John 2 - Part 2

Read John 2

If you are looking for a chronology, John might be difficult for you.  We get a little micro-chronology in chapter 1.  We know this from the words the next day.  From the use of these words we ascertain that Jesus spent 3 consecutive days at or around the Jordan River while John was baptizing.  We might surmise 4 days if Jesus was nearby while John testified about who he was.

John’s sequences don’t always match the synoptics but we must remember that the gospel was spread orally for a decade or two before reduced to writing.  Imagine young Hebrew believers listening to the story of creation and then one of them says, “Tell us the story of David and Goliath.”

Creation and David and Goliath are part of a bigger story; yet stand alone.  All of the intervening history does not have to be told to be enriched by the account of David and this huge Philistine.  In fact, in the telling to a group, someone might ask for the story of David and 5 smooth stones after another story had finished. 

You want chronology, the 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles are your best bets.

Likewise, parts of John are surely chronological, such as those last few days and hours.  Others may or may not be as in the account at the temple courts; yet they do not detract from the full account.

We are told that after, not next or the next day, the wedding in Cana Jesus came to the temple.

Jesus came into the courts during Passover week.  They were surely packed.  The priests were surely making many sacrifices.  Business was good in the courts of the temple. 

This area probably looked and smelled more like a sale barn than what what you might expect would surround the temple which housed the Holy of Holies. OBTW—Jesus was not happy about this. 

People who traveled a long way to bring a sacrifice to the temple surely needed to purchase that sacrifice, but not here.  There were marketplaces and there was the temple.  It was not a two-fer.  They should have never been combined.

Surely, the profitability of the market increased the closer it was to the temple.  You didn’t have to purchase your sacrifice on the other side of town, you could get it at the temple.  It wasn’t actually inside the temple, so what gives?

Jesus didn’t exactly draw a line in the sand but he made him a whip and started driving out these vendors.  He turned over tables, scattered their coins, and gave them a good tongue-lashing.

“Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”

In my parlance, he broke the vending machine.  Transactions don’t belong in a place of transformations. 

This was his Father’s house and Jesus was passionate about it.  Needless to say, he got people’s attention.  Not all of them were receiving his rebuke.  Some wanted to know just who was he to do this.  By what authority have you disrupted my daily life and livelihood? 

If you have some authority to do this, then give us a sign.

Jesus told them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

Jesus was talking about the temple which housed his being.  The money changers and surely everyone else must have thought he was talking about the temple that took 46 years to build.

Why would Jesus leave them with this misunderstanding?  Consider why he spoke in parables.  Only those who sought after him were granted the privilege of having eyes to see and ears to hear.

If they knew he was talking about his body, someone might have put that to the test, but remember, his time had not yet come, but it would.

Jesus was not interested in building public support. In fact, he knew what was in the heart of man and those depraved hearts were not needed to testify on his behalf.  His testimony would be enough.  We will see later on how this upset the Pharisees, but having been sent by the Father, Jesus needed no other testimony, especially from the sinful hearts of men.

You have made it through two chapters of John’s gospel.  Keep reading this chapter up to this Sunday, then begin chapter three.  There we will find on Pharisee who was at least interested in finding out who this very special person called Jesus really was.

You will find some very familiar words.

Amen.