The Temple Where Man And God Dwell
September 30, 2018

The Temple Where Man And God Dwell

Speaker:
Passage: John 2:12-25

We are in the book of John. The Series title is: The Book of John: Bearing Witness. Thus far in our time together, we have seen John’s prologue, in which he tells us why he wrote this gospel. That is where we get our series title: bearing witness. John then tells gives us insight into Jesus’ first interaction with John the Baptist. John the B declares that the Spirit of God has descended upon Jesus, and that Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Then we followed Jesus from the Jordan to Galilee, where he called his first disciples. We have seen Jesus speak into the lives of his disciples, specifically Simon, as he reshaped his identity, and renamed him Peter, and called him to follow. Jesus spoke to the skeptic, Nathaniel, and promised him he would see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. We went with John then to Cana, for what seemed like a detour to a wedding feast. It was here Jesus did his first public miracle, in private. He turned water into wine, declaring that he was the true source of abundant joy, and the only means by which we will be cleansed, which was necessary to enter the wedding feast of eternity with Him. 

Today, we follow Jesus, along with John and the disciples, up to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration of the Jews. The Passover of the Jews was a feast commanded by God. Passover commemorated Israel’s birth as a nation, when 1200 years before, they were freed from Egypt. God’s instruction to the people was for them to take a lamb, the purest of their flock, sacrifice the lamb, put the blood of the lamb upon their doorposts, and then roast the lamb and consume it in haste. There was to be nothing left of the lamb after they were finished. That night, God would judge the land of Egypt, and any house that did not have the blood of the lamb over it’s doorpost would lose their firstborn. This was the final plague upon Egypt, under which Pharaoh finally relented and released Israel. They were able to leave Egypt and become a people in the wilderness, with God’s Spirit leading them in a pillar of fire by day, cloud by night. He commanded a tent be constructed, and it would fill with smoke, the weight of His glory, and Moses would go meet with God. When he came out from meeting with God his face would shine from that glory. Fast-forward 300 years, and under Solomon, the first temple is built. Upon dedicating the temple, the arc was brought in, and the temple was filled with smoke, the glory of the Lord. 

What we know from Scripture, because of Israels idolatry and disobedience, the manifest presence of God, His Spirit, had left the temple - the first temple, before it was destroyed. We see this in Ezekiel 10, where Ezekiel sees the glory leaving the temple. The history of Israel tells us that the second temple is built by Nehemiah after the exile. But we don’t see the glory of God returning to the temple. It remains building, a house to worship in, but God’s Spirit does not dwell in the midst of his people.

So, now we re to our passage. In John 2, the people of Israel are celebrating passover, but the scene is not at the dinner table, but in the temple. The temple was crowded, smelly, noisy. There were animals in the court of the Gentiles. Jews from all over were there to celebrate and would be in temple. The temple was the place where man worshiped God. It was the sacred place of worship for the people of Israel. 

Passage: John 2:12–22- Jesus is leaving Cana, the wedding feast.

[12] After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. [13] The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. [14] In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. [15] And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. [16] And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” [17] His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” [18] So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” [19] Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [20] The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” [21] But he was speaking about the temple of his body. [22] 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. (ESV) [pray]

Obstructions to Worship

Zeal for the Father’s House

The Authority of the Son

The New Temple

Obstructions to Worship

  1. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and shis brothers2 and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.13 tThe Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus uwent up to Jerusalem.
    1. Passover: celebration feast of Jews - freed from Egypt Exodus 12
      1. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice זֶֽבַח (zebah) of the LORD’S Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’”… (Exodus 12:24-27 ESV)
    2. Brought Jews from all over to Jerusalem who pilgrimaged to celebrate; was a command of God in the law to keep the Passover.
      1. Represented Freedom from Egypt, now, possibly interpreted as symbolic of Rome
      2. True symbolism: freedom from slavery to sin and death
      3. Feast: 
        1. Choose lamb into the house on the 10th
            1. Becomes part of the family. Kids play with it. Get attached. Gentle, sweet, lamb…
            2. “What’s for dinner?” “where’s fluffy?”
        2. 14th, killed lamb. Cut the throat.
        3. Took blood of passover lamb, put on door step. 
        4. Cooked the lamb, whole. Ate all of it.
        5. God was freeing his bride from slavery.

Jesus cleared temple in other gospels, right after his Triumphal Entry -the week of his death. The conversation with the Religious leaders was different in those accounts.

  1. 14 vIn the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 
    1. In the court of the gentiles, hindering them - making it practically impossible to worship. Bleating sheep, utter chaos, 
      1. bleating sheep / bleating children. One’s acceptable, ones not. (We love children in our worship services and trust you know how to best care for them and honor those around you.
      2. Sheep/animals would be an abomination in any other part of the temple
    2. Sold sheep and oxen - sacrifices that were commanded. Sheep especially, people were instructed to take into their house. Part of ceremony that made it personal, relational, and it was now transactional. Circumvented process. Family developed relationship with the sheep. Was sorrowful moment.
    3. God had specific instructions that had purpose… meaning… and to circumvent those meant losing the meaning, the authenticity, the depth of relationship.
    4. People of Israel had to give a temple tax. That temple tax had to be in the right currency.  They had to pay to have that currency exchanged. We call it an exchange rate. Money changers exacting usury, some up to 12%. This is specifically against God’s law. It’s like charging your family tax. 

Zeal for the Father’s House

  1. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make wmy Father's house a house of trade.” 
    1. Disdain for the activity:
      1. Profiting off of worship
        1. Isaiah 55:1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (ESV)
    2. Keeping the foreigner away from God 
      1. Isaiah 56:6–8 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—[7] these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” [8] The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.” (ESV)
      2. Worship is not just for the “in” crowd. The privileged, those of the right ethnicity, with the right pedigree. God is not a respecter of persons. Israel is his chosen nation, chosen to carry the law the and prophets, from whom the Messiah was born, but also to be a light to the nations. Eternity consists of every tribe, every tongue, every nation, every socio-economic status, and every one is there because of His grace,
  2. 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, x“Zeal for your house will consume me.”
    1. Psalm 69:9 For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. (ESV)
      1. David writes of becoming a reproach, even to his brothers, because of his zeal for God
      2. Jesus has become a reproach, or an outcast, because of his zeal for God. His zeal for the nations made him an outcast of his own people.

The Authority of the Son

18 So the Jews said to him, y“What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 

    1. Jesus acts as one who has authority over the temple - His Father’s house.
      1. Jews: What makes you think you can do these things? Who are you?!?
      2. Religious leaders are complicit in temple market. They knew the law. They knew the court of the gentiles was to be a place of worship. Maybe the money changers and hustler herdsmen pay a nice temple tax, and they receive a cut of the prophet? They were “doing church” according to what would make the most money for them.
      3. They ask for a sign that shows them what authority he has to do these things
        1. Show me why I should believe?!
          1. Weren’t convinced by Jesus, and weren’t convinced by scripture for what was right in how they treat foreigners.
      4. Jesus makes prediction of His death and resurrection. This was his proof that He had all authority over His Father’s house. He determines the rules. He determines who can come worship. He determines the how and the why. And his decree is that his house shall be a house of prayer for all nations.

But it wasn’t ultimately about the temple, or the foreigner… it was ultimately about him.

  1. 19 Jesus answered them, z“Destroy this temple, and in three days aI will raise it up.” 
    1. Jesus continually points to his ‘hour.' 
    2. Jesus flipped the conversation. He redefined the Temple, because He was the true temple. Only He housed the Holy Spirit!
      1. The original Temple housed the Holy Spirit. There is no evidence that the Spirit of God returned to the 2nd temple after the first temple was destroyed
        1. Ezekiel saw the Spirit leave, then sees a future time when the Spirit will return, and Israel will no longer defile the temple (10:18-19; 43:1-7)
    3. Recall John the Baptist testimony: “I baptize with water, but among you stands one who… baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” John 1:26, 33
  2. So, His answer to the Pharisees: Jesus sign: my death and resurrection.
      1. They ask for a parlor trick, he gives them ultimate proof of his authority: Destroy this temple: Destroy this body, and I will raise it up again in 3 days

They still didn’t understand… 

  1. 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,3 and will you raise it up in three days?”
        1. They scoff. It took 20 years to build the first temple, 46 to build the second temple. This is an impossible feat for man. 
        2. The idea of the Spirit of God dwelling in a man was foreign, and not even a blip on their radar.
        3. They use the temple in ways that are contrary to the desire of God:
          1. Matt 12:6-8 “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
  1. 21 But he was speaking about bthe temple of his body. 
  2. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, chis disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed dthe Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
    1. Response to seeing Jesus:
    2. Believed Scripture: that the Messiah must die
      1. Isa 53:
    3. Believed the word Jesus had spoken, putting it on par with Scripture
      1. “But I say to you…”
      2. Jesus spoke with authority, equal to that of Scripture.

The answer to the religious leaders question: “by what authority do you do these things?” Was this: “I am God. I am the temple of the Spirit. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” What I say stands. 

Communion:

In John 2, The temple, which was rendered empty, once again had the Spirit of God inside. However, His Spirit wouldn’t be confined to one house. It wouldn’t be confined to one ethnic people. His glory is too great, the praise of His name too wonderful. His Spirit would cover the earth. It would dwell in the temple of His Son, and then, because we have been brought into His family, His blood has covered us, his people. His judgement has passed over us, and placed on the Lamb of God. His Spirit now dwells in us, and we are now temples of the Spirit of God. This is what we celebrate when we go to Communion. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have been sanctified and made temples of the Most High.

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