Exploitation

The Passage

John 2:12-25

¹²After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. ¹³Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. ¹⁵When 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. ¹⁶And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"

¹⁷Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."

¹⁸So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"

¹⁹Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

²⁰Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"

²¹But He was speaking of the temple of His body. ²²Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

²³Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. ²⁴But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all [men], ²⁵and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

A Little Background

The Passover is one of the most holy days of the Jewish calendar occurring in the Spring either in March or April.  Passover celebrates the historical event of God’s passing over the houses of Israelites when he sent the destroyer into the land of Egypt.  Each family was to sacrifice a lamb, spread its blood on the sides and over the top of the door.  The destroyer entered the homes that did not have the blood of the lamb and killed the firstborn.  The next day, Pharaoh expelled all the Jews from Egypt, beginning their journey, led by Moses, to the Promised Land, Canaan, or what is now known as Israel.

Each year faithful Jews traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover there.  This was the same occasion during which Jesus stayed behind talking to the teachers when He was 12 years old.

During that journey, God revealed Himself to Moses on Mount Sinai.  Moses wrote as God spoke.  One of God’s instructions was to build a portable structure to be used for worship.  It was a simple tent known as the tabernacle.  When the Israelites worshiped God according to His Word, His presence would fill the Holy of Holies.  Many years later kings David and Solomon desired to build a permanent and glorious dwelling place for God’s worship known as the temple.  Set up exactly the same way as the tabernacle, Solomon’s temple was bigger and more glorious.  

Because of years of idolatry, God sent the pagan Babylonians to Israel to take the people into captivity.  The temple was destroyed and its objects of worship stolen.  When the Israelites returned to the land 70 years later, Zerubbabal rebuilt the temple in a smaller version.  Approximately 16 years before Jesus’ birth, Herod began his rebuilding of the temple.  Herod was a wicked king whose goal was not for worship of the true God, but self-glorification.  Herod’s temple was the largest and just one of his several building projects.  Massive stones form the foundation of the temple which is estimated to have been the equivalent of 40 stories high according to Jewish historian, Josephus. 

Some Explanation

God’s required system of worship at the temple (originally the tabernacle) was to bring specific animals for various sacrifices.  Sacrifices were made continually on a daily basis when worshipers would present themselves to repent of particular sins, for the birth of a child, and for the days that God required as special holy days.  When the worshipers traveled they would need to bring the live sacrificial animal with them.[1]  It was not necessary that the family raise the animal themselves.  It could be bought for the purpose of sacrifice.  On a practical level, it would be much easier to buy an animal for sacrifice in Jerusalem rather than travel with it in tow. 

Having animals inside the temple complex (this would have been in the outer courtyard) was very convenient.  And of course, animals bought there would be the highest priced.  It doesn’t take much imagination to realize the economic advantage of being a dealer of sacrificial animals in Jerusalem.  It’s also easy to imagine the scenario that Jesus saw when He arrived at the temple—the noisy, dirty animals, the loud bartering and bickering over prices, and the price-gouging vendors crowding and clamoring in the place reserved for worship of God.

Each year, Jews were required to pay a temple tax of one-half shekel (Exodus 30:13).  The shekel was Jewish currency.  But Israel was under Roman domination, and the Roman denarius was required for secular purchases.  Therefore, the money changers set up inside the temple complex for converting the denarius into shekels.

The scene was certainly nothing new to Jesus, but now He had formally begun His ministry.  It was time to cleanse the temple of merchandizing and establish the house of the Lord to its original intent—a house of prayer to receive atonement for sin and present themselves as worshipers of the Lord.

What sign do You show to us?... When Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple, the Jews (Pharisees) became angry.  No doubt they also profited from the lucrative business arrangement.  Their question was a challenge to Jesus to show what authority He had to drive out these profiteers.  These Jews asked for a sign, and Jesus gave them exactly what they asked for, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”  Such a statement seemed ludicrous to these Jews. They were already opposing Jesus’ authority.  Verse 19 explains that Jesus was declaring His deity.  He specifically meant His own body was the temple.  He was the image, the exact representation of God the Father (Colossians 1:15) .  This is the first time that Jesus is recorded as predicting His death and resurrection.  It will be the crucial point in proving His identity as Messiah.  Later, when Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples remembered this incident.

...many believed in His name when they saw the signs...there were other signs that Jesus did while in Jerusalem at this time, though they are not recorded for us. 

But Jesus did not commit Himself to them...At this point, Jesus did not declare Himself to be the Messiah because He knew what that would mean to the people.  They were looking for a Messiah to deliver them from Roman domination and establish a paradise-like kingdom.  That was not Jesus plan.

Observations and Insights

At some point in time, perhaps a seemingly very innocent practice began of providing worshipers with needed goods and services for temple worship.  What may possibly have begun with sincere motivation soon degenerated into exploitation.   I see myself in this passage.

As believers we also represent the body of Christ[2]; our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  We are to be holy—set apart for His worship alone (1 Peter 1:15, 16).  In our zeal for the Lord, we desire to grow, to be encouraged and built up in our faith.  There are many good books and opportunities that teach us sound doctrine, train us, and sharpen our abilities to serve Him. 

However, what begins as good and right motivation to love and good works, can quickly turn when we take our attention off the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ through the Word and give our attention and allegiance to human teachers and celebrity preachers.  2 Peter 2:1-3 denounces false teachers who “make merchandise of”_(KJV) or exploit believers.  So often we fill our shelves with books, CD’s or spend hundreds of dollars to attend every conference that promises a new teaching.  1 John 2:20, 27 tells us that all believers have the anointing of the Holy Spirit; we have no need of special teaching to take us to “new levels” or show us some new revelation to increase our spirituality. 

There are good tools and resources that are worthy of investment for our spiritual growth, but if you find yourself spending hundreds of dollars each year on seminars, conferences, CD series, and books, perhaps it is time to pull back.  Go to the source.  All that we need for life and godliness is found between Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 22:21.  We need no new revelation for the Bible itself completely equips us (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).  How about taking a year off to diligently study the Word of God?

This sheep has found the calm waters and green pastures of the Shepherd to be absolutely delightful.  

Next: "Look and Live"

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[1] In the case of Passover, the animal was killed and eaten at the home of the family; it was not sacrificed at the temple.  However, it was necessary to have an animal to sacrifice.

[2] This is symbolic or metaphorical.  Believers are not the temple or the literal body in the same way that Jesus was God incarnate—in flesh.  1 Cor. 12, and 2 Cor. 6 describe us as the body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit.