Time for a Temple Cleansing—Lectionary Reflection for Lent 3B (John 2)

John 2:13-22 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

¹³ The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and the money changers seated at their tables. ¹⁵ Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, with the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” ¹⁸ The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. ²² After 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.

                **********************

                When it comes to the chronology of Jesus’ ministry, John and the Synoptic authors are often on different pages. That is true when it comes to Jesus’ visits to Jerusalem. One of the key moments in the telling of Jesus’ story involves his visit to the Temple, where he becomes distraught by what he sees. He responds rather violently, turning tables upside down and freeing animals that were intended to be used in sacrifices. In the Synoptic Gospels, this takes place in the final days of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry, shortly after the Triumphal Entry. In John, it takes place at the very beginning of his ministry. You can try to harmonize these two versions by suggesting that he cleansed the Temple on two occasions, but that’s probably a fool’s errand.

                Our story of the week takes place, in John’s telling of the story, shortly after Jesus turned water into wine in Capernaum. After that, Jesus goes to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. It should be noted that the idea that Jesus’ ministry lasted three years is based on John mentioning the Passover on three occasions (John 2, John 6, and John 11). Unlike the Synoptic telling of the story, Jesus hasn’t yet entered Jerusalem hailed as the Son of David (Messiah). He just goes to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. When he goes to Jerusalem, like a good pilgrim, he goes to the Temple. It’s important to note that all four gospels include the story of the cleansing of the Temple. They may place it in different chronological locations, but the fact that it is included in all four gospels suggests that Jesus did in fact cause a ruckus in the Temple by messing with the commercialization of the Temple.

For John, this is Jesus’ first visit to the Temple. He is horrified by what he sees, because “he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and the money changers seated at their tables” (vs. 14). In other words, Jesus is offended by the commercialization of a holy place that he held in high regard. As he enters the Temple he encounters vendors selling animals for sacrifice (after all, not just any animal is considered acceptable) and exchanging currency (since not just any form of money is considered appropriate to do business in the Temple, money must be exchanged, with the appropriate fee). Now, Jesus doesn’t exactly cleanse the Temple. That would take a cleaning crew with mops and buckets, but he does obstruct business as usual by chasing the animals out of the Temple precincts and overturning the tables of the money changers.   

We might compare this occasion to Martin Luther’s pilgrimage to Rome in 1510, a visit that would contribute to his effort to reform the church, first from within and then from outside after his excommunication.  While Luther didn’t make a whip and drive everyone out of the Vatican, reform efforts often begin with eye-opening experiences such as Jesus’ and Luther’s. For Luther, seeing the extravagant buildings being built in Rome, including St. Peter’s, building projects financed in large part by the sale of indulgences, inspired his attacks on the sale of indulgences. What Luther and Jesus encountered elicited a rather strong reaction. For Jesus that reaction included what one could say is an act of violence. When we see something like this with Jesus it can mess with our picture of Jesus, especially if we assume that Jesus is Mr. Calm, Cool, and Collected.  

                What we see here is a reminder that Jesus often acted as an agent provocateur. By placing this story up front, John lets us know that the Jesus we will encounter is going to ruffle feathers, both religious and political. Remember that in John’s telling this takes place during Passover, when Jerusalem might have been filled with pilgrims. So, why does Jesus take this action? Is he concerned about the purity of the Temple or the exploitation of the people for the benefit of the elite? Let us remember that when Jesus’ ministry began, the finishing touches were being placed on Herod’s Temple remodeling/reconstruction project was in its last stages. Herod might be gone, but the project needed to be finished. Even in the ancient world, it took a lot of money to build religious buildings. That is especially true when you have before you one of the great wonders of the ancient world. Reading a passage like this in context could cause us to pause and consider the nature of church-building projects. Now, I’m not against church buildings, and I am known to enjoy the aesthetics of an ancient cathedral, but the passage does cause us to stop and consider whether church-building projects are expressions of ego and power or meant to provide space for worship and service to God. Jesus' message to the marketers using the Temple precincts to sell their wares was this: “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”  Yes, Jesus claimed God as his father, and he was taking control of his father’s house so it might not be desecrated.

                After taking this action, the religious leaders and Jewish elite wanted to know by what authority he acted. In fact, they demanded a sign. Jesus responded by telling them that if they destroyed this temple, it would be raised back up in three days. The people are astounded. How can a Temple that had been under construction for forty-six years be reconstructed in three days? At one level, Jesus isn’t talking about the Temple in Jerusalem, which would take more than three days to rebuild. Rather he is speaking of his own body, which will be “destroyed” and then raised up three days later. As John points out, it is not until after Jesus’ resurrection that the disciples remember and understand what is said here.

                You might be wondering how the Temple in Jerusalem, which by the time John wrote his Gospel had been destroyed by the Romans, relates to Jesus’ body. If we understand the Temple as being the dwelling place of God, then Jesus is telling us that he is the dwelling place of God. If you want to encounter God, Jesus is the eschatological embodiment of God’s presence. At that moment, neither the challengers nor the disciples can understand what Jesus means here, but the time will come when it becomes clear. But that will take place after the resurrection, not before.  

                The placement of this event early in the ministry serves to set up the trajectory that gets carried through the Gospel. Jesus is going to be at odds with the religious elite and leadership, whom he believes are failing to fulfill their calling. With great regularity, he calls them out. With that said, what word might Jesus have for contemporary religious leaders? Diane Chen asks: “Have power and personal gain threatened to detract the church from its raison d'être? Do those who hold important responsibilities lead with integrity? Do the church’s witness and worship honor dishonor God?  . . . Where does one seek hope and divine presence in a world torn by strife?” [Connections, p. 73]. These are the kinds of questions we face as continue our Lenten journey in the company of Jesus, the provocateur!

                In the middle of this passage, after Jesus’ provocative act of cleansing the Temple, John notes that the disciples remembered the saying “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (Jn. 2:18; Psalm 69:9). That remark reminds us that this act, along with others, will contribute to Jesus’ ultimate demise. In the Synoptics, this event takes place in the final week of his earthly life and is one of the pieces of evidence used against him. While in John this takes place early in the ministry, it is one of the pieces of evidence that leads to Jesus’ demise. The placement in the lectionary reminds us that we are moving toward that moment when Jesus will face his earthly judges. We’re not there yet, but it is coming. So, get ready!

Image attribution: Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1606-1669. Christ driving the moneychangers, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54708 [retrieved February 27, 2024]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_Harmensz._van_Rijn_024.jpg.