Lent 2023: John 2:13-22

Cleansing the Temple

13 The Jewish Passover was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. 15 After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. 16 He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”

17 And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me.

18 So the Jews replied to him, “What sign will you show us for doing these things?”

19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.”

20 Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?”

21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made.

—John 2:13-22

Read & Journal

Read John 2:13-22. Use these questions as tools to help you dig a little deeper into what you’ve read:

• What does this passage help you understand about Jesus? His character? His mission?

• Many times in the Gospel of John, Jesus points to his relationship with the Father in ways that affirm Jesus’ divinity. How do you see that playing out in this passage? Explain.

• Skim over 2 Chronicles 6:12-42, Solomon’s prayer over the temple after construction was completed. While Solomon’s temple had been destroyed, rebuilt and remodeled by the time Jesus visited in John 2, what do these Old Testament verses reveal about the temple’s purpose?

• Now, compare that picture with what was described in John 2. Why was using the temple as a marketplace something that would have caused Jesus to react this way?

• John 2 tells us that Jesus made a whip and drove the dealers and their livestock out of the temple, but most translations use the words “said” or “told” when referring to his words to the dealers in John 2:16. So try as we might, it’s probably unfair to picture him as shouting. What does that help you to understand about Jesus? About the situation?

• When Jesus spoke, he spoke with authority and the people obeyed. As fully God and fully human, Jesus possesses the authority of the Father. Are there areas of your life that you don’t want to let Jesus have authority over? Areas that you don’t act like God has authority over? What steps will you take today to give Jesus authority over every area of your life?

• Reread verse 19. The temple had historically been the symbol of God’s presence among his people. Thinking about the temple’s purpose throughout Israel’s history, how do you see it pointing ahead to Jesus and his work on our behalf?

• While the temple had been the symbol of God’s presence, Jesus was God in the flesh. As followers of Christ, we know from 1 Corinthians 6:19 that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In light of that truth and what you’ve read today, what do these verses mean for your daily life?

• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas of your life in which you’re trying to deny God’s authority or make you aware of sinful acts or attitudes. Journal your prayer of response, thanking Jesus for his passion for pure worship.