Episode 4 – The New Temple – John 2:13-25
The Context
As you work through the Gospel of John, the symbolic moments of Jesus’ life that brings to light the grand narrative of Scripture should astonish you. The Lamb of God, as John the Baptist appropriately labels Jesus, begins his ministry at the time of Passover, the Jewish festival celebrating the night in Egypt when the Angel of Death passed over the homes of those who had painted their doorposts with the blood of a spotless lamb.
Jesus is now in Jerusalem, surrounded by millions of Jews who have gathered at the temple to offer their animal sacrifice, unaware that among them walks the Lamb of God who is to be crucified in this very city three years later. But as Jesus approaches the temple, instead of hearing the sounds of prayer and worship, he is met with the sight of animals and money tables in the temple courts.
What likely angered Jesus the most wasn’t that people were selling animals for travelers to purchase for sacrifice, or that money changers were at their tables converting currency for the temple tax. Such things were common practice, though corruption for profit wasn’t unusual. The problem was that the place for worship had become a place for business.
Jesus is now in Jerusalem, surrounded by millions of Jews who have gathered at the temple to offer their animal sacrifice, unaware that among them walks the Lamb of God who is to be crucified in this very city three years later. But as Jesus approaches the temple, instead of hearing the sounds of prayer and worship, he is met with the sight of animals and money tables in the temple courts.
What likely angered Jesus the most wasn’t that people were selling animals for travelers to purchase for sacrifice, or that money changers were at their tables converting currency for the temple tax. Such things were common practice, though corruption for profit wasn’t unusual. The problem was that the place for worship had become a place for business.
Time Alone
Along with this book, have your Bible and a pen ready. Pray that you will come to know such a great love of Jesus that everything else competing for your time falls into a lesser place. Yet, there will be days when you simply have to trust that the time spent in devotions is more precious than time spent anywhere else.
Read John 2:13-25
If you own a piano, especially one that is played often, you know that you have to get it tuned on a consistent basis in order for the instrument to play a song as it was meant to be heard. On a well-built piano it can be a slow fade, and the one key just slightly out of tune easily becomes tolerated and forgotten. But over time the imperfections multiply, and what may sound like a ruined instrument to another may go utterly unnoticed by the owner of the piano.
As Jesus is walking closer to the temple in Jerusalem, his ears are filled with the sounds of an instrument that has long been in need of tuning. The people had forgotten the sounds of worship as God desired for it be heard from the temple built by his own people.
When was the last time you walked into the auditorium, sat undistracted in your seat before worship began, and asked yourself, “What am I here for? God, what is it I seek to do in this place?”
If you have, what was the answer? And if you haven’t, imagine yourself right now sitting in the auditorium, and ask God those questions. What answers did you find?
Did you know that the word sanctuary is never used in the New Testament as a name for the place where Christians gather to worship? Used throughout the Old Testament as the word to describe the sacred place where God dwelt among His people, Jesus tells those questioning his authority to cleanse the temple that he will become the temple/sanctuary of his people, for his people.
“For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” Hebrews 9:24 NIV
Through Jesus, whose Spirit dwells in those who believe in him, we are able to be in the presence of God the Father. Our opportunity to draw near to God is abundantly more than it was for those who drew near to Him in the days of the temple in Jerusalem. A temple that was built in 46 years by human hands. Jesus is our temple, and the sanctuary is now a sacred place within us where God dwells as the Holy Spirit!
With this in mind, how do you think God wants us to understand the significance of our weekly gatherings for worship? Is it an added benefit, or foundational to your life in Christ?
From here it is wise to proceed with caution, because like the pianist who no longer notices the out of tune notes, it is dangerous to trust our feelings as reality. We may feel like all is well, that God is pleased, and there is significance in what we are doing, but that isn’t always the truth. So, we need to ask ourselves, and not just once, what is the benchmark by which we measure our health and the health of the local church we attend?
Quite honestly this leads us into a subject that requires far more consideration than what we have the time for in this one episode, but there is one answer to this question that we simply can’t afford to miss in this week’s text. Jesus. Individually and collectively as the church, we are spiritually the healthiest when everything we do centers on Jesus.
When we seek for ourselves glory, honor, and praise for our professed works of faith, the piano is going out of tune. When the teachings of the local church seek to glorify culture rather than glorify Christ, the piano is going out of tune. When the Jewish leaders of the temple in Jerusalem began to seek profits over providing a sacred place for the people to glorify God in worship, the piano was going out of tune.
Taking into account your actions and not your intentions over the past month, based upon the benchmark that a healthy spiritual life is one centered on Jesus, are you healthy?
If in this time God is revealing to you that there is something about your life not in tune with how God desires for you to live and glorify him, what is a practical next step you can take to better align yourself with Jesus?
Read John 2:13-25
If you own a piano, especially one that is played often, you know that you have to get it tuned on a consistent basis in order for the instrument to play a song as it was meant to be heard. On a well-built piano it can be a slow fade, and the one key just slightly out of tune easily becomes tolerated and forgotten. But over time the imperfections multiply, and what may sound like a ruined instrument to another may go utterly unnoticed by the owner of the piano.
As Jesus is walking closer to the temple in Jerusalem, his ears are filled with the sounds of an instrument that has long been in need of tuning. The people had forgotten the sounds of worship as God desired for it be heard from the temple built by his own people.
When was the last time you walked into the auditorium, sat undistracted in your seat before worship began, and asked yourself, “What am I here for? God, what is it I seek to do in this place?”
If you have, what was the answer? And if you haven’t, imagine yourself right now sitting in the auditorium, and ask God those questions. What answers did you find?
Did you know that the word sanctuary is never used in the New Testament as a name for the place where Christians gather to worship? Used throughout the Old Testament as the word to describe the sacred place where God dwelt among His people, Jesus tells those questioning his authority to cleanse the temple that he will become the temple/sanctuary of his people, for his people.
“For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” Hebrews 9:24 NIV
Through Jesus, whose Spirit dwells in those who believe in him, we are able to be in the presence of God the Father. Our opportunity to draw near to God is abundantly more than it was for those who drew near to Him in the days of the temple in Jerusalem. A temple that was built in 46 years by human hands. Jesus is our temple, and the sanctuary is now a sacred place within us where God dwells as the Holy Spirit!
With this in mind, how do you think God wants us to understand the significance of our weekly gatherings for worship? Is it an added benefit, or foundational to your life in Christ?
From here it is wise to proceed with caution, because like the pianist who no longer notices the out of tune notes, it is dangerous to trust our feelings as reality. We may feel like all is well, that God is pleased, and there is significance in what we are doing, but that isn’t always the truth. So, we need to ask ourselves, and not just once, what is the benchmark by which we measure our health and the health of the local church we attend?
Quite honestly this leads us into a subject that requires far more consideration than what we have the time for in this one episode, but there is one answer to this question that we simply can’t afford to miss in this week’s text. Jesus. Individually and collectively as the church, we are spiritually the healthiest when everything we do centers on Jesus.
When we seek for ourselves glory, honor, and praise for our professed works of faith, the piano is going out of tune. When the teachings of the local church seek to glorify culture rather than glorify Christ, the piano is going out of tune. When the Jewish leaders of the temple in Jerusalem began to seek profits over providing a sacred place for the people to glorify God in worship, the piano was going out of tune.
Taking into account your actions and not your intentions over the past month, based upon the benchmark that a healthy spiritual life is one centered on Jesus, are you healthy?
If in this time God is revealing to you that there is something about your life not in tune with how God desires for you to live and glorify him, what is a practical next step you can take to better align yourself with Jesus?
Time Together
Whether you are a part of a small group or have decided to get together with a couple of friends to discuss Sunday’s teaching over coffee, this section of questions is provided to help guide a group discussion. Our hope is that these questions, along with sharing from moments during your personal study time, will lead to conversations that are both edifying and life changing.
While we may first consider how personally we are to remain focused and centered on Jesus, often our greatest opportunities to bring glory to God are found in community with other believers. The works we do in faith are magnified when done within the collective effort of the body of Christ, the Church.
Have someone read Matthew 5:14-16
Have someone else go to www.merriam-webster.com, search the word glory, and read off the definitions.
This teaching by Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount can be quite difficult for people to grasp because it requires great spiritual maturity and self-awareness. Jesus instructs his followers to be observed doing good works so that light may shine forth into the surrounding darkness.
What is the temptation and danger of receiving public recognition for good works?
Even so, Jesus says that we should let the people see our good deeds in order that what may happen?
How do we put aside our pride, walk humbly as followers of Christ, and allow our good works to be seen as we seek to make His name famous so that people will bring praise and honor to God?
Have someone read Acts 2:42-47
In verse 42 Luke, the writer of Acts, records the four fundamental aspects of the early Acts 2 church:
Verses 42-46 provide further insight as to how these tenets of the faith were lived out. Now, the importance of this portion of scripture relates to what Luke says at the end of verse 47, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” NIV
The Lord does not add to what does not bring him glory. In all that Luke describes here in these few verses, the glorification of Jesus Christ our Lord was at the center, and daily people were being saved.
In your time together as a group, how can you be intentional about glorifying God in all that you do?
While we may first consider how personally we are to remain focused and centered on Jesus, often our greatest opportunities to bring glory to God are found in community with other believers. The works we do in faith are magnified when done within the collective effort of the body of Christ, the Church.
Have someone read Matthew 5:14-16
Have someone else go to www.merriam-webster.com, search the word glory, and read off the definitions.
This teaching by Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount can be quite difficult for people to grasp because it requires great spiritual maturity and self-awareness. Jesus instructs his followers to be observed doing good works so that light may shine forth into the surrounding darkness.
What is the temptation and danger of receiving public recognition for good works?
Even so, Jesus says that we should let the people see our good deeds in order that what may happen?
How do we put aside our pride, walk humbly as followers of Christ, and allow our good works to be seen as we seek to make His name famous so that people will bring praise and honor to God?
Have someone read Acts 2:42-47
In verse 42 Luke, the writer of Acts, records the four fundamental aspects of the early Acts 2 church:
- Apostle’s teaching (the New Testament that we read today)
- Fellowship
- Breaking of break (corporate worship)
- Prayer
Verses 42-46 provide further insight as to how these tenets of the faith were lived out. Now, the importance of this portion of scripture relates to what Luke says at the end of verse 47, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” NIV
The Lord does not add to what does not bring him glory. In all that Luke describes here in these few verses, the glorification of Jesus Christ our Lord was at the center, and daily people were being saved.
In your time together as a group, how can you be intentional about glorifying God in all that you do?
Time for More
If you are looking to grow in your knowledge of the Bible and desire to have a plan for further reading, here is a list of Scriptures that cross reference to certain parts within this week’s text. A cross reference is two biblical texts that share similar meaning and reading these is an effective way to expand your understanding of the Bible as one book, divided into 66 little books, all centered on Jesus Christ.
John 2:13 < > Exodus 12:1-30
John 2:21 < > 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
John 2:13 < > Exodus 12:1-30
John 2:21 < > 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Posted in For Second Chances