Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. 15 He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, 16 and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” 17 His disciples recalled the words of scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken. 23 While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. 24 But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, 25 and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.
John’s account of the cleansing of the Temple varies from the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, & Luke) which indicates that the evangelists had different perspectives and theological motives. John placed this story at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry while the Synoptics placed it at the end of Jesus’ ministry. However, some scholars propose that the Temple could have been cleansed by Jesus on two separate occasions because the events have distinct details, contexts, and theological meanings. The Gospel of John placed the cleansing of the Temple at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry to highlight his authority, while the Synoptics placed it at the end of his public ministry as a key event leading to his arrest.
During religious festivals, pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the celebrations typically carry foreign currency. This currency needed to be exchanged for the accepted temple tax currency, mandatory for every Israelite above twenty years of age. Additionally, pilgrims exchanged currency to acquire animals for sacrifice, as outlined in the Old Testament Law (Exodus 30:11-16). Coins with engraved images were prohibited from the Temple and silver Tyrian shekels (coins of Tyre) were the only official coin. Jerusalem would have been a thriving city and there would have been other places outside the Temple precincts where money could be changed and animals could be purchased for sacrifices. Jesus would have been upset with the commercial activities taking place in his Father’s house of prayer and worship because the money changers and merchants had turned the court of the Gentiles in the sacred enclosure into a marketplace and took advantage of those who came to worship.
Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. He took objection to the house of God, the holy space, being used for commerce and he drove the people out of the Temple area. The cords that Jesus made into a whip could also have been bought in the Temple area. Having challenged established religious practices, the Jews asked Jesus for a sign that supported his authority to act as he did. Jesus said to the merchants, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace" (v. 16), claiming divine sonship. Jesus then told them about his death and resurrection, but the Jews would not have understood his prophetic answer (v. 21). They thought he was speaking about the ongoing renovation of the Temple. Jesus, the incarnate word of God, is the new Temple.
God of mercy and love, help us be worthy of the promises of Christ who paid for our salvation with his blood. We hold in our hearts the firm hope of eternal life in your kingdom. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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