John 2:13-25. Temples and Faith
The Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us that in 2021, 43.9% of Australia’s 25 million people claimed to be Christians. That’s nearly 12 million people. As someone who lives in Australia, my gut tells me that the number is actually much smaller. But how did the number get so big? The Bureau are very good at collecting statistics. They work very hard. How do they get to this number?
I reckon that a lot of people are pro-Christian—that is, they like the idea of Christianity, and acknowledge the existence of God and Jesus etc.—but whatever “faith” they have is surface level. It’s not the kind of faith that trusts in Jesus alone to save them. It’s the kind of faith that says, “Oh yeah, Christianity is good, God exists” and so on. It’s a superficial kind of faith. As such, there is very little substance or depth to that faith.
In John 2:13-25, Jesus offers a stinging critique of this kind of superficial, surface level “faith.”
The Old Temple Has Failed
First up, Jesus highlights the failure of surface-level faith, especially when it comes to the worship offered at the temple. In the Old Testament, there are a range of temples or proto-temples. God first dwells with his people in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2). After they are expelled from the garden, he occasionally appears to his people, but in Exodus 25-40, God commands Moses to build the Tabernacle (that is, a giant portable tent) as his dwelling among Israel, where his glory was visibly present. In the tenth century BC, Solomon built a magnificent permanent temple in Jerusalem (1 King 6–8), which became Israel's central place of worship until its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC (2 Kings 25:8-10; 2 Chronicles 36:19), who took God’s people into exile in Babylon. After the exile, Zerubbabel and Ezra rebuilt the temple, but it was pretty underwhelming, lacking the former glory of Solomon’s temple (Ezra 1:1-4; Haggai 2:3-9). According to Josephus (Antiquities, 15.11), Herod the Great massively renovated the temple, starting around 20 BC,[1] but the Romans later destroyed it in AD 70.
Passover in Jerusalem. In verse 13, we find that Jesus “went up” to Jerusalem for the Passover. In the previous section, he’d been in Cana in Galilee, north of Jerusalem. It says he “went up” because Jerusalem is the ultimate high point in Biblical geography. One, it’s on a mountain, Mount Zion, so it’s at a higher elevation, about 754 metres above sea level. Two, it’s where all the religious action takes place, like Passover. Passover was a Jewish festival where God’s people remembered their liberation from slavery in Egypt, marked by the sacrifice of a lamb and the “passing over” of their homes during the plague of the firstborn (see Exodus 12:1-30).
The Temple Courts. So Jesus is at the most important religious festival in the most important religious city, Jerusalem. In verse 14, we find him at the temple, which is the most important religious building in the most important religious city. The temple is a big deal. The temple is where God dwells with his people, and allows people to enter a relationship with him. It’s a holy place dedicated to a holy God. The temple courts are the outer part of the temple complex (see the image below).
Source: ESV Study Bible
Marketplace. Then, in the next bit of verse 14, Jesus turns up at the temple. He does not like what he sees: “In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.”
This is a problem. It’s not necessarily because they’re selling stuff. Deuteronomy 14:24-26 allows people who live far away to buy animals for sacrifice. The problem seems to be the way that some are “sitting at tables exchanging money.” They’ve turned a biblical idea, something intended to bring people closer to God, into a stock exchange, designed to make the sellers rich. When the other Gospel accounts share this story, they talk about how God’s people have turned the temple into a “den of robbers” (Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46). That’s certainly consistent with what Jesus says in verse 16: “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”
Whip and Table. So Jesus makes a whip out of some cords he ties together, and he expresses his anger. Verse 15: “He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” Well well well, how the turn … tables …
He’s furious with a righteous fury. He’s angry with a righteous anger. He doesn’t sin in his anger. We know from verses like 2 Corinthians 5:21, John 8:46, Hebrews 4:15, 1 Peter 2:22 and 1 John 3:5 that Jesus never sinned. And we know from Ephesians 4:26 that it’s possible to be angry without sinning. That’s the kind of anger we see here. What’s driving his anger?
Zeal. In verse 17, we discover that Jesus is angry because of his “zeal” for God’s house. By zeal, we mean an intense passion for something. This zeal or intense passion consumes Jesus, leading him to make the whip, drive out the animals, and flip the tables. Sometime later, the disciples read Psalm 69:9, which says, “Zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.” They realised that this verse points to what is happening in the temple in this episode. And so, in verse 17, we read, “His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’” Jesus is consumed with a zeal for the temple. He is heartbroken that the whole temple “thing” has failed. It’s been turned into a marketplace. It’s been corrupted. The Old Temple has failed.
2. The New Temple Has Come
Sign. Going around whipping sheep and flipping tables in God’s temple is kind of a big deal. People wonder who Jesus thinks he is to come in and do this. So, some of the people ask him in verse 18, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Who do you think you are flipping these tables? What authority do you have? Back in verse 11, we discover that Jesus performs signs to reveal his glory. This is central to the message of John’s Gospel (see John 20:30-31).
This Temple. Jesus responds: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” Note that he is telling them to destroy “this temple.” He’s not saying he will do the destroying, as he is later accused of doing (see the accusation in Matthew 26:61). This is a pretty big call if by “this temple” he means the physical temple. As you can see from the image above, it’s enormous. The whole complex is 300 by 500 metres, the equivalent of 21 soccer fields. If he has the skills to rebuild it in three days, he definitely has some level of authority.
Forty Six-Years. Jesus’ audience raises the obvious objection: “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days.” This temple has taken a long time to build. If the temple had begun construction in 20 BC and had taken 46 years to build, its construction history would still be at the forefront of people’s memory—it’s very recent history. When Jesus says he can build “this temple” in three days, people would find it ridiculous. But that’s not what he meant by “this temple.”
The Temple of His Body. In verse 21, we discover that “the temple he had spoken of was his body.” Verse 22 tells us that this all began to click into place for the disciples after he had risen from the dead. This is very significant.
First, this establishes Jesus as the New Temple. In John 1:14, we read how the Word (Jesus) took on flesh and made his “dwelling” among us. The word for “dwelling” means “tabernacled.” Now we see that Jesus embodies the temple. He is the New Tabernacle and the New Temple. This will be significant when we get to John 4:21-24. Here Jesus tells us that we go to him to worship rather than to the temple.
In Jesus, the New Temple has come. God dwells among his people through Jesus. And he continues to dwell among us today. At the end of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:20, Jesus says, “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus continues to dwell or tabernacle among us today. In Ephesians 4:16-17, we discover that this is made possible through the sending of the Holy Spirit, who enables Jesus to dwell in our hearts.
Second, identifying Jesus as the New Temple confirms the failure of the Old Temple. If the Old Temple “thing” had worked, Jesus wouldn’t need to talk of himself as the New Temple. But he does speak of himself as the New Temple, meaning the old system failed. It was inadequate.
Two Responses
So, how do we respond to what Jesus has just said and done? Why does John write this story down? Some churches charge money for coffee at morning tea. Is that the application of this passage? Is the point that churches shouldn’t charge money for coffee at morning tea? For what it’s worth, I’m glad my church doesn’t charge for coffee. But also, for what it’s worth, this is not the kind of response John is looking for. This is not a passage about how we shouldn’t turn church into a marketplace.
In verses 22-25, John demonstrates how he wants us to respond by describing two potential responses to Jesus.
1. Genuine Faith. The first possible response is that of the disciples, that of genuine faith. In verse 22, we read: “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.” Why does John mention this? We know that John is writing his Gospel because he wants us to believe (John 20:31). Therefore, he’s telling this story that we might believe the Scripture and the words Jesus has spoken. This is the way John wants us to respond, in genuine faith.
John wants us to believe that when Scripture says something, it will happen. We’re not told which passages he was thinking of. Psalm 69:9 is the most obvious candidate because it gets cited a few verses earlier. Other Old Testament possibilities pre-empting the resurrection on the third day include Psalm 16:10, Isaiah 53:10-12, Hosea 6:2 and Jonah 1:17. Whatever the case, though, the fact that the disciples trusted Scripture is a big deal, and a model for us to follow.
Similarly, John wants us to believe what Jesus says. When Jesus says he’ll do something (like rise from the dead), he actually will. John wants us to believe that when Jesus says he is the New Temple, the new place where we go to worship God, he really is those things. John wants us to believe that when Jesus says he has authority, he really does have authority. He has the authority to whip sheep in the temple and flip tables, and he has the authority to overcome the grave.
Interestingly, the disciples believe because they recall what Jesus has said. Their faith is informed and fuelled by remembering what Jesus said. If you want to have faith or grow in your faith, recalling what Jesus said is a great place to start. This means reading your Bible a lot, and it also might mean committing the Bible to memory. To this end, I strongly recommend the use of Bible memory verse songs!
2. Surface-Level Faith. The other response to Jesus is also faith, but it’s a superficial, surface-level faith. It says,
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
So, there were people there who saw his signs and believed. That sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, it seems not. Their faith is surface-level. There is a sense in which they “believe” when they see him performing signs. Maybe they believe that he is powerful. Perhaps they even believe that he is God. Maybe they believe that he can save them from sins. Perhaps they believe that he will rise from the dead. Maybe they believe that he has a lot to give them. But do they actually trust him—and him alone—to save them from their sins? It appears not.
Whatever their “faith” or “belief” is, it’s not the kind of faith that trusts Jesus alone to save them. Therefore Jesus didn’t trust them. He knows people (verse 24). He knows what’s inside them (verse 25). He knows everything, in fact. And he can tell that their faith is not a genuine, deep, heartfelt faith.
Later in John’s Gospel we see more of this surface-level faith. In John 8:31, there are some people “who had believed” in him, but reject him when he challenges them, they write him off as “demon-possessed” (8:48). Their faith was surface-level, and, when challenged, it evaporates. Later, we read that there were some “among the leaders believed in him” (John 12:42), but they wouldn’t speak up for Jesus because “they loved human praise more than praise from God” (John 12:43). There’s a sense in which they “believe,” but at the end of the day, it’s a superficial faith.
John’s Gospel is written so that people might believe. But believing has to be more than surface-level believing. John is writing so that people might believe like the disciples do, trusting Scripture and trusting Jesus at his word, and not just because he can perform amazing signs. The kind of faith that John calls us to is probably quite different to the faith many Australians claim they have in the census.
Distinguishing between the two. So, how do you know which faith you have?
Surface-level faith looks real at first but fades under pressure. It depends on signs, emotions, and personal gain (like the people who want food in John 6). Superficial faith turns away when Jesus’ words challenge us.
Genuine faith perseveres through the hard times. It trusts Jesus himself, and not just the impressive things he can do. It’s constantly listening to Jesus and recalling his words. It takes Jesus at his word. It trusts the Bible, even when it challenges us.
Feeling worried or apathetic? As you hear this, if you feel at all worried, it’s probably a good thing. It means that you want to have genuine faith. Maybe your faith up until this point has been surface-level. That’s ok. But, now, start trusting Jesus—and Jesus alone—to save you. What matters most is who you trust. Maybe you’re faith up until now has been genuine faith. If that’s the case, keep trusting Jesus alone to save you.
Maybe as you read this, you feel a bit apathetic. There’s genuine faith, and there’s superficial faith. Whooptidoo. If that’s you, I’m worried for you. If you don’t care, my fear is that your faith may be superficial. If that’s you, start caring. Then, start trusting Jesus alone to save you.
Notes
[1] Josephus, in Antiquities of the Jews (Book 15, Chapter 11), mentions that Herod began rebuilding the temple in the “eighteenth year of his reign.” Historians date the beginning of Herod’s reign to 37 BC, when the Romans declared him king. However, some count from 36 BC, when he secured complete control of Judea. The 18th year from 37 BC would be 20 BC.
Discussion Questions
Pray and Get Going
1. According to the census, 43.9% of Australians claim to be Christians. Do you find that easy or difficult to believe? Why? Why do you think so many people claim to be Christians?
Read John 2:13-25
2. How does Jesus behave in the temple? Why? Is he sinning? Should we imitate him here?
3. What’s the deal with Jesus saying he can rebuild the temple in three days? How did people receive this? What did he mean?
4. What are the two kinds of faith described in this passage? Can you identify with one of these? What are the pros and cons of each kind of faith?
Pray and Give Thanks
