Introduction
Jesus leaves the wedding ceremony at Cana and heads up to Jerusalem with His disciples and family for the feast of the Passover. This seven-day Jewish feast has its roots in God’s deliverance of His people from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Jesus enters the feast and becomes very, very impassioned. What gets Jesus’ blood pressure soaring? As you read this story, ask yourself if you are passionate about the same things that Jesus is passionate about.
Reading [You can read as much as you can, depending on your availability]
John 2:12-25
Meditating [Use these questions to start your thinking]
- As you read this passage, what do you see is the message of Jesus?
- What were Jesus’ priorities here?
- What was Jesus modelling for us?
- What other questions do you still have?
Sharing: Text ONE of your answers to the questions above to your team. Each team should post a sharing from a team member in the comments below.
As Jesus enters the temple area, He becomes very angry. Yes, God gets angry: “‘God is a consuming fire’” (Heb. 12:29). Righteous anger is definitely appropriate. Jesus expressed His righteous anger when, “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” (John 2:15).
This is important because it shows that Jesus did not come into Jerusalem angry and carrying a whip. It shows us that Jesus made a whip. I wonder where he learned that, and from whom? Jesus made this whip when he observed two things happening: one, the selling of sacrificial animals in the temple and two, the exchanging of foreign monies. Why would these two things stir such a passionate response in Jesus? One thing is clear — the focus had been taken off worship of the Father and was placed on an opportunity to make some money. The religious people had seized upon the poor and the foreigners who had come to worship and were exploiting them. They had become opportunists. They saw uneducated men and foreigners, who could be easily manipulated and exploited.
Jesus’ first followers watched in stunned amazement as Jesus drove these opportunists from the temple mount, and they remember something they had been taught as young children. They remember the words written in Psalms 69:9 about the Messiah, “‘zeal for your [God’s] house consumes me.’” The word “zeal” means zealous, jealous or passionate. It is a stirring deep within a man that causes him to be moved to action. Jesus was jealous of God’s name and His reputation. He did not want anything to damage it. He did not want people to think that this selling of animals and exchanging of money had anything to do with a personal relationship with the living God. People were more concerned about the marketing of a religion than having a vibrant relationship with the living God. How easy it is to turn what is meant to be a living relationship into a dead religion. What makes your blood pressure rise? Whose reputation is more important to you, yours or God’s? Jesus was consumed with the Father. What consumes you? Make Jesus your consuming thought: His name, His fame and His glory. It is really all about Him and not about us, despite what the world tells us each day.
We see real human emotions here from a real human Jesus; we see real courage here from a real divine Jesus, who was so in love with the Father that He could not stand by and see people make money from what God was offering as a free gift. When questioned about this by the leaders of His day, Jesus responds by saying, “‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days’” (John 2:19). Their eyes were so on themselves and the physical world that they could not see that Jesus was not talking about the temple, but Himself and how He would die and be raised again for us. The question is: where are your eyes today?
[Yesterday we talked about 4 roots for a strong foundation]. Root number five is passion — a passion for His name, His fame and His glory.
Jesus was passionate for God’s name and fame. What are you passionate about? What cause are you consumed by? Think about a few things that get your blood flowing. Now ask the question: is this what got Jesus’ blood flowing? If not, then maybe it is time to consider realigning your passions. Discuss with a friend today what you are jealous, zealous and passionate about. Share what you are learning about Jesus’ passion for His Father.
What was Jesus modeling for us? –> Jesus was modeling to us the Father’s house is a a holy place of worship, not a market where trades happen and money is dealt. Jesus was portraying a perfect example of where our hearts should be when we come to the Father’s house, in this case, the church. That our hearts are to be free of burden and distractions from the outside world and we should focus solely on God and who He is where we’re at His feet worshipping Him. Jesus made it a point to show us that it is frowned upon and against the Father’s will to turn His House of worship into a market, His House is always holy and is used only to praise Him.
I am passionate about letting others know about the name of Jesus in things I do, lately it is taking place at my work. I am trying to insert more God and my faith/belief into the things I say and I do to helpfully impact someone here and have they come to church one day. God is constantly at work and I pray that He would change the hearts of the people here.
As you read this passage, what do you see is the message of Jesus?
It’s so interesting to see Jesus “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.” I imagined Jesus to always be calm and composed but in this passage He was ANGRY. I believe His message is that the temple is a place of sacred worship not a marketplace & salvation is free and can only be earned through what He will do (die for us in the cross). Sometimes, I see that many people lose sight & see ministry as a numbers game. We want to make a lot of disciples or baptize x amount of people in a time frame and we lose track of the importance of investing in a few and caring deeply for others. In this passage, people were exploiting others & they didn’t really understand the whole core of the Gospel.
Today’s passage made me laugh a little. It’s a little funny imagining Jesus making a whole whip and overturning tables, only because we often read about him being a rather calm, intelligent and peaceful person. Here he is yelling and getting upset that the Jews defiled his Father’s house like that, and I mean, rightfully so! I think that when I reflect in my own self, it would take a lot for me to get that insanely upset and want to wreak havoc in an attempt to display how angry I am. It just shows how mad Jesus was and how disrespectful he thought the Jews were for trading in the temple. I’m also reminded of how we should love who Jesus loves, and allow our hearts to break for what breaks His, so when I see this encounter of him feeling hurt and angered by what the Jews did, I think we should also have that same mindset and respect that he did for his Father, and be just as angered.
In today’s passage I see that whatever God wants done or whatever he wants to prove he will do just to show his glory. So by Christ trying to clear temple and showing the people there what God can do it is to see how glorious and powerful God is. I believe Jesus was modeling that whatever his will is it will be done.