John 2:13-25 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.” 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. 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.
Here we see that the Passover of the Jews is approaching, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He saw people selling cattle, sheep and doves in the temple courts, and money changers sitting there. At that time, those people selling animals used for the sacrifice and people used the money exchanged to pay for the temple tax. The Lord Jesus entered the temple courts, drove out all the traders in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the stools of the dove sellers, and said, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’ ” The temple of God is a place for prayer, a place where people worship God and listen to God’s word, not a market place. What Jesus did made the disciples remember what the Old Testament said: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (Psalm 69:9), showing zeal for the house. The Jews asked him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. His body is the temple. In order to save the world, the Lord Jesus was crucified and resurrected three days later. After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the church came into existence. The church is the temple of God, the body of Jesus Christ, and Christ is the head of the church.
When Jesus celebrated the Passover in Jerusalem, he performed many miracles to heal the sick. Many people believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, because he is the Son of God, he knows everything, he knows the hearts of all people. The purpose of the miracles of the Lord Jesus was to make people believe in him, turn to him, and be his disciples.
We rarely see the Lord Jesus doing things like cleaning the temple. He was merciful to the tax collectors and sinners, they repented after they came to him and listened to his teachings, and he was severe to the self-righteous Pharisees, who saw many miracles Jesus performed, but still opposed him. Only the Lord has the authority to judge, and we cannot stand in his position to judge others.
May God bless you and your family.
