Today looking at John chapter 2 verses 12 to 24. Obviously early in the gospel but also early in the ministry of our Lord. He has started to call disciples to follow him and in the passage just preceding this he has been at a wedding in Cana and turned water into wine, that the wedding celebration would continue, but also that he would be understood as the true bridegroom who provides for the ultimate marriage between himself and his people. So now, following that, beginning at verse 12, let us give attention to God's Word. After this, Jesus went to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days. The Passover of the Jews was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple, he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons and the money changers sitting there and making a whip of cords. He drove them all out of the temple with a sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house of trade. His disciples remembered that it was written, zeal for your house will consume me. So the Jews said to him, what sign do you show us for doing these things? Jesus answered them, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said, it has taken 46 years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man for he himself knew what was in man. And may the God who knows all hearts Renew our hearts today that we might hear his word and live it. Amen. Well, in looking at the passage last week of Jesus turning water into wine, I mentioned that this could be the basis for a really good personality test. Simply pose the scenario that the servants in that story had to deal with. take this water from jars used to wash people's feet and take it to the man in charge of this big banquet and then see how people would respond. And some might think this is a blast. Others probably would think, no way. I'm afraid to do something like that. I could get in trouble. I could be punished. And still others would want to find an alternative and so on. Well, this week could well be another good personality test, this time using the experience of the disciples and how they responded to Jesus clearing the temple. So this personality test would go like this. Follow this guy you just met and consider a wise teacher, perhaps even the Messiah. Go to a wedding feast where he quietly but very effectively turns water into wine and solves a major crisis, brings great joy to people. But then head to a major city, the major city of your country. Go to the most sacred building that is there at the most holy time of year and start knocking tables over, right? And driving out animals. Who's in? What would your response be? And what would you be thinking? Who is this guy? There's such a great difference between the passage just before this, Jesus turning water into wine compared to turning tables over in the temple. Being turned to wine, Jesus is behind the scenes. He's not even hardly recognized except by a few in the temple. He's the center of attention. Jesus turning water into wine, Jesus is reluctant to act. Only when his mother kind of prods him does he consider doing something. In the temple, he acts immediately and decisively. Turning the water into wine, Jesus brings what gives joy. In the temple, he takes away. He's not giving, he takes away. And he takes away the thing that people thought they needed. When Jesus turns water into wine, he is meek and mild. And in the temple, what is he? He's a lion. So such differences between these two passages. And yet there are similarities between the two. In both, Jesus is revealing more and more of who he is. In both, he's showing his glory, and in both, he's demonstrating his authority. Jesus has authority and the right to give, but he also has the authority to take. He's the Lord of both. And in both, Jesus is bringing the promised kingdom of God. In our passage today, the story of the temple, Jesus is bringing the fulfillment, of the new temple, which is in him and through him. So he does this in two ways we want to think about today. First, Jesus clarifies the purpose of the temple. And then second, he claims he is the fulfillment of the temple. Clarifies the purpose, claims to be the fulfillment. So we'll look at both and consider some implications. First, Jesus clarifies the purpose of the temple and confronts the way the temple is being misused and misunderstood. The scene is summed up in our passage, verse 14. In the temple, Jesus found there those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons and the money changers sitting there. This is the busy time of Passover. Devout Jews are coming from all over the world to the city of Jerusalem. Animals need to be purchased to be offered for sacrifice. But what are you going to do? You need a lamb for Passover. There's other kinds of sacrifices taking place. But you come from maybe 100 miles away or more in the ancient world. You don't bring those animals with you. They need to be purchased. Likewise, there's an annual temple tax. that devout Jews were to pay. Once again, the devout Jews coming from faraway lands, different countries, they wouldn't have the same currency. So the money needed to be exchanged in order to pay that tax. You see what's going on? These are all understandable actions. These are all things that need to be done. But notice how Jesus reacts. Verse 15, making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple with a sheep and oxen, and he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. Jesus is clearly upset. He forcibly removes those doing the selling along with the animals, and he overturns the tables where the money is being exchanged. Are these immoral acts? Are these illegal acts? Not at all. Again, these are necessary things that have to be done, given the situation. The activities are not the issue. The issue is the place, right? It's where these activities are going on. We see that in verse 16, clarified. And Jesus told those who sold the pigeons, take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house of trade. This is the first time Jesus calls God my father in the Gospel of John. And Jesus is likewise making a personal claim to the temple. This is my father's house. Jesus is saying this has to do with me. This is my place. The selling and exchanging were likely taking place in the outer court of the temple, a place called the court of the Gentiles. And again, the issue is Jesus is confronting the place that animals are being sold, money's being exchanged. It is in the temple grounds. You stop and think, why is it happening there? Why in the temple? Really, the likely answer is convenience. Convenience, right? It was the most efficient place to do these kinds of things. And it probably didn't start out there, did it? I mean, picture the scene. People are coming from Passover. They're coming from a long ways away. There's probably a marketplace somewhere where these animals could be purchased. And then you purchase them there somewhere down the road, somewhere in town, and then you have to take them to the temple. And the same with the money, right? You've got to exchange this money. Where are you going to be? There's probably money changers could be set up all around town. But where's the money going to go? To the temple, right? Where do the animals have to get to? To the temple. So very likely through the years that just kept getting closer and closer until finally it's convenient. It's not just convenient, it's efficient. This is the best way to get things done. But what did it really do? It overlooked the purpose of that sacred space. The purpose of the temple was what? It was to be a place to meet God. It was to be a house of prayer. It was to be a place to focus on worship through the ministry of the priest, so those sacrifices that they were offering. So it was a place to offer your gifts to God. Those financial contributions were important. They were part of knowing God and experiencing God. This was a place to learn and to hear the teaching of God. Likewise, the outer court of the temple was to be a place for Gentiles. What does that mean? That means if you weren't already a Jew, you could do this. You could move closer to the place. where people experience God. You could move closer to the place where God's people were. And why would you do that? So that ultimately you, an outsider, would come to believe. And you would be part of God's people. And there were ways to do that, but that was the purpose. You see the purpose of the temple, to worship God and to love God, but also to reach out, to bring others into the fold of God. So everything that's happening here, not only the selling of animals and exchanges of money have nothing to do with the purpose, the real purpose of this place. It actually was in the way. It was preventing. the right worship of God. It was preventing the outreach to the Gentiles. Convenience, get this, convenience and efficiency has replaced the right priorities and the right focus. And comfort has replaced the calling, especially that calling to reach out to the lost. Well, Jesus will not ignore this. Right? And Jesus is clarifying the true purpose of the temple as he confronts these practices. Notice how his disciples interpret what's going on. Verse 17, his disciples remembered that it was written, zeal for your house will consume me. That is a quote from Psalm 69, and that was part of our Old Testament reading today. Consumed is literally eaten up. Can you just picture that? Jesus is eaten up. by what is going on. But again, remember the context of that Psalm. It's one of being shamed and ridiculed because of devotion to God. Psalm 69 continues, the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. And also in that psalm, it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons. The passion to honor God through worship directed solely to him. and the commitment to connect with those not yet part of the people of God. You see in Psalm 69, it's saying, this is worth standing out for. This is worth suffering shame for. This is worth being alienated from my family for. And Jesus did all those very things, did he not? Did he not? He suffered shame to be devoted to the Lord and to restore God's right worship and a right focus on God in all things. And that's what also many suffered at the time of the Reformation. They suffered shame. They suffered alienation from their families. And sometimes they suffered the loss of their very lives. But for them, it was worth it. because changes needed to take place. There were significant problems and challenges. One of the many areas needing reform was just a very understanding of salvation. What does it mean to be saved? What does it mean to be right with God, to have your sins forgiven? John Tetzel was one of many church leaders who sold something called indulgences. He wasn't the only one. He became a notorious seller of indulgences, and the way it worked was this. If a person gave money to the church, he could spend less time in purgatory. Purgatory was that place where people went to be purified from sin before finally entering heaven. So they could not only shorten their own time in purgatory, but they could do so for a friend or a loved one. So you give money, give more money, Less time in purgatory. The phrase that Tetzel is said to have used was this, when a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs. There's not only a bad practice, but a whole misunderstanding of what? Grace alone, through Christ alone, by faith alone. those solas that became associated with the Reformation. Well, worship also needed to be reformed. It was mostly a spectacle at the time. And this is interesting as I think about this and share this. In many ways, this is true of contemporary evangelical worship in our time. But at the time, worship was mostly a spectacle. People came to watch, right? The congregation watched the priest perform the ceremonies of the service. They had colorful vestments. It was visual. It was dramatic, especially the mass or communion. In communion, the congregation would not take the cup, but only the bread. Why would that be? Well, more likely that a common person is going to spill the cup. Sound like what? Efficiency? Convenience? We wouldn't want that to happen. Leave it to the professionals. In fact, it was a trained choir sang the music. And what did the congregation do? They were incidental. Sound like contemporary worship? Pretty much, if you've been in that kind of a setting. Congregational singing was a major outcome of the Reformation. The service had little emphasis on the Bible. Most people did not own a Bible, and books in general, of course, were expensive and hard to own, so that wasn't totally uncommon. But people were not even encouraged to read the Bible, because what would happen if everyone started reading the Bible? Well, people are going to come up with views that would challenge and threaten the stability and order of the church. So there's going to be a sacrifice required in restoring worship. and a God-centered focus to life. Jesus did that as he clarifies the purpose of the temple, and then also as he claims to be the fulfillment of the temple, and that's the second point of the passage, the second thing to highlight. Jesus is the fulfillment of the temple. Verse 18, we read, so the Jews said to him, what do you show us for doing these things? Jews is a reference to the leaders of the Jewish religion, the establishment, right? Those who had already authority, and they ask for a sign, but they really want to know is, what's your authority? What's the basis by which you would dare to do such a dramatic act? So they're threatened. And we're the religious leaders. We're in charge of the temple and things that happen in the temple. You're doing something that goes beyond us. You better have a sign. You better have some credentials. Are you a prophet? Are you someone greater than us that you can dare do these things? Jesus answered, verse 19. destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. John, the gospel writer, uses a different word for temple in that verse than in the opening of the passage when it says Jesus came to the temple. And what that does is it helps us understand that temple can be understood not simply as a place, but as a whole system authority, the whole principles that are part of that place. You say, well, that's the weirdest thing I ever heard of. Not at all. You hear it every day. When you hear the news and it says that the White House has taken a different position or different policy on a part of the country, and you hear the word White House and you think, oh my goodness, this building has suddenly developed a brain. This building has suddenly developed the capacity to act. But you don't think that at all, do you? What do you think? You think the term White House refers to the people, the priorities, all the policies that are related to a place called the White House. And the Bible does this multiple times. Just another example, not only temple, but when you hear the word law used in the Bible, the word law can refer to the commandments, the particular commandments of God that are given in the Bible. But the word law also can refer to the whole system of following God's laws, even a misunderstanding of being justified and right by following the laws and commands that are found in the Bible. So Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, the Bible teaches, because he has done all that the law requires. And when you believe in Jesus, you have the benefit of all that Jesus did in obeying the law and following the law given to you. The same is true of the temple. Jesus is the fulfillment of the temple. That's what he's getting at in this passage. He fulfills and completes all the temple was meant to do and all the temple was meant to be. And we read the scriptures and we know the temple was never simply about a building. There was always a better temple that the earthly building was only a picture of. Very important passage in Hebrews 8, verses 1 and 2, it says, Now the point in what we are saying is this, we have such a high priest, speaking of Jesus, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven, get this, a minister in the holy places in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. The tent is a reference to the tabernacle and later the temple. So there was always a heavenly better temple The earthly temple was just a sign that pointed to it and pictured it. And likewise, there was always a goal and vision for God to be with His people, not in the form of a building, but in the form of His Son. That's why Jesus could say in His ministry in Matthew 12, verse 6, He said, I tell you something greater than the temple is here. And that's not just something greater as in size, like something's bigger here. in me, but Jesus is saying something greater, as in more complete, is here in me. Something greater, as something more permanent, is now in your midst, which is me, Jesus is saying. Something greater, as in something more meaningful than what a physical building could ever be, is now here, and it's me. Jesus is the greater temple where God's glory dwells, for he is the place where we go to meet God. We already came across this in the Gospel of John, in John 1, verse 14. The Bible says, the word became flesh, speaking of Jesus, the Son of God, and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. The word dwell is the word tent or tabernacle. Again, Jesus is the place we go to meet God, and he is the fulfillment of all the temple was meant to be. The physical temple, it could be destroyed. It would be destroyed in 87. That very thing happened. But get this, the true temple, the temple of God with us, which is Jesus. That temple could never be destroyed, even though these leaders would try. Notice verses 21 and 22. Jesus said that, the passage continues, but he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. The disciples believed the word Jesus had spoken about his body as the true temple. That's what was going on. But they believed something else. Did you catch it? They believed the scriptures. The time Jesus rose from the dead, what scriptures were there? There was only the Old Testament. So what are the disciples believing? Get this, they're believing that the word of Jesus is consistent with the word of the Old Testament. Jesus, in declaring that he is the true temple, the final temple, is helping his disciples see there is a sovereign God who rules over all. He has one word and one plan, and it's about him. And he will live even though he was killed on the cross. And as he lives, people can come to that temple, to that place, to meet with God, to have their sins forgiven, to have their purpose in life complete. What do we take away from the passage? First, a warning. There's a warning here, not to place convenience and comfort over the right priorities in life, like the people in the temple did, doing business at the most convenient place. That applies to our worship and it really applies to every area of life. How often do your plans for your family, how often does your thinking of your schedule, how often will you dream about the future, how often does it begin with, What's the quickest way to get this done? What's the most productive way to get this done? That is almost second nature to us in our culture. We live in a culture that is saturated with efficiency and productivity. To think differently is almost like crazy talk. But here's a warning. That's not kingdom of God talk. That's not the mindset here. What would happen if we began thinking with everything in life, how can I focus on God and all things before me today, tomorrow? In our worship, we want to be God-centered in our focus. It's not about efficiency. It's not about productivity. It's not about convenience. It's not about comfort. But how are we God-centered in everything we do in worship, How are we God-centered and kingdom-focused in every act before us, every person we meet, every obligation we have? The question is, how can I serve God's kingdom in this? How can I build up God's people in this? So that's a warning. Second, another warning is this. Are we placing comfort over calling? So it's somewhat natural to put convenience over convictions, but also to put comfort over calling, especially the calling to share the gospel with the world, a world that has no understanding of God and the worship of God. We are called to share our faith. It is a blessing, but let's be honest, it's a challenge, isn't it? It's almost always gonna challenge your comfort level. As you're thinking about talking to someone, a friend about church, about joining you at a church program or a worship service, as you're thinking about talking about what Christ means to you, is there not a sense of discomfort? This could threaten how I'm perceived. This could impact my relationship. But remember Psalm 69 and what Jesus did, who was willing to be alienated from family, who was willing to endure shame and suffering to share and to give glory to God. One of the important outcomes of the Reformation was a renewal of the laity and to realize the spiritual realm or what really mattered to God was not limited to what professionals did. Because back in the day, you know, pretty much you just had to show up and you let the professionals do the work, the clergy, right? Because they had the important jobs. They were the spiritual people. They did the things that mattered to God. But the Reformation flipped it on its head. So all people had the calling to know God and come to the Lord in faith. But get this, also all people had the calling to serve God. That turned the world upside down. And I think it would turn the world upside down today if we even came close to that. If all God's people realized it was not someone else's job to share with the lost, it was not someone else's job to study and to give, but it was the whole people of God. So let these warnings affect us and guide us. In the last application, really should be the first application, and that is the invitation to come to Jesus. Because Jesus is the final temple, the ultimate temple, the only temple that matters. We are to come to him. But we see in John chapter 2, we are to come to him as he truly is. That story of water turned to wine followed immediately by turning of tables in the temple upside down. We see Jesus has supreme authority in our life. He's not always simply who we want him to be. Just when we thought we understood him. He's not always the one who provides the thing that we want or we think we want. He has the right to turn tables upside down. He can fill your table, like at the wedding feast, and he can turn it upside down, like he did at the temple. And the question is, are you going to come to Jesus as he is, or only when he works? Oh, yeah, that efficiency thing, right? How many times have you heard? How many times have I heard? You know, I kind of tried Christianity, but it didn't work. That is such a prevalent mindset. Why didn't it work? Well, that means I didn't get what I thought I was gonna get. We are to come to Jesus as he is. And we do so because he came to us. He came to us as we are, right? It's like the passage of the wedding feast pointed forward to the great demonstration of Jesus' sacrifice, what he would do to prepare his bride. This passage also points forward to what Jesus would do and did do. The temple of Jesus' body was torn down. He suffered in his flesh and he died in his body. But praise God, he was raised again. Jesus, who took the whip in the clearing of the temple, received the whip when he gave his life to purify you as his people. Did you know that? He's not just the one who takes the whip. He received the whip as he made you his perfect people and prepared a place for eternal worship. Jesus endured the shame described in Psalm 69, even on the cross. You remember, people mocked him. They mocked him because he claimed that he would rebuild the temple. But there he is, there he is dying on the cross. People did not understand that it was only by losing himself that the real and final temple would be built and he would gain for himself his people. So may we come to that one. May we come to him as he is, Lord of the wine, Lord of the whip. May we believe in him, rest in him, truly trusting in him. And then may we live for him. May that be our focus and our commitment for God's glory and our good. Amen.