Today’s Reading: John 2:13 – 3:4; Exodus 12:1-13

“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” – John 2:19-20

This was the conversation that occurred between Jesus and the Jewish leaders the day he chased the money-changers and vendors out of the Temple in Jerusalem. You might be familiar with this passage of scripture, but let’s pray for the Spirit to give us fresh eyes with which to see this important moment in the ministry of Jesus.

Let’s consider the context of this story. God’s people were arriving from all over the land to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. It was almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration and the Temple would have been crowded with people who were coming to celebrate how God had freed His people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-13).

Booths had been set up throughout the Temple to exchange money and to sell animals for the people to sacrifice. They were charging high rates and making a profit instead of creating space for God’s people to come and authentically worship Him. They were taking advantage of the situation in order to profit off the needs of those who traveled a great distance to Jerusalem.

​​Passion for your house has consumed me,
and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. – Psalm 69:9

Passion for God’s house consumed Jesus (2:17) and he took action in order to make a change. Try to imagine this next moment; attempt to hear the shouting, the animals, the chaos. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased the merchants and dealers out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle. Coins from the money changers fell to the floor as he flipped their tables over. And he had a special message to those who were selling doves:

“Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” – John 2:16b

You can imagine the emotional reaction of the Jewish leaders. They demanded an explanation from Jesus; they wanted him to perform a miraculous sign in order to prove his authority. When he offered them one, their unbelief caused them to miss out on an opportunity. They were so focused on the physical place of worship that they lost the opportunity to believe in the One they should be worshiping.

“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said. – John 2:20-22

ALL THE PEOPLE HAD TO DO WAS CHOOSE TO BELIEVE, BUT THEY CHOSE UNBELIEF INSTEAD.

There were many who chose to keep their eyes on Jesus that week and they witnessed many miraculous signs because of their willingness to believe. They put their trust in Jesus and began a new walk of faith. But Jesus did not put his trust in the crowds, nor should we put our trust in those who have the potential to disappoint and misdirect us. But this I have come to know from experience — we can trust in the Lord our God!

No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart. – John 2:25

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” – Jeremiah 17:9

Later, one of the Jewish leaders came after dark to speak with Jesus. Nicodemus had seen the miraculous signs Jesus was performing among the people and knew that Jesus was sent by God, but he still had questions.

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” – John 3:3-4

Jesus was speaking of spiritual rebirth but Nicodemus, like the other Jewish leaders, was stuck in the physical or literal explanation. Nicodemus lacked an understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives and he lacked the faith he needed to take Jesus at his word.

WHAT AM I STRUGGLING TO BELIEVE AT THIS TIME IN MY LIFE?

Is there a truth that God wants me to learn but that I am resisting? Is there an area of my life that Jesus is trying to clear, or has my worship become for my own benefit instead of for God’s glory? How does the Spirit want to use the living word of God in my life today?

Lord Jesus, I give you permission to get my attention. Clear away the excess in my life and bring my focus back to you. Consume me with a passion for my Father’s house. I believe that you are who you said you are and that you will do what you said you would do. I do not want to miss a moment with you because of my lack of faith so I choose to take you at your word and respond in obedience to your call. I ask that you help me to trust you with all of my struggles; I give you my disbelief and pray for you to strengthen my faith. Amen.