Do some pictures of Jesus in the Bible mess with the picture you have of Jesus in your head? The story of John 2:13 - 22 is one of those “does not compute” passages for me. Jesus is in Jerusalem and sees the merchants selling animals in the Temple. He becomes angry and makes a whip to drive the animals out. He turns over the money tables and, in a sense, cleanses the Temple. The teachers of the law don’t like this very much and demand a sign of His authority. When Jesus saw the place in which His people were supposed to meet God being misused and dishonoured, He was outraged. His righteous anger was due to His Father being disrespected and the people not having a real relationship with the Father. They had missed the point completely.
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!” (John 2:15 - 16)
Jesus is making an enormous effort; He is showing His people their stubborn, legalistic ways in the Temple cleansing. The Temple was to be a place where people lived out their personal relationship with God. Instead, it had been turned into a place of monetary gain, guilt trips, and false piety. The people were going through the motions, believing that the motions would save them! Jesus is trying to show them this with the Temple clearing. He wants to bring them back into a right relationship with God.
The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” (John 2:18)
And the leaders want a sign. Jesus has just performed a sign with the very act of cleansing the Temple. They do not believe, they just want more signs, not because they want Jesus to perform them but because they do not think He can. They don’t really want Jesus to prove Himself because it would mean an end to their power so no sign will be good enough. The Bridegroom has come and the Bride has rejected Him.
Not only do the temple leaders not believe, but they do not want to believe. They have lost their longing and desire for a relationship with God. How often we do that. We get caught up with finding satisfaction in earthly things. Now, “earthly things” is a common phrase, let’s put it into modern terms. What do you do in your free time? Instagram? Facebook? Twitter? Netflix? Your job? Things like family, employment, romantic relationships, and downtime have their place in our lives. The problem comes when we expect them to satisfy us, to fill the holes in our heart, the emptiness. Jesus cares way more about your heart than your Instagram feed, your diet, or the latest project at work. Slowly Jesus is going to start cleansing your heart, getting the junk that is blocking your relationship with the Father. C.S. Lewis puts it this way in Mere Christianity:
Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.
I am going to be honest, I don’t understand the Jesus that clears the Temple. When I picture myself there, I feel scared and confused and intimidated. I am afraid of the Jesus that uses a whip to drive animals out of the Temple. I am still in the process of understanding that part of Jesus. On the same note, I am comforted by the knowledge that Jesus had a reason. His great love is so deep and complex that He cannot stand injustice when it is poisoning our relationship with Him.
When He was near the end of His clearing, the teachers of the Law were outraged. In their minds Jesus was “desecrating” their Temple and turning their “lifestyle” on its head. In reality, He was attempting to clear out the distractions, the clutter in their lives to return to pure worship. How would you react if a part of your life was changed or taken away? If it gave you’re a closer relationship with Jesus would you choose the thing or the closeness?
Picture in your mind the injustice of this. Jesus was angry for the sake of God’s honour and his People. His actions were for their benefit. And they rejected him. For one brief moment let any pop song about rejection play in your head. Have you done it? Now read John 2 verses 18 - 20. Do you get a sick feeling in your stomach? I do. My whole body cringes at the absolute horror and wrongness of this rejection. This is the way Israel treated their Messiah. And Jesus still dies for them. Gladly, because of His great love for His creation. I want to spend the rest of my life learning about this love.
Application Points:
Read the scripture passage and then close your eyes and imagine it. Have the “movie” play on your mind’s stage. What do you see, hear, feel, taste and smell? How are the characters speaking? Often the passages we read have become so familiar to our minds that we read them as a monotone story, not even paying attention. Remember that the people in the Bible are real. They will either be in Heaven or Hell someday. You will get to meet some of them. Remember that what occurs through the story wasn’t fully expected, the people didn’t know what would happen next. Read through the story with this in mind, and then consider what you might have done in their place.
Write down how the picture of Jesus clearing the Temple with a whip impacts your idea of Jesus. Compare notes with a friend. Consider where you got your idea of Jesus, and if it is biblical.