate sign that 1) the temple in Jerusalem had become obsolete, and 2) Jesus would raise a new temple, in which God could reside.

Near Israel’s final years in the first century, the nation as a whole had become so irate, because the temple’s administration was so distrustful; many radical groups also sprung up during this time to restore the temple’s purity. This eventually led them to rebel against Rome, where they faced their final demise. Without a proper place of worship, no one could be united with God as His family. So, for Israel, the temple’s destruction meant God’s utter judgment and the irreparable condition of their relationship with God, for there was no other means for them to get access to or plead with the Lord. In looking back at history, when Ezekiel announced the destruction of the first temple, no one believed his prophecy, for they believed that God was merciful and would not cut Israel off by letting the temple be destroyed (Ezekiel 24:21). It would be awful if there would be no other temple or other means by which to seek Him. Jesus offered a new temple, which would be unlike the previous ones, for it would be built, not by human hands, but by God.

Jesus' disciples came to realize that the new temple was his body. Three days after his death and the simultaneous desecration of Jerusalem’s temple, Jesus rose from the dead and became the New Temple. Because of this immediate replacement with a new temple, His people wouldn't be left without a place to meet with the Lord, their God. Nevertheless, one thing that they must acknowledge was that, unless the temple was destroyed, Jesus would not build a new temple. In this way, he emphasized the mandatory nature of his death, in order for him to build a new temple. Actually, from the beginning of his ministry, Jesus had decided to give his life as a ransom for many, and as the way to destroy the temple and to build a new one. This was God's new provision for His people, because the old one could not do the job since His people were unable to keep the covenant through the temple.

Jesus was the only temple that was acceptable to the Lord

At the outset of his ministry, Jesus delivered judgment against God’s temple, which was built according to the covenant’s specifications. That judgment was a final delivery of God’s verdict that all man-made efforts to appease Him were insufficient and that He would not accept such sacrifices anymore. As long as men tried to act with their own strength and the desires of their flesh, these elements would be insufficient in bringing man's heart on par with God's holiness. If God and the Son of God declared the temple to be insufficient, even though it and its services were in accordance with the covenant given by Him, then how impossible could all other sacrifices or men's efforts to meet God's holiness be! There are many religions in the world, each with their own ethics, rules, codes of conducts, and rituals that are required to be obeyed in order for followers to be a part of that particular religion. Most of them are self-sacrificing in nature, and are geared towards appeasing their gods. For instance, one corner of the Christian community is willing to acknowledge that there are other possible ways to God, other than through Christ; they consider people’s honesty and sincerity within these other religions as similar to, equal with, or even better than that of Christians. Nevertheless, the verdict delivered by the Son of God is clear; none of them are acceptable to the Lord. There is only one way to appease God: a sinful body must be offered fully. How could this be possible?

Jesus said that, if the temple was destroyed, then he would build it up in three days. Toward this goal, he ran his ministry, and eventually underwent the death of his body, along with the destruction of God’s house (the temple) and the construction of a new temple in his resurrected body. Jesus' body became the new temple; his death and resurrection became the place where all men of sin could meet the Lord of Heaven and Earth. In Christ, we must embrace the death of our sinful bodies, in order to rise with him in his resurrection. This is not something for the future, i.e. the time of our death; rather, it is for now and every day that we are to partake in the death of Jesus' body. Paul said this in Romans 6:1; 12:1.

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

” (Romans 6:6-8 NIV).

How can this be practically implemented in our lives? Paul tell us this:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1 NIV).

While we are still alive in our sinful bodies, Jesus’ death and resurrection become our new temple, where we can meet God and worship Him in a way that is acceptable to the Lord. Here, Jesus’ word rings in our hearts.

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:25 NIV).

Our entire life is worship, and we cannot meet with God by simply making our lives better. The only way we can meet Him is by participating in Jesus’ death in order to rise again with him.

Jesus would not rest until acceptable faith is formed (23-25)

Jesus performed many signs during this trip to Jerusalem. Seeing those signs, many came to believe in his name, i.e. his claim that he was the Messiah, the coming King. He also performed many miracles or signs in Jerusalem during the Passover. Many saw what Jesus was doing and acknowledged that he was the one coming, i.e. the Messiah. They believed in his name. At the end of this story, John made an intuitive statement about what went on in his mind.

“But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.” (John 2:24-25).

Though they expressed their faith, it was not sufficient enough to honor the Lord, and thus, Jesus did not entrust himself to them. In other words, he did not rely on their confessions or respect when carrying out his work. Then what was in their hearts? Or what was not in them that Jesus looked for? In the Gospel of John, Jesus made quite a number of exclusive statements.

“Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." (John 3:3).

“Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” (John 3:5).

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:44; also 6:53, 65; 10:37; 12:24; 13:8; 15:4; 16:7).

During his ministry, many followed Jesus because they believed in his name. Yet, all of their beliefs were formed from within the frame of their human minds, decisions, wills, and understanding. If these things, which are of human origin, could bring out such a change in them to become what God wanted, then many more could have done so; however, as Jesus repeatedly commented on the impossibility of this in exclusive terms and reiterated the need for change to come from him and God the Father.   

Unless these things happened to them, they had no power or ability to see or enter the kingdom of God, even though they were willing and thought that they had captured the essence of the truth from Jesus. Simple allegiance to Jesus’ word or causes cannot make one acceptable to God or make them His genuine child. There was an absolute quality or character that one must have or possess in order to move from sinfulness to godliness. Also, we are to know that all of these statements are related to what either Jesus or God would do. This implies that, unless Jesus or God did something for them, even though they might believe in Jesus’ name, the quality or nature of their belief was not up to par with God’s expectations and could not stand up to the stress test of life.

Their understanding of and trust in Jesus was deeply framed in their sinfulness, which was not only fleeting but also had no power to overcome death. That faith must be changed into one that is lasting and solidly founded on God’s provision of righteousness, i.e. Jesus as the new temple. Until this happened, all of the various forms or degrees of faith in the Lord would be unacceptable to Him, and full mediation between sinners and God could not happen. What did these lead Jesus to do? He began his work to rectify the temple’s dire condition. Nevertheless, until he fully redeemed mankind by his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, no one could truly ‘meet with God’. Until that time, Jesus worked hard to redeem the temple’s destruction in order to raise it in three days. Unless they were fully reconciled to the Lord and become one with the Father, Jesus could not rest for he had not finished his work.