TITLE
John 2:12-25 – The Zeal of the Lord of Hosts
EXPLANATION
John continues to unveil the character of Jesus. He recounts an incident where the Lord went
to Jerusalem to observe the Passover.
While there, Jesus entered the temple and was appalled at the
commercialization on display. The
structure that should have been devoted solely to worshiping God was being used
as a marketplace for money-changers and salesmen. Because of Christ’s zeal for the glory of His
Father, He could not tolerate this state of affairs or let it stand. So, He drove the businessmen from the temple
by whipping them, overturning their tables, and ordering them to leave.
Quite revealing is the response of the Jews. By implication, these were the Jewish religious
authorities. They were the ones who
should have known the Law regarding temple worship. They should have been the first to stop the
profane practices that were going on, or failing that, they should have led the
applause for Jesus who was attempting to conform the temple to the Law. However, instead of supporting Christ’s
clearly righteous actions, they questioned Him and asked for a sign to prove
His authority.
Not interested in dancing to the tune of the Jews,
Jesus responded with one of His typical cryptic replies. He told them, speaking of His body, that even
if they destroyed it, after three days it would be raised up again. This left the Jews scratching their heads,
because they did not understand Jesus’s allusion. Continuing this theme of Jesus recognizing
sinful man for what he is, and not allowing Himself to be compromised by them,
John finishes the chapter by giving a summary statement of how Jesus interacted
with men. He did not entrust Himself to
the people, although many believed in His miracles, because He knew the
people’s belief was shallow.
APPLICATION
This chapter begs to be preached. In a modern day Christian culture of apathy
and carnality, the display of Jesus purging the temple of wicked elements is a
refreshing blast of holy fervor that is sorely lacking in the church
today. Or, in line with man’s tendency
to go to extremes, where fervor does exist, it is often out of control and
violent, either in word or deed or both.
Thus, the application
of this section calls for zeal. It calls
for fervor. It calls for a no holds
barred lifestyle that is unabashedly and uncompromisingly and unashamedly
fixated upon Christ. Yet, such laudable
zeal must be balanced by kindness, grace, and mercy, lest we fall into error.
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