Real Temple Judaism (Jesus meets Israel)

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INTRO = John starts out saying that anyone can become a child of God.  He concludes this by saying that we must believe that Jesus is the Christ.  If you can confess him as your lord and your god, you become a son of god.   This is a bold claim by a believer in Jesus who at one time was brought up to believe that only one select group of people could lay claim to being literally, related to the Christ, the Son of David, who in their terminology, the Messiah.  But now John is saying anyone who will believe and receive Jesus will be given the right to become a child of God.  Is John advocating, “replacement” theology?  Saying in his very day that being born Jewish was not anything special anymore – that you needed to be born from above?   Now is it replacement theology, or is it inclusive theology?  That everyone, regardless of how or where or to whom you were born, you could become a beloved son of God, able to inherit every heavenly blessing?  Is this replacement theology, or is it fulfillment theology, that one day the Messiah would come and become a ‘light to the nations” and they would hear and believe in the one who bring salvation to Zion? How could John advocate such a theology like this when he was raised with a theology that contradicted this type of belief?  Well, he met the Savior of Israel who was also the savior of the world. In fact, a powerful apologetic for believing in the historic life of Jesus Christ is that suddenly, during an era called 2nd Temple Judaism, a bunch of Jews, decided to chuck all kinds of previously held beliefs about their Messiah and destiny, and decided to apply every category about their Messiah and destiny to a crucified and risen messiah who now rules not over a nation but over a kingdom called the church.  Why would they replace all the categories of what they expected the Messiah to be in a Messiah who wasn’t even around!  Because Jesus CHANGED the categories by fulfilling them and expanding them. John reveals it in his first sign of changing water into wine in John, chapter 2 – it was subtle, it was only appreciated by the disciples, but it was still glorious.  Now in John, chapter 2, Jesus is not going to be subtle – in fact, he is going to be over-the-top embarrassing about the mission of the Messiah:  The temple will not be just for the Jews; but it will be a house of prayer for all who will call God their father! In John, chapter 2, Jesus is meeting Israel head-on and saying something about her.  First, she is a wedding party that is winding down, and only he has the divine provisions to replenish her empty religious system, and SECONDLY, the temple, which is the house of HIS FATHER, must be swept clean in order to appreciate his mission; to clearly recognize that all of the temple worship and its sacrificial system is the foundation for what Jesus Christ came to do in his person and work. READ JOHN 2 13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 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. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade." 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." 18 So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 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. 23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. 1.  pa,sca tw/n VIoudai,wn Jn 2:13—Passover was just celebrated by the Jews this weekend.  Passover of “the Jews” = why is John making some kind of distinction “of the Jews”?  Who else’s Passover would it be?  Consider the first audience, and here the first mention of this Jewish feast which required a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  The early Christians don’t observe any pilgrimages at all, to no where – except maybe a mission field (do you have your passports updated?).  SO to inform the Christian who has never been told that he must go to Jerusalem for anything, who does not observe an annual observance of the Passover, but a weekly observance of the Lord’s Table, just a note of clarification is taking place.  Jesus conformed to the law of the Jews, he will travel to Jerusalem as the law demands; The Jews today still observe this annual celebration; but not in accordance with the law as we read it today – perhaps in the wilderness wanderings, it was OK to observe Passover in your tent; but to truly observe it according to the law, you MUST BE IN JERUSALEM!! But we Christians do not do this – Christ IS our Passover.  Everything related to the annual Jewish Passover celebration – especially the profound themes of Sanctification, Deliverance, Redemption, Adoption, and Praise of God – are all fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah; who is also the King and God of the Universe, of all humankind.  And we as a Christian church celebrate what Christ has done for and in and through us both in history and today, and from all eternity really, each time we observe the sacraments of the Table and Font. 2.  evmpori,ou   VS> Father’s House (ONLY GOSPEL) others quote “my house” OT = connected again to how Jesus views worship!! 2.14 – in the courts of the Temple, we see the salesmen in the courts of the temple trying to meet the needs of all the pilgrims.  They are all coming to Jerusalem to present an offering, they want to come to the most Holy Place of their faith to offer such a sacrifice.  The local chamber of commerce decides that they will just set up shop in a convenient location, just outside the inner courts where sacrifices were offered for the incoming travelers.  Problem is; these salesmen are setting up shop on space specifically reserved for non-Jews to get as close to the temple as possible – the Court of the Ethnos, the Gentiles.  Jesus comes and take offense at the set up.  Sure, all the locals on the scene had good motives, keep everything close to the temple courts, it would only be a temporary set-up, the Gentiles will understand that we’ve crowded them out of their place, because, well, they’re not even allowed into the inner courts anyway – this will also be educational for them!  All great motives really.  They didn’t intend to hurt anyone. Well, it offended Jesus.  A religion of convenience, Jehovah did not make!  There were strict requirements for being Jewish, there were not only moral laws, but ceremonial laws that demanded conformity on the pain of death in some cases!  And the fact that the well intended were now actually mis-representing God’s standards; Jesus single-handedly, on his own initiative, makes life really inconvenient for all the holiday shoppers – clean up; aisle 8! It reads like Jesus started a cattle drive with everyone involved out of these temple courts.  He then takes the money, currency from all parts of the Roman world, and pours them all onto the ground.  So Jesus seems to be rather detached by the economic success of the money changers. 2:16 – Jesus says that this place that he is defending is MY FATHERS HOUSE, it is not a Big Lots.  Jesus actually uses the Greek word from where we derive the word, emporium.  But Jesus is deeply connected to the honor of His Father.   Who is Jesus’ Father?  God, Solomon, David? Who’s house is the temple, and who has established the House rules?  Jesus evidently believes that as God’s Son, he has the divine prerogative to defend His father’s property at all costs so that the proper use of the house, prayer, reconciliation, and hospitality to the nations, would be ensured! 3.  "What sign do you show us for doing these things?" 2.18 – they are asking for a sign as to Jesus authority.  These guys paid for their swap meet location, and now some radical is calling the entire complex HIS Father’s house.  So yeah, I’d like to see some authentication for why you are cutting into my profits!  Show us a sign that can back the claim that this place belongs to YOUR father, because we bought our tickets from the Sanhedrin. 4.  lu,sate to.n nao.n 5.  naou/ tou/ sw,matoj auvtou/ÅThe Key statement – wedding, water changed to wine – now temple turns into Body…X will be the central focal point of worship NOW – you come to the temple to see God—but now you see me.  You come to the temple to offer sacrifices—but now you will see me.  You come to this temple to raise your hopes—you will in me-  Raise = majority use means resurrection! 3xs used here: once said by Jesus, once by skeptics, finally by disciples remembering when he did it! 2.19 – set free this temple and in three days I will raise it up!  Hello?  What field did that answer come from?  Important to note that when Jesus refers to the temple he refers to the literal sanctuary where God was supposed to dwell, not all of the outer courts.  Secondly, all the translations say, “Destroy” but the real Gk word there is “untie” this temple, and I think it is a double entendre for both the temple which would be dismantled in 70 AD by the Romans, and the fact that Jesus would be “set free” from His own body – but only to take it up again! 2.20 – the Jews on the scene realize that it took Herod the Great 46 years to build the entire complex, so the 3 day reference are words from a man detached from reality – but Jesus was speaking about the sanctuary of his body – and in 3 days, they would just have to wait and see! 6.  ...they believed the Scripture and  the word that Jesus had spoken. 2.22 – the disciples do a lot of remembering of this event.  Perhaps they were really embarrassed when Jesus comes to Jerusalem, and then creates a big scene with a lot of drama – Maybe this guy that we are starting to follow is a little unstable.  And in the tradition of CS Lewis, Yes, Jesus, apart from the reality of the resurrection is a crazy man.  Even if he did have healing miracles, even if he did say poetic and helpful things, if he is not the raised conqueror over every curse upon mankind, then he is just crazy nuts, and we should not credit him with any respectable attention.  But because of this prediction of his death, and because of this prediction of his resurrection, Jesus IS THE ONLY MAN WITH AN OPINION that we had better listen to and follow! After the resurrection, the disciples not only believe in Jesus, but they also NOW believe in the Scriptures. àEvidently, it is very easy from a human perspective to doubt ancient writings.  To believe that they have any connection to our modern world.  To wonder if they were just for a past civilization and unreliable for our trust.  But Jesus Christ endorsed these scriptures, and with his SIGN of the resurrection, whatever HE endorses is now eternally significant, and occupies the chief place in our mind for how we view all of life.  All of history, all of relationships, all of our soulishness, all of our goals, all of our morality, all of our choices, all of our politics, all of our entertainment and education and everything!  Jesus and the Scriptures are to be believed as Gospel Truth – and we must place all of our eternal worth on what they both say, because it is the word and testimony of Jesus and the Scriptures that will stand forever – and is the standard for God’s righteousness and truth. 7.  shmei/a (Signs) 2.23 = we read that Jesus did other signs that cause belief.  John does not document these signs because he is saving his signs for the biggest impact to tell us something about the reality of who Jesus is. The chapter ends with a reference to the fact that Jesus would not entrust himself to the belief of the people.  It reminds us a bit about Jesus triumphal entry where they were prepared to make them king.  We read about this in John 12.  And this entire passage creates a little confusion with the other gospels as to when Jesus really did “cleanse the temple.”  Did John decide to bring this incident to the forefront because he is introducing Jesus to Israel in John 2 – saying that Jesus is the source of abundance for Israel with the wedding at Cana, and that Jesus is the source of worship as he cleanses the temple?  Sounds like a literary device.  Or is this episode one of two temple cleanings, one at the beginning of his earthly ministry and one at the end – that possibility sits fine with me too. But I think John wants us to consider a few questions that are more important for the church.  Because afterall, the church is receiving this letter, and the early disciples need direction for how they will relate to the world, including the Jews who have not received Jesus as their Christ. Application: Do we care what happens in our houses of worship?  Do we emphasize prayer, reconciliation, and hospitality?Did Jesus get upset like this at any other time in his ministry?  Should that give us perspective on what is really happening here?What consumes us?  Consumerism?  Or God’s Honor?  And what really honors God?
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