John Pt. 9 | John 2:13-25

John’s Gospel, the Passover Theme, and the Doctrine of the Trinity

All right, if you will take your copy of the scriptures we will be in John chapter 2 considering verses 13 through 25. John the gospel of John chapter 2 verses 13 Through 25. Oh God, I pray right now your mercies.

On me.

As I stand before your people to present your word Praying Lord that you will speak through them to them. Through your word through me to them please Jesus name. Use me today. So this is the ninth message in the gospel of John and our theme for this Lord's Day is righteous anger.

We're going to look at Righteous anger and my proposition is this is that the temple here in our text Correlates to you and I who are in Christ right. If you are in Christ you are.

Temple.

Today as I call your attention to the text, it's very clear that Jesus becomes angry. What's not clear is why? He becomes angry now, there's many many interpreters of Scripture has different Meanings.

Reasons behind is him becoming angry. So I pray today that you will give to me your attention so that we as a church body right we who are a.

Temple of the Holy Spirit.

Will leave here today understanding the text. That's the main purpose of this right here right us gathering together being under the Word of God is to understand the text. So, please give me your attention every book of the Bible has a theme and Every paragraph or section of Scripture has its own thematic outline.

Which points to the big picture? The thing the big picture the theme of the gospel of John is believing it's evangelistic, right? It was written to the Hellenistic Jews who were not around during the time of Jesus's ministry.

John writes this gospel so that they and I would add you and I May believe. The verse that's central over this gospel. We've read it many times and we will continue to read it many many times. It's John chapter 20 verse 31.

You do not have to turn there. I will read it. But these were written this book. These were written so that you may believe believe what that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that by Believing believe in what that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God you may have life in his name.

Life is in the name of Jesus Christ. Outside of Jesus. There is no life. We're born Spiritually dead and our trespasses and sin, but God sent him to make us alive how in his name. But also the gospel this gospel the gospel of John focuses on the Passover.

The ministry of Jesus was for three and a half years and in this gospel we see three different Passover's. Three different Passover's. Which causes the witness of John the Baptist to shine over this whole gospel.

Remember chapter 1 verse 29. John sees Jesus. He says behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Speaking of the paschal lamb that Jesus is this paschal lamb He's coming in at his sacrifice takes away the sin of the world.

And then our outline today, we will notice three things Jesus reveals. The zeal the sign and the knowledge so point number one the zeal point number two the sign and point number three the knowledge. As we transition in our study of this gospel so far. We have clearly laid out that Jesus.

Is.

He is the second person of the Godhead of the Trinity. We saw in the beginning was the word the Greek word here logos. This is speaking of Jesus. This is speaking about him being the word the the The Jews would have seen this as particularly speaking of the Bible.

That's enough the word Gentiles. The the Greek culture would have seen this as the one who is impersonal but created all things.

The logos.

And in the beginning was the word the logos and this word this logos was with God right face-to-face pastime day on and That he was God and that the Greek rigor in here would say that God was the word, right?

So whatever this word was as we're open up this gospel. It was in the beginning. It was with God and it was God and he created all things. You see in verse 14 that this word becomes flesh. It introduces to us the doctrine of the Trinity, right?

We spoke about this this this doctrine and we saw it beautifully in our Songs that we were singing today, particularly Holy holy holy and also By the Lord's day when we read the affirmation cream, which is particularly speaking about the Trinity.

And there's a lot can go wrong here as you're trying to explain this wonderful this glorious this beautiful doctrine and the way that I like to lay it out is the one. What in the three who's the one. What being the.

The.

Divine being the being of God one being the one. What is the one being the three? Who's the three? Persons. Father son and Holy Spirit. That that each person in and of himself not reliant upon the other is in fact The one being.

I am a human being. You are human beings. What you are is not who you are. You right? What am I a human being? Who am I? I'm Jeff Jeff Rice my father. Husband a pastor, but there's many things can be said about who I am.

Right, but what I am is a human being. My who and my what is not the same thing. You are a human being. That's what you are. Who are you particular? You're a person you have a name. You have a title. Whether it's wife husband father mother.

Things that describe.

So is true when the doctrine of the Trinity who is Jesus who is the father? Who's that? They are the one being. They don't share the one being they are the one being of God.

But more particularly.

Yep, the father of the Son the Holy Spirit the purpose of the incarnation was that Jesus. What he's doing is he is adding to his divinity human nature. He's not mixing nature. He's not 50 man 50 God.

He is truly God and truly man. He he adds to his divinity he doesn't lose divine being. When he becomes a man he is God and he is man and him as a baby. But Colossians tells us was holding all things together.

Everything that has been held together was being held together by Jesus even as an infant. He is God and the purpose of his incarnation was that he become caught in man. And we'll touch that a bit later now the first point of our text today is the zeal.

The Temple Cleansed: Righteous Anger and the Passover

And we read this in chapter 2. I want to read verse 13 for I mean first. But we'll cover from verses 13 through 16. So look at verse.

13 of chapter 2.

It says the Passover of the Jews was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. So if you look real quick at verse 12 It says that after This this being the Human being in Canaan Performing a his first sign turning water into wine.

So after this after him delivering his first sign turning water into wine He went to Capernaum With his mother and his brothers and his Disciples and he stayed there a few days. Then it introduces to us verse 13 the Passover of the Jews was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem about the Temple Mount Jerusalem it was it was elevated right anytime that she went up you going to Jerusalem once a 10-mile you were going up.

So when it says that he went up, it's just describing how the Temple Mount was elevated above everything Else and so he's going to the Passover. So we're introduced here to the first of.

The Passover's.

Now look at verse 14 and the temple. He found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons and the money changers sitting there. And making a whip of course he drove them out of the temple with the sheep the oxen and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

And he told those who were sold pigeons take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house. Trade so there's a lot going on just in this Compact Paragraph that we see here. Now I'm not saying that this is the way it should be done should have been done.

Right now this is the way Things were being done and normally so so what we read in this text is not how it was. Normally done normally those who so other sacrifices and exchanged currency for coins. Would do so in the kingdom that the kindred valley.

Up on the slope of the Mount of Olives. So we're familiar with the Mount of Olives. Jesus Taught on the Mount of Olives the the Olivet discord that we read in like Matthew 24. And also in Luke and Mark John does not have a discord.

I would say that Book of Revelation is John's Olivet discord. That's just my opinion, right? And for some reason they moved from that location and began to sell pigeons and Sacrifices and the coins change the coins that were being changed in the temple so the temple here would have been speaking of the the court of the Gentiles and it's it's predicted that this this area.

So there's actually a lot of different predictions, right? We don't have that actual court that we can go to see how many people can fit so I would say a safe prediction because there's some that say lower and there's some that you know, it's it's almost in Like a quarter million and stuff like yeah, but so a safe prediction will be 75 ,000 people so this area was able to hold safe prediction 75 ,000 Thousand people.

This visual that's given to us in the text seems Seems to be why Jesus is angry, right? He's in this this temple area the the courts of the Gentiles is supposed to be where those who were have been proselytized who have become Jews by Baptisms and circumcisions they're able to go there and worship God and now it's filled with animals and people.

Making profit so the visual seems to be why Jesus was angry. But I also believe there's an underlying reason for his anger. As well, and we'll get to that a bit later. But the critical words in this text is found in verse 14.

It was that it was happening. It says in the temple in the temple. This this holy place on earth. For God the temple was known as the place where where heaven and earth met the place where God's presence was.

Right. Just the Shekinah glory was was in the holy of holies and yet now The area where the Gentiles are to worship is filled with animals and people are making a profit. So in the temple is the critical.

You can see something taking place. This is a ray. Building this anger that's about to come forth from Jesus And it is this is that they were selling oxen sheep doves and so forth as well as the exchange of currency.

So the question is is.

The question that we should ask ourselves. Let me put it that way the question that we should ask ourselves is is Whether it be on the Mount of Olives, so imagine this that it's not a temple. We'll go back before what's taking place in our text.

Imagine it whether it be on the Mount of Olives or It'd be in the temple. Why was there a need for what was taking place? Why was there a need for selling a livestock? Why was there a need for the exchanging of currency?

The answer is given to us in verse 13 the Passover. It was the Passover.

And the Passover.

Was required for all Jews to come and make a sacrifice and they were to do so as a memorial. It was. I've been saying this it was the reenactment that we see take place during the Exodus. Right. So just kind of give a little explanation.

So Jews the Jews are enslaved to Pharaoh and Egypt. God hardens Pharaoh's heart in order to show his glory. And he sends ten plagues and this last plague was the plague of the death of the firstborn. And they were told to take a lamb and they were to slaughter it and they were to put the blood of the on the door.

The door post and over the lens hole and that is this death angel was coming through. You would see the blood and was to pass.

Over.

This is something that they really happened in the time of Israel and the time of the Jews right before they.

Right before their exodus.

And so every year afterwards they were to repeat this process as a reenactment. And that's what's taking place here in our text. Jews who do not live in Jerusalem. They had to travel for days or weeks.

So then coming to Jerusalem them having these pigeons and having the lambs and having the doves. What's for convenience, right? They didn't want to have to take their own land that they had and walk it for days walk it for miles to Jerusalem.

They can get to Jerusalem and they would be able to purchase their sacrifice. The money changers were there because of temple tax. So it was at this time of the year where you had to pay your tax and it had to be paid.

At this time under the temple authorities and Those who were in charge will be very particular about the coinage. So the temple tax the coin that they had was particularly for the temple. It had to be a certain coin that would be accepted.

So if you living in other places had money that was not of the temple you would go there. And you would have to exchange your currency for the temple currency. Those who were selling sacrifices with only only so if you were in the temple and you were selling a sacrifice They would only accept temple currency.

This comes to you that part in the scriptures where they were trying to test Jesus right and And they mentioned Jesus mentions whose image is on the coin. Says Caesar's images on the coin the temple would not accept a coin that has Caesar's image on.

Now.

Again, if you want to take me to John's Olivet discord you get the chapter 13 of Revelation. And you have this so-called mark of the beast. You cannot buy sell or trade unless you have the mark of the beast.

During this time Nero put his face on all the coinage and the temple was forced to use this point. We won't go there. We can afterwards. The temple would not receive any of the coin outside of the temple at this time.

So if you came and you brought your coinage and you needed to you needed to have it exchange. The temple tax the money changers were there for that purpose and they would Tax it up to 12

So.

You know.

So if you had this coinage and you needed this coinage you would have to give more than what the coinage you were Receiving was worth in order to buy your sacrifice. Now the underlying reason for his anger I believe is given to us in Exodus.

So if you look at Exodus What's explained here. So Exodus chapter 12 is where this is found. So if you would turn there I'll begin in verse 3 and I'll give small commentary as I read it. So this will be the first Passover.

John speaking to Moses. Tell the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man Shall take a lamb according to his father's house a lamb for a house. And if his house is too small for a lamb he and his nearest neighbors Shall take according to the numbers of persons according to what they what each can eat.

You shall make.

Your.

Your count for the lamb your lamb Shall be without blemish a male a euro and you shall take it from the sheep or the goats.

And.

Keep it until the 14th day so notice. These people are to keep this lamb to the 14th day if you're traveling to buy a sacrifice. You're not keeping the lamb. So there's things that they're doing in order for convenience that they're not actually keeping what's being said here to the 14th day.

The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel you shall kill the lamb at twilight. So this would have been around six seven o 'clock in the evening. Then you shall take some of its blood and put it on.

The two doorposts in the lintel of the house in which it's eat. They were not taking the blood of this lamb and putting it on their house. They didn't live in Jerusalem. It was been sacrificed. They were not able to perform to actually do this reenactment because they were nowhere near there.

They had a travel days. They had a travel for miles. The Passover was the was on the 14th day of the first month, which will be March or April in our calendar. The 15th was the Feast of unleavened bread and this feast lasted for seven days.

So they had to travel because the 14th was Passover but the 15th began the unleavened bread and there was three times a year that you had to travel to Jerusalem and be at the temple and it was for the the feast of unleavened bread, which is what comes after.

The Passover the feast of weeks and the feast of booths. So these three Celebrations you had to travel to Jerusalem. You had to be near the temple. So if you didn't live in Jerusalem and you had to travel you are unable to actually fulfill what this is saying.

Right, you're not. It wasn't for your house. The blood wasn't being put on your house. In an exodus, they were they were told not they weren't told to buy a lamb, but to take a lamb so it's kind of like What we see a lot these days of taking and adding to the text.

They're not just taking the text where it says remember I mentioned about tapping out to the text. You might have something that you think is right when you get to the text. You want to make sure that what you're doing is from the text.

So they're traveling. They're not. They're not bringing their lambs. They're purchasing lambs. Also Again I mentioned the blood was not being put on their door and to be honest with you I don't know how this could be done correctly.

So if you're living in Jerusalem at this time and you're having to travel. There's no way that you can actually fulfill what Exodus chapter 12 is saying. There's just no way. You're traveling for days for weeks to be there for this one moment for the sacrifice and then you had to stay there for seven.

Days.

There's no way to go there get the blood and go return and put it on your home. So there was trying to make things convenient for people. But it's also believed that even if you were to take your own lamb and travel to Jerusalem That they would not receive it you had to purchase a lot of reasons why they believe is because the lamb had to be perfect without blemish and.

So as you're traveling for days and for mouths with your lamb. If they had a speck of dirt on them, they wouldn't take it. They've turned something that God has given them to remember into a way to profit.

We say this today in churches. They've turned the church into a way of profit. So Jesus in righteous anger Makes a whip out of cords. You see this wasn't a fit of anger. Right this a fit of anger is something that happens in the moment like I Stomp my toe and I'm just oh, I'm just angry, you know kicking stuff over like that's in there moment.

I just stopped my toe. I'm checking to make sure it ain't cocked sideways, right? I'm angry. So I'm kicking. I'm kicking something else and the hair by the toe. I mean I get angry. I might say a filth word might come out of my mouth.

Kind of happened to me last night. Like I heard I was just a fit of anger. I said something that shouldn't have said this is not what's happening in our text. Jesus does not have a fit of anger. He calmly Makes a whip.

Jesus doesn't speak a whip into existence. He calmly with his hands fashions a cord. Gets cords and fashions it and braids it into a whip and he cleans house. It says that he drives away the people. Now granted if it's filled with animals, you probably can't fit 75 ,000 people.

He cleans house says that he removes the people as well as the animals.

Imagine I.

Probably couldn't clean this house. Right. Sure two or three of you guys who yanked me up, right? Then we have cleaning house people. Terrified we see from verse 17 of our text. It tells us how this took place.

So verse 17 look back at it. Verse 16. Excuse me. I'm sorry 15 I Really didn't look over it says. Making a whip of course. He drove them all out of the temple with this. She and ox.

And he.

Poured out the coins of the money changers and he overturned the tables. And those who sowed pigeons listen what he said to them. Take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house of trade.

In verse 17 his disciples remembered it was written zeal. For your house will consume me. So this is taken. It's a quotation is taken from Psalm 69 verse 9. The Psalm is speaking of David. This is not a messianic song.

It's speaking of David in his. It's like he's having a prayer of lamentation. For the wrong that he is done. We see that in verse 5 and the first six. We see in him as a representative of Israel and he's not Wanting them to feel the shame of his sin.

He's not wanting his community the Israelites to feel the shame of his sin. Remember that saying as goes the king so goes the kingdom right. David's repentant. He does not want the kingdom to feel the shame of his own sin.

And in verses 7 and 8 David Leaving everything he repents forsakes everything For God. And our quotation is found in verse 9 and I'll read it again from our text. Zeal for your house will Consume. Zeal for your house will consume you.

Why? Why does zeal for his house consume him. And I believe we see this in Isaiah chapter 1 beginning in verse 11. God's speaking. Whoa. What to me? What to me is the multitude of Sacrifices says the Lord.

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams of fat and well-fed beasts. I do not delight in the blood of bulls or lambs or goats. When you come to appear before me who has required of you this. Trampling of my courts.

Think about what we're reading. The trampling his courts. Bring no more vain offering. Incense is an abomination to me. Your new moons and your Sabbaths. Your calling of convocations. I cannot endure.

Iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moon and your appointed feast. My soul hates. What God has given them he is now hates. They become a burden to me. I Am weary of bearing them. What you spread out.

When you spread out your hands I will hide my eyes from. Even though you make many prayers. I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood. You yourselves make yourselves clean. Remove the evil deeds before my eyes.

Cease to do evil. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Correct oppression. Bring justice to the fatherless. Plead. The widows cause. He's telling them how to make themselves. Come now now. He's going to tell them.

Righteousness.

These things that I'm telling you to do you cannot do. Come now verse 18. And let us reason together. Says the Lord though your sins are like scarlet remember their their hands are full of blood though your sins are like scarlet I will make them white as snow though.

They are red like crimson. They shall become.

White.

Like wool if you're willing and obedient. You shall eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel you shall be eaten by the sword. The mouth of the Lord has spoken Jesus and his Beginning of his earthly ministry seeing that they have not listened to Isaiah.

They're still sacrificing they are not helping widows. They are not helping. The unfortunate becomes angry. Zeal for the house of the Lord has consumed him and his disciples see this and say the truth son of David.

Disciples of Jesus see the act done by Christ and they remember psalm 9 the zeal of David and. See the greater son of David with zeal as a representation for the people. God rejecting the sacrifice. Why was God rejecting the sacrifice.

John the Baptist. The true lamb has come. And he will take away the sin of the world. No more need for these vain offerings. The true sacrifice is here as a transition. Look back at verse 16 of our text again.

He says he told them and he told those who sold pigeons. Take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house a trade. Matthew chapter 21. Verse 13 he said to them it is written. My house Shall be called a house of prayer.

But you have made it into a den of robbers. So in John we see his first visit to the temple. And Matthew chapter 21, we see his last visit to the temple. When something had leprosy if your house had leprosy.

In the time of the Old Testament was written. The priest had to be called to your house. And the second time he was called to your house, and if it wasn't cleansed of leprosy. They would tear your house down.

Jesus the second time returns sees the same thing taking place. Instead of this time saying they've made it to a house of trade. He said you have turned it into a den of robbers. You are robbing people.

They're supposed to be celebrating this this Passover celebrating what God has done for them. Twisted it so that you can fill your pockets. Wondering chapter 3 we hear you brood of vipers. You den of snakes.

You evil people. Now takes us to our second point the sign. In our text we see it from verses 18 through 22. So the Jews said to him what sign do you do for us? But what sign do you show us for doing these things?

Speaking about him turning over tables him chasing people out with a whip. What sign do you show us for doing these things? So that's the these things. Jesus answered him destroy this temple and in three days.

I Will raise it up. The Jews then said it has taken 46 years to build this temple and will you raise it up in three? Days. But he was not speaking about The temple but he was speaking about the temple of his body when therefore he was raised from the dead his disciples remember that that he had said this and they believed the scriptures and The word that Jesus had spoken to them.

So the sign that Jesus gives them verse 21. Is it that is that?

He.

Will raise. He will build the temple. He will raise his own body up. So he said tear this temple down and I will raise it up. The sign was is that he was speaking of his own body speaking of the resurrection.

I did not understand the sign nor was that the sign they were looking for. They were looking for something else. So they raised the question what sign? And he tells them the sign would be raised from the dead.

So the question is this what would be a significant sign? So What else could Jesus had said that would been significant that they would have understood? Would have been him turning water into wine. No.

What about him feeding 5 ,000 people with a sack lunch? No, that's not good enough. What about him causing the blind to see. No, that's that's not good enough either. What about causing lame people to walk or raising the dead?

No, not good enough. Not good enough for them. For these religious people who are who are making a practice of getting rich off of people's sacrifices. Not good enough. Jesus says an evil and adulterous generation Seeks for a sign.

So let's read that in context. Matthew 12 38 through 41.

So they come to Jesus.

It says that some of the scribes and Pharisees remember a couple weeks ago I explained to you the scribes and Pharisees how they were against each other, but because they both didn't like Jesus they came together.

So we see them together. This is you know, this is something that's not normal. It's not normal that you see the two parties together scribes and Pharisees Answered Jesus. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him saying teacher We wish to see a sign for me.

He answered speaking to Jesus. He answered him an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except this the sign of the Prophet Jonah.

Now.

Josh has been teaching through the gospel of Jonah. I mean, yeah excuse me this words verse 40 for just as Jonah was Three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. So the Son of Man will be three Days and three nights in the heart of the earth the man of Nineveh Will raise up against this general in judgment with this generation and condemn it for they did not repent at the preaching of Jonah and Behold something greater than Jonah is here.

So they were looking for a sign. They were they were looking for a ruler. They weren't looking for like a sign like a miracle Turning water into wine raising dead Making blind people see. They were looking for a ruler someone to come and overthrow.

Evil.

What they did not understand is that it was them That was evil. It was them that were unrighteous. They were seeing their tyranny under Rome as Rome being the unrighteous and Jesus comes. And he doesn't pick a fight with Rome.

He picks a fight with the children of the people of God. Says you are the unrighteous. You are the unrighteous and this sign in our text is Speaking about the same sign that we see in Matthew chapter 12 the sign of Jonah.

The sign of Jonah and the sign of the temple are both speaking about the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. Let me read that again. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees came to him saying teacher.

We wish to see a sign for me. But he answered him and even when the adulterous generation seeks for a sign. But no sign will be given to it except for the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the in the belly of the earth and the belly of the fish so the Son of Man must be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

And in our text gospel John chapter 2. In verse 18, it says 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.

And the Jews said it has taken 46 years to build this temple. You will raise it in three days. Verse 21, but he was not speaking, but he was speaking about the temple of his body. They were Literally thinking about a literal temple.

So they were thinking about the literal temple that took 46 years to build. Why Jesus was speaking about His body in a spiritual temple. So 46 years to build this would have put.

The.

This part of the building of that temple would have been Started being constructed in about 19 to 20 BC. You have to take away two years for the preparation.

So.

46 years from 19 BC would put us at 27 ad this is when Jesus was baptized. He started his ministry at 27 ad. Jesus birth would have been three or four BC. Sound where do you think Jesus's birthday was right?

25th is it January? September like a lot of people they have a lot of different Things they believe so depending on where you put that his birth would have been in somewhere between three and four. The seat but the baptism of Jesus took place in 27 ad this is right now at our taste.

Jesus had been baptized. He'd done his first miracle and now he's experiencing the first Passover through his ministry. So we're looking as we're reading this you have to understand that we're talking 27 ad he was crucified in 38.

So with the body of Jesus being the temple this makes the thin standing temple of no real use. At least whenever he rises from the dead, right? We clearly see this in the crucifixion when the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Indicating that the the spirit this kind of glory this the holiness of God that was in that holy of holies left. Also note for those that are in Christ. We are the body of Christ. We are the temple. We see this clearly taught to us and in first Corinthians, but Real quick.

It's not in the context of first Corinthians. It's actually speaking about sexual immorality. So I'm gonna read all of it. I just want to Touch on a few verses here. First 15 do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ.