JOHN: THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE

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1 JOHN: THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE THE UNSETTLING GLORY OF CHRIST A message presented by Pastor Marc Minter to First Baptist Church of Diana, TX on March 12, 2017 INTRODUCTION Christianity enjoys quite a bit of comfort and luxury in America today. In addition to this place of plush prestige, Christianity in America is also confidently pragmatic. American Christians have more Bibles, more education, better access to theological teaching, greater facilities, more plentiful resources, and less cultural opposition than most every other Christian in the world today, but they also regularly fail to share the Gospel with a friend, diligently study the Bible, or pray. One major reason for this is a settled comfort with the status quo. In this message, we seek to explore the unsettling glory of Christ and the implications it should have upon us. JOHN 2: After this he [Jesus] went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. 13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he 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. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, Take these things away; do not make my Father s house a house of trade. 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for your house will consume me. 18 So the Jews said to him, What sign do you show us for doing these things? 19 Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 The Jews then said, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. 1

2 THE POINT I M AIMING AT TODAY: Jesus is Glorious; therefore, He will inevitably be unsettling to us. MESSAGE OUTLINE: (1) WALKING THROUGH THE PASSAGE (2) JESUS IS GLORIOUS; THEREFORE, HE WILL INEVITABLY BE UNSETTLING (3) ARE WE UNSETTLED BY CHRIST S GLORY? MESSAGE (1) WALKING THROUGH THE PASSAGE First, a mention of the possible conflict o Jesus Cleanses the Temple in Matthew (21:12-17), Mark (11:15-19), Luke (19:45-48) and John (2:13-22). o Matthew, Mark, and Luke (the Synoptic Gospels) place the temple cleansing near the end of Jesus recorded ministry, soon before His kangaroo trial and murderous death. o John places the temple cleansing near the beginning of Jesus recorded ministry. Possible Solutions: There are some who argue that this is literary adjustment on John s part, moving his record of a single event for the sake of narrative and force. A tiny number of scholars argue that the Synoptic writers are the ones who make the adjustment. However, I am convinced that there were two different times that Jesus cleansed the Jerusalem temple. 1 *In any case, there is no good reason to perceive contradiction here. 1 D.A. Carson notes, In short, it is not possible to resolve with certainty whether only one cleansing of the temple took place, or two; but the arguments for one are weak and subjective, while the most natural reading of the texts favours two. Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 178). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans. 2

3 12 After this he [Jesus] went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. After this o John uses this as a frequent connective between narratives (short stories inside of the overall story), but he does not use it as a chronological marker (like a short time later ). o However, in this instance, the Synoptic Gospel writers also point to a chronological sequence of moving to Capernaum at the beginning of Jesus ministry (Matt. 4:13; Lk. 4:31). Capernaum o While Jesus stay in Capernaum was only a few days here, it appears that this is the city in which He lived (see Mk. 2:1). 13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. The Passover of the Jews o John ties most all of his content to a Jewish feast (2:13, 3:23, 4:45, 5:1, 6:4, 7:2, 10:22, 12:12, 13:1). o The Passover is significant, because it is the annual celebration and remembrance of what God did to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt. They would slaughter a lamb and eat it to recall (even reenact in some sense) the killing of a lamb for a blood-covering over each family as God brought death to the households of Egypt (Ex. 12:21-27). Jesus went up to Jerusalem o This was the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover feast (though there were other feasts to attend). The Passover was a time to celebrate God s gracious salvation, AND to remind everyone of their personal and collective guilt. One Song of Ascent is recorded in Psalm 130: o Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O LORD, should mark 3

4 iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. There is no small amount of irony in the fact that Jesus Himself is going up to Jerusalem! He is the Passover Lamb the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. the temple o The temple was a brick and mortar massive complex (even by today s standards). According to Josephus, the outer walls formed an approximate square with each side measuring about 600ft (200yrds). These walls ranged from 30ft to 50ft high. The walls also supplied connected porticoes, which are essentially large overhead coverings supported by an arrangement of huge pillars. The 46 years reference in v20 is likely a reference to the even longer process of full completion. In other words, it wasn t even fully done when the Jews said what they did. 4

5 o Inside the massive outer walls there was the actual temple, which included both covered and uncovered areas. Between the outer walls and this temple center was the Court of the Gentiles The further into the middle of the temple you get, the holier (and more restricted) the location becomes. o It is most reasonable that the temple into which Jesus came and found the salesmen and bankers was the outer court the Court of the Gentiles While the episodes are most likely separate, Mark records Jesus as saying, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations (Mk. 11:17). This seems to indicate the area of the temple that was being misused, and it is reasonable to assume that the Jewish leaders had an established trade and exchange market set up each year at Passover in the same location. 5

6 He found those who were selling and the money-changers o The selling of animals (oxen, sheep, and pigeons) was not itself a bad thing. Traveling from any distance (especially far off), it was a great benefit to be able to buy or trade for what you needed when you arrived. o The changing of money was also quite helpful for many. Commerce (including the charitable kind) is only possible with consistent exchange value. Jews came from many places with greatly varying currencies. So, it was necessary to exchange these for the local currency and measurements. Additionally, each Jewish man was required to pay the temple tax of half of one local coin (a Tyrian stater or tetradrachm). It was incredibly beneficial for two Jewish men to go in together on one coin. o The offense is the location Jesus says nothing of price gouging or extortion. Jesus says the market should not be in the temple at all. The temple was the place where God met man, and this only through the priestly order and the sacrificial system. o This solemn and important imagery was being literally drowned out by the bellowing cows, bleating sheep, and bank tellers. 6

7 15 And making a whip of cords, he 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. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, Take these things away; do not make my Father s house a house of trade. The whole scene is very physical and forceful o Jesus made a whip, He drove them [the salesmen and moneychangers] out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen, and He poured out the coins and overturned their tables. There is simply no other way to view this than the way it is abruptly and insensitively presented here. There is no evidence of opposition or riot o We are not told that the Jews protested in the slightest, except to ask about Jesus authority for doing what He did (v18). o Also, if there were much opposition and some kind of fight break out, then the Roman troops where were stationed inside of the outer walls would have made a quick response. Jesus is perfectly justified o Whatever we might say about Jesus actions here, we may not simply denounce them as bad or sinful. o Jesus actions must teach us something about the glory of God (which is His own glory) and the way in which God is meeting man through Jesus Christ. This is John (the Gospel writer s point)! we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (1:14). Jesus manifested his glory at the wedding at Cana, and his disciples believed (2:11). Now, Jesus cleanses the temple, and His disciples remembered His prediction in verse 19 at His glorious resurrection, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken (2:22). 7

8 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for your house will consume me. There is parallel and irony in John s word here o Quoting from Psalm 69, John says that the disciples remembered that the psalmist had said, Zeal for your house will consume me. David, the psalmist, was zealous for true worship in God s temple, and he was being derided for it. D.A. Carson says, With other New Testament writers, however, John detects in the experiences of David a prophetic paradigm that anticipates what must take place in the life of great David s greater Son 2 o And yet, John also changes the tense of consume in his quotation to will consume. This ironically points to the reality that Jesus was consumed with zeal for God s house, and Jesus was literally to be consumed by the Jewish leaders of His day because of His zeal for true worship. 18 So the Jews said to him, What sign do you show us for doing these things? Their protest gives no regard for truth o They do not say, What are you doing!? o They do not say, You are ruining the livelihood of these good people! o They do not say, What have we done to deserve this?! They seem to know who Jesus us, but they want to command Him o What sign is at least an indication that they knew Jesus was being regarded as the Messiah. o Their ultimatum is a God on demand. 2 Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 180). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans. 8

9 19 Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 The Jews then said, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. Jesus says profound things that are confusing at the time o Like His statement to Nathaniel about the Son of Man and angels descending and ascending (1:51), so here Jesus says something with deep profundity. o Neither the Jewish leaders (v20) nor Jesus disciples had a clue what He was talking about in this narrative (John says only after Jesus was raised from the dead did His disciples remember this and believe [v22]). John makes a strong point out of the gate that Jesus is fulfillment of the temple o The pinnacle of his prologue is verse 14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt [eskēnōsen tabernacled) among us o The climax of John s introduction of Jesus disciples is verse 51, where Jesus says that heaven will be opened upon the Son of Man (a title which Jesus claims 11 times for Himself in John s Gospel). o And now, at the close of John s two narratives, Jesus is recorded as making the statement (to which John provides the commentary), Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. (2) JESUS IS GLORIOUS; THEREFORE, HE WILL INEVITABLY BE UNSETTLING It is my view that John is intentionally cataloging two opposite scenes o First, John speaks to the inadequate, oppressed, insufficient, and exhausted (John 2:1-11). In the narrative of the wedding, Jesus unsettles our fears and failures If you are inadequate, Jesus provides more than enough. If you are insufficient, Jesus is capable beyond measure. If you are exhausted, Jesus gives you rest. 9

10 o Second, John speaks to the powerful, comfortable, established, and wellbehaved In the narrative of the temple, Jesus unsettles our comforts and false spirituality If you are powerful, Jesus destroys your illusions of power If you are comfortable, Jesus gives you discomfort If you are established, Jesus dismantles your foundation The key to understanding the real failure of the second group is trade (v16) o house of trade (ESV); place of business (NASB); house of merchandise (KJV) The idea is a place of commercial transaction I give X, and you give me Y. This was what the pagan temples offered! This is what Rome offered Luther in the 1500s! This is what profitable Christianity in America offers today! Jesus is enraged by it! He won t tolerate it! He brutally opposes it! This kind of approach to God, to Christianity, is not just not the best It is sinful, appalling to Christ, and condemnable. o The opposite of trade is mentioned in all three of the other Gospel writers accounts of the second temple cleansing. My house shall be a house of prayer (Lk 19:28) My house shall be called a house of prayer (Mt 21:13) My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations (Mk 11:17) What is prayer? o A conscious awareness of our utter dependency upon God. When do we pray? What does this say about us when we don t pray? 10

11 (3) ARE WE UNSETTLED BY CHRIST S GLORY? Are we like these established religious people? o Do we approach God with a comfortable confidence that our religious activity earns us something from God? o Do we feel a sense of awe in our approach towards God? Are we aware of our utter dependence upon God? o How is your prayer life? o Are we desperate for God s work in our own hearts (sanctification)? o Are we desperate for God s work in our loved ones (regeneration)? o Are we desperate for God s work in our community (transformation)? Jesus is Glorious; therefore, He will inevitably be unsettling to us. SUGGESTED RESOURCES: Destroy This Temple by John Piper John 2: Structure and Biblical Theology by James Dennison The Righteous Anger of Jesus by John MacArthur 11