Read John 2:13-2:25 NIV
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he 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. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
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. 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.
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
This was the scene as Jesus arrived at the temple. We might not think much of it, but as we read above, Jesus pretty quickly upset the order of all that was standard operating procedure. To gain a better understanding we need a little context.
Passover is one of the highest Jewish holidays and it celebrates God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. For the Passover holiday many Jewish families from all Israel would make their way to the main temple in Jerusalem. Some would come great distances to worship and make offerings to God. The sacrifices to be made at the temple included specific required offerings of doves, sheep, and cattle. The offerings of those making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem were likely not being brought with them, but needed to be purchased in order to make the appropriate required sacrifices.
Supplying the needs of the sacrifice became a pretty lucrative business and the temple courts became a noisy, smelly, animal packed area. Money changers were also present to exchange Roman denarius, Greek drachma, and other foreign currency for the required Tyrian shekel, the official Hebrew temple currency. The outer court (also called the court of gentiles) where all of these activities were taking place was the only place in the temple where non-Jewish people were allowed to worship, essentially giving them nowhere to worship God. A place that was intended for prayer and worship by all peoples had been degraded to a vulgar market.
Jesus made quite a scene! He disrupted the daily sacrifice and gave those in the temple that day a glimpse of His true authority, His true identity, and what He had come to do…but everyone missed it. He declared Himself as the temple where all are welcome to worship. No longer would the gentiles be confined to the outer courts but invited in. The sacrifice of His own life, only a short while later, would once again disrupt the traditional sacrificial system of the temple – making any more sacrifices unnecessary.
