Cleaning the Temple of God

3rd Sunday in Lent, 3/7/21 John 2:13-22 Cleaning the Temple of God I. Watch Jesus perform it. II. See Jesus as the embodiment of it. III. How clean is your own? The snow has melted. Only a few piles of it on the edges of parking lots remain. Spring is on the minds of almost everyone I know. And with that, people have spring projects in mind. It won’t be long before you begin removing dead leaves and dead plants from your outdoor flower beds. If you look closely at those beds, you might even see spring flowers beginning to push their way out of the soil. You’ll pick up small tree branches that have accumulated on your lawn over the winter. And you’ll begin to address the interior of your home as well. It’s spring-cleaning time. You’ll wash windows, clean out closets, and store winter items such as boots, hats, and gloves. And you’ll feel good about it, because it just seems like the thing to do at this time of year. It was springtime when this event in this morning’s text from John 2 took place. Jesus had performed his first miracle—changing water into wine. And then John tells us that Jesus left Capernaum, which was in Galilee in the north, and made his way south to Jerusalem. He went there to celebrate the Passover. This would be the first Passover Jesus celebrated after beginning his earthly ministry. No doubt he was looking forward to this celebration. But when he arrived at the temple, he was appalled at what he saw. He had come there to worship, as countless other Jews had, but the place was a mess. I’m sure the officials in charge of the temple had gone to great lengths to prepare it for this Passover celebration, but, to put it bluntly, their preparations stunk, literally. It was time for some spring cleaning. And it took none other than the Son of God to do it right. This morning, let’s ponder Jesus cleaning the temple of God. We have the blessed opportunity to watch Jesus do it, listen to Jesus explain himself to those who were there, and then ponder whether or not we could use a little cleaning of our own. Part I. When a church building closes, there is always the hope that another group of Christians will purchase the building and make use of it as it was designed and intended, but that doesn’t always happen. I’ve seen a small church building re-purposed as a realty office. I’ve seen others that have been turned into restaurants and bars. I don’t know about you, but that always makes me a little sad—that a former place of worship is now used for some secular endeavor. It just doesn’t seem right to me. When Jesus entered the temple on this day in his life, there was nothing right about what the temple had been temporarily re-purposed for. Realize that what’s described here was not taking place in the temple proper—the Holy Place or the Holy of Holies—which were the inner-most rooms of the temple. What John describes was taking place in the outer court which was used as a place for people to meet. In modern terms, this court would be similar to our fellowship hall. We use our fellowship hall for a variety of God-pleasing activities. But there was nothing God-pleasing about the activities that John describes. Listen again to that description, “[Jesus] found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.” Why would there be animals for sale? Well, most of the Jews attending the Passover didn’t live in Jerusalem. While they were there at the temple, they wanted to present an animal sacrifice. Bringing an animal with them to Jerusalem wasn’t practical, so they relied on enterprising Jewish men to sell them what they needed. But imagine the sight! Cattle and sheep and doves all over the place! Imagine the sound of nervous animals, mooing and cooing and bleating all at once! Imagine the barn-odor and the barn-mess on the temple floor. What’s more, the Jewish worshippers were required to pay the temple tax, a tax that needed to be paid in Jewish currency, not foreign currency. Enterprising Jewish men were only too eager to assist with that transaction, for a fee. Behind all of this was unmitigated greed and dishonesty. The prices for the animals were exorbitant. The money exchange rate was larceny. But if you wanted to “play,” you had to “pay.” There was no business competition. It was similar to having to pay the staggering prices for concessions at modern sporting events. And it’s not as if the Jewish religious leaders were opposed to anything that was happening. In fact, the Jewish historian Josephus informs us that sons of the high priest were in charge of this sordid mess on an annual basis. It was all about lining their pockets, not promoting the best worship experience. I’m sure you’re aware of how Jesus felt about it and what he did about it. “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. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!’” He was filled with righteous anger, and it caused him to clean the temple. In a forceful, but not sinful, way he drove the people and the animals out. And as the last animal departed and the last coin stopped rolling on the floor, imagine the silence in the court. Imagine, at last, being able to hear the Levities singing psalms in the very next room, leading the people in proper worship. The temple had been cleansed. Proper worship of the Lord had been restored. Part II. The temple in Jerusalem. Remember that it wasn’t simply a grand worship facility; it was designed to point the people to Christ. Outside the temple, in the open-air, daily sacrifices were performed, mainly the sacrifice of animals. Every one of those sacrifices was intended to remind the people of the sacrifice that God had promised to make for them, when he sent the virgin’s Son, Immanuel, who would offer himself for the sins of the world. Inside the temple was the Holy Place, a small, square room, which contained three items. On your right, was a table on which the Bread of the Presence was placed, twelve loaves, one for each tribe of Israel. During his ministry on earth, Jesus referred to himself as the Bread of Life. Directly in front of you was the Altar of Incense. The incense that burned there signified the prayers of God’s people as they rose to him in heaven. Faith in Jesus makes our prayers acceptable to God. On your left, was the Golden Lampstand, which held seven candles. During his ministry on earth, Jesus referred to himself as the Light of the World. The inner-most room of the temple was the Holy of Holies. It contained the Ark of the Covenant and God’s special presence on earth was over that ark. Only the High Priest could enter that room, and he did it only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, to sprinkle the blood of a bull on the cover of the ark. The blood of Jesus makes atonement for the sins of the world. Everything in the temple pointed the people to the coming Savior, and on this day, that Savior was standing in the temple in flesh and blood. No longer was there simply a mystical presence of God over the ark. Now the Son of God in human flesh and blood occupied the temple. God himself was present so that all who were there could see him. But few, if anyone, recognized him. Not pleased with the disruption in business that Jesus had caused, “the Jews demanded of him, ‘What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’” Always looking for signs. Instead, they should have looked to the word of God. If they had, they would have seen that Jesus was fulfilling every prophecy about the Savior. Their unbelief was astounding! So Jesus warned them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” In just a couple years, once again at the Festival of the Passover, the Jews would have their way. They would attempt to destroy the Son of God in human flesh and blood. They would succeed in crucifying him. But after three days he would rise. The temple—God’s presence with human beings—would rise and live forever. Part III. Perhaps you’re aware that the Bible declares that you are temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19). God the Holy Spirit lives in you. He has ever since the day he brought you to faith in Jesus—likely the day of your baptism. On that day, he brought you the forgiveness of sins and made you a saint—one who has been sanctified or made holy. You are one of God’s holy ones! But could your temple use a little cleaning, like the one in Jerusalem did? Take a look at the commandments listed in today’s First Lesson. And don’t think that because you haven’t murdered anyone or robbed a bank that your temple is clean. Is the Lord always first in your life? Do you relish opportunities to worship the Lord and read his word, or are there other things you’d rather do? Do you always honor God’s representatives, including all government officials, even if they belong to the other party? Does lust occasionally occupy your eyes, mind, and heart? Ever been discontented with what God has given you? Greedy, even? Do you have trouble honoring God with what you have? Ever been stingy? You see, our temples aren’t slightly unkept; they’re sinfully filthy! And we can do nothing to tidy things up. Only Jesus can. Only Jesus did—on Calvary’s cross. He cleanses us from sin every day of our sinful lives. That’s our hope. That’s our confidence. That’s our joy! Jesus, create in us pure hearts and pure lives. Make us temples worthy of your presence. Amen.