John 2:14-15 & 18-21
In the temple courts Jesus found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 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.
The Jews then responded to Him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
During Covid in 2020 my kids were 7 and 10. We regularly washed our hands before this international incident. But during the onset we used more hand-soap as a family than ever before. Matter of fact we all started to have dry and chapped hands. I’ll never forget my daughter crying in pain when she went to dry her sore and chapped little hands. We started patting hands dry and using lotion. My wife and I felt badly that we didn’t see this coming and take steps to prevent it. Repeated washing keeps you clean, but it can also dry your skin and cause it to crack and become painful.
This is a little like the system of sacrifice found in the Old Testament. The blood of many animals was shed
for the cleansing of God’s people from sin. The purification work at the temple continued night and day, it was never enough. Josephus, a Roman historian records that around three million people filled Jerusalem during the Passover festival and two hundred and fifty thousand lambs were offered in a week’s time.
But the great need for repentance and sacrifice wasn’t the only problem that needed to be addressed at the temple. Jesus was aware of how the temple itself was being used as a money-making scheme and not a place to meet God. The corruption was twofold. First, all money had to be exchanged for temple money and the exchange rate was brutal. Next, animals had to be bought in the temple for sacrifice and they were extremely expensive. The temple leaders got a payout for every one of these transactions.
Jesus shows His passion for ending human corruption early in His earthly ministry in John chapter 2. He will return to the temple three years later and repeat this action of cleansing. He knows how devastating the misuse of the temple is, and He tells them plainly, it will come to an end.
How many times does He have to clean the corruption in His temple?
How many sacrifices need to be made to forgive His people?
John 1:29 records the words of John the Baptist regarding the Christ. “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'”
Jesus took away our sins once and for all at the cross. No more sacrifices are needed. He also removed temple worship, so that now He can work personally with each of us to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He became the sacrifice and the Holy place. His grace, mercy and purity are good news.
Believe me, it is welcome relief for those of us with chapped and dry spirits.
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