Jesus Clears the Temple Courts

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.”
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.                                                            John 2:13-25
I have read this many times, and it never really seemed that impressive to me.  It never really impressed me much because I always thought of the temple as a church.  Our churches to today are just one of the buildings that make up the block.  The temple in Jerusalem was about four city blocks!  And it wasn’t just a handful of people that he drove out.  The temple was a busy place.  Especially with all the people coming into town for the up coming Passover Festival.  One man with a whip cannot drive hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people out of a structure that takes up four city blocks.  Jesus must have put on a massive display of power to make that many people run from an area that large.  It took them forty-six years to build it.  It must have been massive!  It is estimated that it took an average of 30 years to build a pyramid. 

Why did He do it?  Jesus did it because they were using the Lords house for something other than what it was intended.  They were using it to make a buck.  That meant that Gods house was not being treated as holy.  Think of it this way.  Lets say your neighbor decides to have a yard sale.  Nothing wrong with that. Right?  Now lets say you wake up Saturday morning and he is having it in your garage.  Now that’s a problem.  I would react much the same way Jesus did.  Now I’m not trying to say churches shouldn’t have yard sales.  What God was saying is that His house should be kept holy, not used to make people rich.  I wonder what Christ would do if He came into some of our churches today? 

If this is your first time hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, and you want to follow Him, you too can know his joy, instead of his wrath. You can have the peace that passes all understanding. All you have to do is ask Christ into your heart and ask him to forgive your sins. He stands at the door, ready to come in. If you would like to know Jesus and God the father, please pray the following prayer or one like it. Or, you can contact me at jeremylail@gmail.com and I will be more than happy to pray with/for you.
Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless. I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus for give me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend. I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.