Feb 20: Understanding his anger
John 2:13-25 TNIV from Biblegateway.com
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 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. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 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.
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need human testimony about them, for he knew what was in them.
Devotional comments:
Jesus’ appearance at the temple could be said to be his most direct challenge to the religious practises of the time. His zeal for the house of God made him angry, not in the sense of someone who cuts you off in traffic, but like a veteran who discovers vandalism to a memorial cenotaph.
The temple marketplace atmosphere was offensive for two reasons. It did not show proper reverence to the place of worship, and it prohibited the Gentiles from approaching in a quiet prayerful way to the only area they were allowed. Both the proper worship and witness to the Lord God were affected.
The demand of the temple leaders for an explanation of his behavior shows that the marketplace was under their control. It also demonstrates that they did not recognize the barriers to proper worship that they had erected between God and the people (see Mark 11:15-18).
It was indeed the standard practise to ask anyone who claimed to speak for God to show evidence (as Elisha did for Nathan in 2 Kings 5). Jesus gives no sign, but rather an answer of spiritual dimension. His later ‘signs’ were not performed at the request of the skeptical leaders but to meet the needs of the ordinary people. These signs increased the religious opposition to Jesus since may religious rules were broken with his miracles. It is interesting to note Jesus demonstrates his deity by reading the thoughts of his critics.
Henry Blackaby tells us to “find out where God is working and join him.” The more we understand about Jesus, the more possible that becomes.
Bob Bichler
Pray for Jesus to challenge any false practices in our lives.