Zeal for the Father’s House

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. John 2:13

“The Jews,” we remember, does not just mean the Israeli people, but it is the New Testament term for the leaders of the Jewish religio/political system, which kept its foot on the neck of the Israeli people. It was a system of control by fear and superstition – legalism. The legitimate Passover of God was a commemoration of the night the death angel passed over the Jewish households as the firstborn of Egypt were being killed. The blood of the lamb without spot or blemish had been sprinkled on the doorposts of those Jewish families, who were safe inside; behind that redeeming blood, which represented the Savior Who was to come. The Lord’s Passover was established in Exodus 12:14, as He was preparing Israel to be delivered from Egyptian bondage. By the time of Christ, The Jews had turned this sacred commemorative feast into a religious ritual, complete with their own system of extortion for qualification to participate.

In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. John 2:14

This had become a racket in the temple. The Jews conned the common worshipers who felt constrained to follow the man-made rituals. They were told that their own animals were not good enough to be used for sacrifice. They must buy from the temple merchants specially “blessed” animals at exorbitant rates. These same merchants also had a protection arrangement with the highway robbers of the area, who were in on the take. Making merchandise of ministry is not a new thing, brethren.

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. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:15-17

Yes. Our gentle, loving Lord Jesus was angry! Contrary to popular belief and myriads of “portraits” by artists who never saw Jesus, He was a powerful, muscular man in perfect health who had done physical work most of His life. He did not hesitate to drive out the merchants and their animals with his hand-made whip as He violently overturned their tables of exchange. “Take these things….” His command was in the aorist imperative: “Right now! Get out!” There will be no discussion.

His disciples, who knew the Old Testament, remembered the quote from Psalm 69:9. “Zeal” means ardor, or heated passion.

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 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. John 2:18-22

The Jews demanded to know by what authority “what sign” Jesus could do such things. The question implied: “Just who do you think you are?”

His answer: “when you destroy this temple (My body), in three days I will raise it up.”  Of course, they didn’t get it. They could not, for they were religious unbelievers. His own disciples didn’t get it, either, because they were weak and new in the faith, and were standing there stunned by what they had just seen Him do. Three years later, John says in retrospect, they remembered His words and believed Who He was.

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. John 2:23-25

At this, His first Passover celebration with His disciples, Jesus apparently was performing many miracles among the people, causing them to believe He really was the Messiah. Jesus, however, knew that most of this was shallow, emotional reaction to the miracles, and not real faith. Many people believe Jesus is real and can perform miracles. Many of those same people do not fully trust in Him for their own salvation. They want tricks, gimmicks, entertainment, strokes, sentimentality; but when it comes to eternal life, they rely on a system of works, which cannot save.

Nobody had to tell the omniscient creator of life what was really going on with these early admirers. He knows our souls. The pretenders don’t receive His intimacy, because they cannot comprehend it.

The miracles of Jesus focused attention on His person and His ministry.

Jesus is God. God is sovereign of the universe; therefore the universe does His bidding. So-called scientific laws do not exist. Laws of science are simply evidence of God’s order. Definition of science: systematized knowledge. Science cannot enforce its laws. The universe follows a pattern, because God designed it to be just that way. When God is finished with “scientific laws,” He will dispense with them. The universe was created and will be destroyed by the word of His mouth. Colossians 1:17, And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Hebrews 1:3, He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. How is the universe sustained? By God’s faithfulness and stability.

If Jesus had come to perform healing miracles, there would be no sick humans. If He had come to take over political leadership of the world, we would all be living under His peaceful rule today.

Jesus didn’t come in His first advent to perform miracles, but to atone for the sins of mankind. The miracles He performed along the way verified His deity. 

The Jews wanted signs. They got signs. The signs frightened and infuriated them.