New Temple Life

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

NEW TEMPLE LIFE

John 2:12-22

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"  17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."   18 Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."  20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

NIV

There has been a lot of interpretations regarding the action of Jesus in the temple in this narrative as well as in the accounts of the other gospels. However, first, we should consider what John says about those who went down to Capernaum with Jesus. John indicates the mother of Jesus, along with his brothers and also his disciples. In the Greek interlinear, it appears it is meant his brothers are different than his disciples. We know at this point we only know of four disciples, Peter, Andrew, Phillip, and Nathanael. There is some controversy denominationally regarding the everlasting virginity of Mary. This is mostly between Catholic and most protestant faiths. From our view, it would make sense that Joseph and Mary knew each other as husband and wife, in other words, were intimate and had other children who would have been in some sense the brothers, and maybe sisters, of Jesus, having the same mother, but different fathers. The Catholic view is Mary remained a virgin her whole life, in fact, they do not believe she was married after giving birth to Jesus because the actual marriage feast of Joseph and Mary is not recorded. However, the gospel of Matthew makes it clear that Joseph did exactly what the angel told him, and took Mary home to be his wife. It is inconceivable in that culture that a married couple would not have many children. So let us just believe the scripture apart from denominationalism. Now, as far as Jesus cleansing the temple there is some differences of opinions as to what and why this happened. We, of course, hear this narrative with modern ears or see it in the context of our modern ideas, but in fact, that culture would have seen his actions in the temple differently. Our modern thinking wants to focus on the righteous indignation of Jesus.  Jesus is, in fact, acting out the coming destruction of the temple which would happen in AD 70 by the Romans. In the context, he is questioned to prove his authority for doing what he did. He responds by telling them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days”. John makes sure we know Jesus was talking about his body. We could get into a great theological dissertation or debate regarding all the ramifications or meanings surrounding this event. But that would not give us what we need to see devotionally. By what Jesus did and said he was in fact making the point that he would now be the temple, which is the place God dwells with his people. All the temple system, the sacrifice system, the temple life, its significance to the people, were all going to be replaced by Jesus, himself. Viewing all the rest of scripture, we can see that Jesus is the chief cornerstone of the new temple and we, being in Christ are living stones being built into the temple of God, the place God dwells with his people, within us. But Jesus is also the capstone, which also indicates that we are completely in Christ. Our lives are built based on the cornerstone and thus we will be all squared away and Christ holds us all together, keeps us from collapsing as the capstone does for an arch. Being the temple of the Holy Spirit, being believers, then the only sacrifice which is acceptable in the temple is ourselves as we present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is our spiritual act of worship. Being in Christ is the new temple life.