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Zeal for Your House Has Consumed Me
John 2:13-22
Introduction: There are a few things we must keep in mind as we approach John’s record of Jesus cleansing the temple.
- John connects the incident with the Passover. Throughout John’s gospel, when John identifies a festival of the Jews his intent is for us to see the message in connection with that festival. In this text, Jesus speaks of the temple of his body being destroyed and raised up in three days. Jesus will be the new Passover, and therefore will be the beginning of a new nation in the picture of a new temple.
- The other gospels place this incident in the last week of Jesus’ life. John inserts it at the beginning of his gospel. Some argue two cleansings, but this is unlikely. John’s account is not based on historic chronology, but on a thematic chronology. John is tying themes together: new wine, new temple, new birth, new water.
- Visualizing the Scene
- The Passover was near and Jesus went to the feast as was required. Jerusalem would have been teeming with people and the temple courts overwhelmed with worshipers and preparations for sacrifices.
- You will notice that John does not use this incident as the other gospels in which the money changers and those who sold animals were “a den of thieves” cheating the people. The need for buying animals for sacrifices was not the problem. Pilgrims, traveling from great distances could not bring their own animals. They would need to buy when they arrived.
- In John’s account, Jesus’ indictment is that this merchandising was taking place in the temple and therefore destroying the purpose of the temple. The word is literally an emporium, a marketplace. Marketplaces were necessary and certainly not sinful, but not to the disrupting of the worship and purposes of God, and certainly not in the temple.
- As for moneychangers, this was the time of year when the half-shekel temple tax was to be paid and Roman money with its idolatrous insignias could not be accepted in the temple. Thus the money was converted. Therefore, the picture is even more chaotic: animals, and all that was associated with a barnyard scene, tables stacked with coinage, and people waiting in lines to make their transactions. Note the message: none of this was sinful of itself. But when placed in the temple it destroyed the temple’s purpose!
- The cleansing was a fulfillment of Zech. 14:21, “And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.” God’s house is not to be defiled with secular pursuits.
- Now picture the disruption Jesus caused. There is the almost humorous scene of temple merchants chasing their animals as Jesus drives them with a whip, and moneychangers on their hands and knees picking up coins that have been scattered at the overturning of tables. But more than that, the typical routine followed at Passover time had been completely disrupted, and the disruption got the attention of the Jewish rulers.
- Let’s stop and make an application here. Though there is not a relationship between the physical Jewish temple and today’s church buildings, there is a parallel between what Jesus did and worship today. Jesus’ cleansed the temple in order to keep the intention and purpose of God in worship. His cleansing was to take away the distractions and keep God as the focal point and honoring God as the purpose. Worship is to be God-centered not us-centered.
- Worship today has become more about the worshiper than the one worshiped. Entertainment, social interaction, and the pursuit of secular desires and personal interests have replaced a deep, intimate knowledge of God and honoring of God.
- This is the reason we do not have a coffee shop in the lobby. It is the reason we do not have a multi-purpose room. It is the reason we do not sell CD’s or beg for money. It is not because we think this building is sacred and that a donut would defile it. It is because we should have a singular focus when we come together: glorify and worship God. We don’t need snacks, treats, and drinks. We need to put aside the distractions and come to the fountain of living water, and drink deeply. It is awful that we have made worship about us and create consumer-driven churches.
- Making Sense of the Temple Cleansing
- There is first John’s observation in verse 17 inserted as a parenthetical to tell us how his disciples later understood this scene. They related this to David’s words in Psalm 69: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” This will be an important connection to understand the message.
- John immediately returns to the story and the Jewish challenge for Jesus to prove his right to take authority over the temple.
- Jesus’ reply was not a challenge but a prophetic statement. “Destroy this house…” That is not what Jesus would do, as the false witnesses at his trial claimed he said. It was the temple of his body of which he spoke, and they would destroy it, but he would raise it back in three days. That would be the proof of his authority, his own resurrection.
- The text concludes with another of John’s observations. The disciples had not understood Jesus’ statement any more than the Jews had. But after his resurrection, they put it together. He not only raised from the dead, he had foretold it and fulfilled it, and they believed. But please notice, they not only believed Jesus they believed the scripture. We will need to know “what scripture?”
- Therefore, here is the second message of the text: the cleansing was a physical sign of the greater holiness that would be attained when Jesus raised as the new temple. Peter said, “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 2:4-5).
- Jesus was raising up a new temple that would be everything to which the old temple could not attain. This new temple would truly fill the world with the glory of the Lord, not just a physical copy.
- “Zeal for Your House Will Consume Me”
- What do you think when you read these words? For many, their first thought is that the Lord was angry; he nearly lost control. But that is neither the meaning of the original text nor the reaction of the disciples. They are not remembering the wrath of Jesus in this action.
- The quote is from Psalm 69:9. The David is offering his complaint before the Lord about how his enemies are consuming him because of his zeal for God. Look at the whole verse and you will see the point: “For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.”
- Notice also that John quotes from the LXX, which uses the future tense “will consume me.” In other words, because of Jesus’ zeal for God, his enemies would consume him; those who reproached God would take it out on him.
- Now focus on these words: zeal for your house.
- David wrote that his woes were a result of his zeal for God’s house. The passage is also applied to Jesus since he too was reproached because of his zeal for the Lord’s house.
- Here is our third message. Paul uses this text in Romans 15:3 when he quotes the second half of the verse to apply to all Christians. In the Romans’ context, we refuse to please ourselves, but instead please our neighbor for his good, to build him up. The reason? “Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.’” So would you say you have zeal for the Lord’s house?
- In Three Days I Will Raise It Up
- It is interesting to contemplate the figures of speech Jesus uses, and yet for us, there is nothing new about the message. What is, “destroy this temple?” It is his crucifixion. What is, “I will raise it up?” It is his resurrection. Therefore, what is the sign proving his right to cleanse the temple? His death and resurrection. Jesus has said that before in the other gospel accounts. No wonder they didn’t understand until later.
- But why the “temple” analogy? Why didn’t Jesus just say it the same way as before? Because using “temple” language is the ultimate result of the the greatest sign: Jesus’ resurrection is God’s proof of a new creation.
- Look again at the words, “Destroy this temple…” The Jews had always destroyed God’s temple. The command for the tabernacle/temple was “so I may dwell in your midst.” There were two rooms, holy and most holy. And then God’s command, “You shall be holy as I am holy.” The Jews had repeatedly defiled the temple (golden calf, Ezekiel, Jeremiah). And because of this God had withdrawn his presence (the glory of the Lord departed). The cleansing was done because if the purpose of the temple is ever going to be realized, there must be holiness.
- “They believed the scripture” – What scripture? There are many that would indicate the fulfillment:
- Ezekiel 40-48 presents an elaborate picture of the new temple of the Messiah.
- The present temple was built and dedicated by Zerubbabel, recorded in Ezra 6. But conspicuously absent was the Lord filling the temple with his glory.
- Zechariah speaks of that glory to come in a greater and new temple (Zech. 6:12-13): “‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’”
- Therefore, step back and see John 2 as a whole. Jesus performed his fist sign which “manifested his glory.” Then Jesus gave an accompanying sign, he would be the new temple through whom God would again dwell among his people: God’s glory is filling his new temple.
- The Ultimate Message for Us
- God’s new temple has not yet been completed. It is not “built”; it is still in building. The architect and builder is God. As Zechariah 4:6 said, “not by might or power, but by my Spirit.” We are living stones in his temple, a holy priesthood through whom God’s Spirit works to bring the gospel to the world. Therefore, we must always remember what God has made us to be and put our faith in his power to produce the results he desires.
- Second, in 1 Corinthians Paul twice makes reference to Christians as the the temple of God:
- 1 Cor. 3:16-17 “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for God’s temple is holy and you are that temple.” In this text “you” is plural, referring to the whole body of believers. The warning is absolute respect for what God has built. Verse 9 states, “You are God’s building.” We must not do anything to destroy God’s building.
- 1 Cor. 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Therefore, we are collectively the temple of God, but we also are God’s temple individually. God has sent his “temples” out in the world to represent him. This is the original design of God in making us in his image. Know who you are! A temple representing God.
- When we come to worship, what kind of minds have we brought into this worship, what kind of body? What kind of energy are we bringing before God? What kind of preparation have we made the night before? Have we stayed up to all hours only to drag ourselves out of bed, and sleepily go through the motions of a checklist religion? Do we need to cleanse our own temples so that God’s house is what it ought to be?
- Do you remember in the vision of the Messiah’s temple in Ezekiel 47? What flowed from the temple? Living water. And wherever the water went, it brought life to the world. Remember, YOU are the temple of God and the Spirit of God has made his presence in you.
Conclusion: Do you have zeal for God’s true temple?
Berry Kercheville