Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.
When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.
And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"
Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." (John 2:13-17)
The key words seem to be in the temple. If all this had been going on outside Jesus would have done nothing.
At most times the merchants were set up across the Kidron Valley. But for Passover they moved their booths right up in the temple area.
I can imagine it happening. Like store hours in a shopping mall today. If one store begins opening a little before the actual opening time, others follow. So I can imagine one merchant deciding to move his booth closer to the temple, to be more convenient for the worshipers, and probably to reap a little more of the business. Then another would move his booth, vying for a better spot, and so finally they were all there!
Competition must have been intense! They probably called out their prices, drowning each other out if possible, to secure better deals. Bargaining was probably loud and boisterous, too! (Remember the old saying? The more things change, the more they remain the same. Entering a market area in the Middle East today is probably an accurate illustration of that day when Christ came to the temple 2000 years ago!)
Appropriate Service -- Inappropriate Place
The Jews who were selling the animals and the money changers were doing good work.
It was Passover. Pilgrims coming in to participate could not, in many cases, bring their sacrifices with them. And so for someone in Jerusalem to provide for them what they needed was a worthwhile, and important, service.
The money changers, too, provided a service. While at the Passover, the pilgrims were to pay a temple tax and it was to be coins of the purist silver. There were a number of coinage systems in the Roman Empire and Jews coming in from other areas often would not have the pure silver coins they needed. They needed to exchange their local currency for the silver coins needed for them to pay their tax.
The animal sellers and the money changers charged a commission. Sometimes it might be higher than really necessary (I suppose greedy people lived in those days, too!)
Nevertheless, these activities were providing valuable services for the people coming to worship God.
Perhaps the main truth we need to glean from this scripture is one that we have (almost?) forgotten today: God is particular about how He is to be approached in the temple (Sanctuary today). He has a certain way He wants to be worshiped.
Remember the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in Sychar?
Yet a time is coming when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. (John 4:23-24)
That should remind us that God is concerned about the way we come to Him, about how we worship Him.
Jesus was saying, "This is holy ground. This is a place for prayer and adoration and worship. Not a market!"
Here's some thoughts from R. C. Sproul:
It wasn't simply zeal for the temple that motivated Jesus. It was zeal for the activity the temple was designed to accommodate--the worship of God. Imagine if you went to church on a Sunday morning and went into the sanctuary to pray, but you couldn't focus your thoughts because of the loud and persistent bleating of sheep and goats. That's what was going on in the temple. The sacred grounds set apart for worship had become chaotic.
Yes, the people's needs were being met. I'm sure the temple leaders were saying, "We're just trying to be relevant; we're being seeker-sensitive for those who can't bring their lambs from home and who need their money exchanged." But in their efforts to make these procedures easy and convenient for the people, they impacted the people's ability to worship.
Are We Also Missing the Point?
I guess we are doing the same thing today. Forgetting that Jesus' zeal for the house of God was actually for the worship of God in His house.
Forgetting that the holy God we come to worship and adore has the right to tell us how to come to Him. And we have the responsibility to obey His rules.
Imagine if we were requesting an audience with the Queen of England. We would find out exactly how to approach her. Should we bow? Should we salute? Should we shake her hand? How should we address her? It's called protocol -- proper etiquette and ceremony used by dignitaries and heads of state. And it is all decided and dictated by the person who is being visited. Not by the ones seeking her attention.
Have we made it all backwards? We worry about music that will attract a larger audience. Shorter sermons to appeal to audiences with limited attention spans.
High-tech aids to show people we are "with it" -- that we are relevant -- that we are sophisticated and "uptown."
Jesus says in John 2 and John 4 something different. He says His Father wants people to worship Him according to what He wants. Now that's a novel idea! Worship God the way He wants?
We are shown throughout Scripture that worship is not something we are to do as we please.
I wonder if perhaps Christ might come some day with a whip of cords to drive us out of His sanctuary.
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