The first cleansing of the t..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Good evening. I want to extend the warm welcome that you've already received by our brothers this evening, and I want to greet you all in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

If you have your Bibles with you, and I'm sure most of you do, would you please open them up to the Gospel according to John? The Gospel according to John. We're in chapter two, we've been working our way through this series for the last probably seven months, and now we're in chapter two. And our readings this evening will be from verses 12 through to verse 22. So the gospel according to John from verse 12, that's chapter two from verse 12 through to 22.

After this, he went down to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days. The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple, he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons and money changers sitting there. 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.

And he told those who sold the pigeons, take these things away. Do not make my father's house a house of trade. His disciples remembered that it was written, zeal for your house will consume me. So the Jews said to him, what sign do you show us for doing these things? And Jesus answered them, destroy the temple and in three days I will raise it up.

The Jews then said, it has taken 46 years to build this temple and will you raise it up in three days? But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 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. Amen. This is the word of the Lord.

Well, from last week, we've been in chapter two and our study or our series in the gospel, according to John, the fourth gospel, has taken a little bit of a turn. See, previous to this, the author of the gospel, the apostle John, has been focusing our attention on the identity of Jesus Christ through various human testimonies pronouncing who Jesus is. John begins with his own attestation in the first 18 verses called the prologue, and then he turns our focus to John the Baptist. And then finally, he turns our attention to the testimony of Jesus's first disciples, different people with different backgrounds, with different callings, but by the illumination and illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, their testimony is identical. And what is that testimony?

That Jesus is the Christ. He is the Messiah, and he is the Son of God, the unique Son of God. But from chapter 2 onwards, it's no longer the witness of others that is central to this gospel, but the authentication from Christ's own lips and the works of His own hands that will put His glory on display and verify who He is. Last week, we saw a manifestation of the glory of Jesus Christ when he turned water into wine, doing away with the practices of cold religious ritualism and replacing it with the joy and the abundance of blessing from the hand of God that comes without measure. This evening, the text will reveal to us the very heart of what religion had become for the first century Jew.

in the religious capital of Jerusalem. The emphasis not being on the lay person and his activities, but rather on the minister of God. Those who have been entrusted by God to lead his people in truth and holiness. I speak of the priests because it's the dwelling place of God that is in view. It's the temple that's in view in our passage.

And we'll see how the apostasy of these religious leaders has defiled that what once was sacred. And well, we'll also experience the all-consuming zeal of Christ that many in our day just don't like to talk about. Our passage this morning, or this evening I should say, tells us that after the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus and his family went to the northern town of Capernaum and stayed there a few days. This may not seem like a very important event to be noted, but I believe its inclusion is to show that John is actually narrating a sequence of events that follow chronologically in time. Now, that doesn't mean that he's detailing every single thing that happened.

We know that there are gaps. The purpose statement in chapter 20 tells us this. But these chronological markers or anchors, if you will, are in the words after this. They're there to tell us that the events are in fact in order. In fact, the words after this or after this saying appears no less than 11 times throughout this gospel.

In chapter 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 11, 18, 19, and 21. I believe for that exact reason. John's not chopping and changing, but rather walking his readers through a careful, chronological, organized series of events in Jesus's earthly ministry, starting from beginning to end. Okay, so why would I start my sermon arguing that point? It's because it's important.

You see, the account of Jesus's cleansing the temple is also noted in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But here's where they differ. In John, it's at the beginning of Jesus's earthly ministry, but in the synoptic gospels, it occurs days before the crucifixion. So the question one is probably asking is this, when did this event happen? Was it at the beginning of the ministry of Christ or was it at the end?

Well, the answer is both. The accounts of the temple cleansings are similar, but just because they're similar, it doesn't mean they're the same. Jesus says something different in both. He rebukes the merchants for turning his father's house into a den of robbers in the Synoptic Gospels, but in John, it becomes a house of trade. There's a difference.

And his response when the Jews questioned him, asking for a sign here in John, his response is, destroy this temple and we'll get into that, and in three days I will raise it up, it's only found in John. Yet, the prophecy is referred to in the Synoptic Gospels as an accusation against Christ. So just because you find similar stories, it doesn't mean that it only happened once. I say this because many nowadays argue for only one temple cleansing, but I strongly believe the scripture speaks to two. The very fact that Jesus cleanses the temple twice.

At the onset of his earthly ministry, and again at the end, teaches a very important point about a corrupted hypocritical state of religion among the first century Jew and the Jewish establishment. And it shows Jesus' burning concern to restore true worship. The temple is cleansed out, but in three years, he'll have to do it again. They've returned to their old ways. The temple is still defiled and true worship hasn't been restored.

In both cases, the Messiah is rejecting their false religion and condemning what they have done with the sacred things of God. Beloved, unless one is cleansed within, he will remain unclean. For these Jews, that means unless a spiritual reformation takes place of the heart, they will always return to their sinful insincere ways. So what we have before us this evening is the first of two times that Jesus displays his righteous indignation against those who have corrupted his Father's house. The text begins by informing us that the Passover was at hand and Jesus has decided to make the journey to Jerusalem to partake in the Jewish festival.

There were three main feasts or festivals, if you will, in Jerusalem that all devout Jewish males over the age of 12 were obligated, if they had the means, to make the trip to Jerusalem to partake in. The Passover, which is sometimes called the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is one. The other two, First is the festival of weeks or otherwise called Pentecost. This came 50 days after the Passover and was a memorial feast for God's provision. In the time just after the wheat harvest, so many people gathered to offer a thanksgiving offering to God for His abundant blessings.

And the other festival, the third festival, was the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. Celebrated a few months after Pentecost, the Jews would remember the redemption of their ancestors from slavery at the hand of the Egyptians. And so for a week, they would live in temporary tents or booths scattered across Jerusalem, just as the ancestors did for 40 years in the wilderness. And this is by far the most expensive of all the feasts in terms of sacrifices to the Lord. But in our passage, it's the Passover or the feast of unleavened bread that is in view.

This was considered the most sacred of all feasts. It was a time of joy. and a time of celebration as they remembered God's salvation. At this time, they recalled the final plague in Egypt before their ancestors were set free from bondage. The firstborn of the land was all destroyed, but their lives were spared.

You remember the story. The Lord had commanded a lamb without blemish to be sacrificed and his blood painted on the doorposts and on the lintels of their homes. Death swept throughout the land, but their homes, the homes that had the blood-stained facades, were passed over. God spared the lives of the people in the homes who had blood on their doors because of the shed blood of a lamb. Of course, this was a type or a shadow of the blood of the true Lamb of God who saves his people, not from only a physical death, but from an eternal death.

It's no coincidence that Jesus was also crucified and shed his blood at the time of the Passover. The old has gone, beloved, and the new has come. So the Jews would celebrate this feast about March every year, It was a reverent memorial. A spotless lamb, a lamb without blemish, was to be taken to the temple, inspected for impurities, and then sacrificed. The dead animal then would return back home for the Passover feast.

And upon coming home, the family would gather in their homes. A prayer of thanksgiving would be spoken by the head of the family. And then the son would inquire and ask these words, What's so special about this night? And the father or the head of the family would then proceed to retell the story of Exodus and God's faithfulness in passing over their homes that had blood on their doors. Bitter herbs would be eaten as a reminder of the harsh slavery that they'd endured.

The sacrifice roasted lamb then would be eaten and unleavened bread also. The bread without leaven is a symbol of the bread made in haste by their ancestors when they rushed to get out of Egypt because they didn't have time for the dough to rise. But it's also a symbol of purity. See, yeast in the Bible, for the most part anyway, typifies sin and God's people ought to be pure and without sin. The feast would continue for seven days.

So now, the true Lamb of God was on his way to Jerusalem to partake in this feast of the Passover. You see, growing up, Jesus' family made the trip every single year. We're told this in Luke chapter 2. A godly example lived by his family, and now he continues to follow. Now don't be misled in verse 12 when you read, that he was going up to Jerusalem, thinking that Jerusalem is to the north.

Up doesn't equate to north. See, Capernaum was in the north, and Jerusalem was to the south, but it's an elevated city, that is Jerusalem. In fact, it stands, or Jerusalem stands at 750 meters above sea level, when the regions around Galilee were about 200 meters below. So the walk south was uphill, thus the up. But there is another reason, and you'll see this throughout the New Testament, that no matter where people are or how high they stand, they always head up to Jerusalem because it is the high and holy place of the temple.

It's where the manifest presence of God was pleased to dwell. Jerusalem, the Jerusalem temple was considered as the highest point in the spiritual sense. But was this honorable consideration by the Jews simply a tradition? Or was it from the heart? When Jesus arrives at the temple, he receives a very sad answer.

Verse 14, in the temple, he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons and the money changers sitting there. What were these animals doing in the temple? were there that were there to be sold to become sacrifices to God. It's pretty convenient. The only place the sacrifice could be offered was in the temple in Jerusalem.

Let's open our Bibles to Jew to Deuteronomy Deuteronomy chapter 12 and we'll be reading two verses from verses five and six Deuteronomy chapter 12 verses five and six. but you shall seek the place, the Lord speaking to Israel, but you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go and there you shall bring your burnt offering and your sacrifices, your tithes and your contributions that you present, your vow offerings, your free will offerings and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. So in simple terms, the sacrifices were permitted and approved only in the place where God chooses to dwell. Jerusalem temple was that place.

We also know that devout Jews traveled from all over the known world to the city to offer these sacrifices. and they came to also partake in the feasts, some traveling up to thousands of kilometers. Now imagine this. Imagine how difficult it would have been to walk that distance, bringing your family along and also the spotless lambs as prescribed in Exodus chapter 12 with them on the journey. The provision would have to be made not only for your family, but for the animals travel needs also.

It wasn't easy and it was a difficult task. The animals to be offered could die on the way. But even if they didn't die, if they got cut or developed any imperfections, then it would be rendered unfit to be sacrificed. Was it worth the risk? Wouldn't it be easier and more convenient just to buy a lamb when you got there and sacrifice it?

Offer it up, and then get on with the real fun of gorging on food and partying with your friends. This was the attitude of some. Of course, it wasn't the attitude of all. Many devout believing Jews didn't buy into this convenient, easy religion, but rather made the journey with their own prized animals. You see, they weren't interested in what came easy and offering what came easy to God.

Offering a sacrifice to God was meant to cost something of their time and something of their effort. They wanted to raise this little lamb thinking of its sacred purpose. It wasn't a burden to raise or to bring along the journey. It was a source of joy in willful obedience to God that they loved. Beloved, What do we offer to God?

Is it costing us something to do or are we doing whatever comes easiest? Are we choosing the easiest path to avoid the difficult paths? Are we ticking the boxes and moving on to the fun stuff? We go to church on Sunday and pray over a meal, read our Bibles every now and then just to appease our conscience. But then we get on with what we really want to do in life.

Is that us? Let me tell you, God despises that type of religion. He wants you to love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and strength, no exceptions. To be a child of God is to be given over wholly to God. Are we offering our whole bodies as living sacrifices, wholly and acceptable to Him?

Here's the question that I need to ask and a question we all need to consider. Do you consider being a child of God as burdensome or as a joy? Is it a burden? Or is it a joy? See, it's not meant to be a burden.

No more than when you make something for a loved one that you know they'll just love. Just thinking about the smile on their face is a joyful motivation. It might take much time, but when you're done, do you look back and think, that was exhausting, I wish it didn't take so much time? No, no you don't. Not if you truly love that person.

Your motivation is love. And when love is the driving force, it becomes a joy, not a burden. So the question of true religion came down to this. Do you love God? Do you love Jesus?

That's the question we need to be asking ourselves. Now it needs to be said, some in this day found it completely impractical to bring their own animals legitimately and that's okay. Others couldn't afford much and they offered only... according to their means, like purchasing a couple of inexpensive pigeons that they couldn't raise themselves. And that's okay also.

You see, Mary and Joseph, the parents of Christ, couldn't afford a lamb when they presented Jesus at the temple, so they offered inexpensive birds. But they were doing that, and their offering was with the right heart. And that's what God looks at. The intention of your hearts. is what God is looking at.

Beloved, it's the attitude of your heart. The Lord loves a cheerful giver. So although some in the first century just went through the motions, choosing the easiest route, others were happy to put in the effort cheerfully. But circumstances prevented this. So when you think about it, because there was a legitimate need Making available animals to be purchased by the pilgrims who have traveled long distances seems to be a benevolent act, an act of love.

Maybe at first when these animals were kept in the east of the temple in the Mount of Olives. But Annas, and you've heard of Annas, the corrupt money hoarding high priest became brazen in his time as a high priest and moved the money markets from the Mount of Olives into the outer courts of the temple. And of course, he helped himself to a large percentage of the proceeds as well. At the time of Jesus's ministry, it wasn't him that was the high priest. He was deposed by Rome.

But it was his son-in-law Caiaphas. He was the high priest at this time. But both Annas, who still had a lot of power and influence, and Caiaphas, his willing son-in-law, were money-hungry evil men. These were the men who would eventually conspire to kill our Lord. And therein lies the problem.

The priesthood was corrupted. The sacrificial system had been corrupted by Annas's family. The temple courts became his family markets. And good luck getting one of the priests to inspect and pass one of your little lambs that you have prepared and nurtured and cared for in order to sacrifice to the God that you love. If it wasn't purchased at the anus marketplace, the inspectors could easily find fault and render your animal unfit for sacrifice.

No animal is perfect. If you look hard enough and long enough, you'll find some faults. Naturally, you wouldn't want to go back and waste that whole journey. So as unfair as it seemed, these people, and many would, reluctantly purchased the animals they needed from the temple courts because they would be instantly approved by the priests and they would offer them to God. And it goes without saying, the price charged was outrageously high.

The markup, beloved, according to some of my readings, is suggested to be up to 10 times the going rate. This was not an act of love. There's no regard for God's command in Leviticus 19 that says, love your neighbor as yourself. But it gets worse again. The priests would not accept the common currency either.

The Roman coin wasn't accepted in the temple because it had the image of Caesar on it and there's no way the image of any uncircumcised Gentile was to enter into the money chest of the sacred temple. So the only currency approved for paying for the animals or even the yearly temple tax that every male above the age of 20, as prescribed in Exodus chapter 30, is compelled to pay, the only coin that would be accepted is Jewish coin. This now creates a whole new business opportunity with the introduction of money changes. And if you think that the airports in our day charge high exchange rates, you would be appalled at the rates charged by these money changes. That's why Jesus in the synoptic gospels labels these merchants thieves or robbers, depending on your Bible translation.

Abuse and deception overtook the temple grounds. and its focus was no longer love for God, but love for money, and that equates to love for self. But the corruption is deeper still. It wasn't only the fellow Jew who bore the brunt of this abuse, hear this now, but the Gentile also. You see, where all the animals and money changers were, which now resembles a farmyard with bleating and mooing sounds, clanging of coins being exchanged from one hand to another was all taking place in the outer courts, and the outer courts are also called the courts of the Gentiles.

You see, this is the place, and this is as far as the Gentiles can enter into the temple that the God-fearing Gentile was able or permitted to go. You see, if they went any further, there were signs all over the temple. If they went any further, then it was punishable by death. So this is as far as they can go to pray to Yahweh, to inquire and learn about God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is in this section that they could worship the only true God of Israel, because salvation of God is intended for all nations, not only the Jews.

The court was named after the Gentiles to prove this exact very point. Isaiah 56, God speaks and he says, For my house shall be called a house of prayer. For who? For all peoples. The place that was built with the purpose of glorifying God among the nations is now being used for selfish gain.

Spiritual leaders only concerned with self-comfort, having no regard for their Gentile neighbours. Under the pretense or the facade of holiness and true religion, they desecrate and defile the temple and destroy its reputation. This is the epitome of evil and hypocrisy. Beloved, God even now hates this type of religion. It's a scam.

It's a scam and he will call it out, especially when his name is being profaned and his people abused. What was Jesus' response when he sees all this wickedness? He goes into cleaning mode with righteous indignation and you can call it anger. Jesus begins his work to cleanse his father's house. If you think it's not okay for Jesus to be angry, just remember anger is not a sin.

Ephesians 4 tells us, do not allow your anger to what? Cause you to sin. The problem with sinners like us is we have a propensity to almost always sin when we get angry. That's the problem, because we get angry at the wrong things and act badly. And more often than not, when we display righteous anger and we get angry at the right things, we tend to react in sinful ways.

But Jesus, Jesus, the sinless son of God is not like us. He's able to show his righteous fury at unrighteousness without even the hint of sin. And remember that. Remember that when I mention what comes next, because what comes next, beloved, is truly incredible. He makes a whip, probably from some of the rope that was used to tie up the animals.

And now hear this. He overturns the money tables. Then he uses the whip. to drive everything out. Now, if you're thinking it's only the animals that Jesus drives out, read the text again.

It's clear in the English and clearer in the original that both merchants and animals were driven out. Jesus was furious. What a sight this would have been. It's not the Jesus that most want to talk about. Some commentators actually do backflips trying to somehow cover up what Jesus did.

Beloved, the facts are before us. Jesus instills terror in the hearts of these merchants, and the whip in his hand, and he was not afraid to use it. Now, we mustn't add to the text, but we must not subtract either. Jesus is angry. Some may be shocked at these words and may be asking, What happened to the Jesus who's depicted as one who won't or can't hurt a fly?

Isn't Jesus supposed to be meek and mild? Isn't he the Lamb of God who was led to the slaughter without opening his mouth? Yes, and yes, he is the Lamb of God, but he's also the Lion of Judah. And this is his father's house, a place of worship, a place of prayer. And now it's been reduced into an animal stockyard.

Beloved, what we have before us is a demonstration of Jesus's infinite love for his father manifesting in his consuming, all-consuming zeal that burns red hot with jealousy for his father's glory. How dare anyone turn my father's house into a house of trade, into a house of commerce. You see, there was an injustice being done to many that were being ripped off by these merchants and the priests. As I mentioned before, the markup could only be described as theft. You see, Jesus' primary concern wasn't that injustice.

Hear me now. Being ripped off is a horrible thing. But whether we get ripped off—gold or silver or possessions or anything else—it's only temporal. All our physical possessions will be left behind in death. But Jesus's main concern is always something greater.

The place his gracious father has chosen to represent his presence and remind his people that he's ever near is right before his very eyes being profaned. The zeal foretold in the 69th Psalm and the love for his father overwhelms him and compels him. to act. He cannot remain silent and allow this desecration of his father's house. This is his territory and he has full authority over it.

His father's house is his own house. It is to be a place of great blessing. It was for Jesus. It was for Jesus when he was 12. You remember the story years earlier when he spent three days in the temple when his parents were frantically searching for him.

You remember he was asking questions and giving answers that astounded the teachers. But now people are being denied the true worship and communion with God. That's been exchanged for the lining of pockets of the very ministers that were appointed to protect and preserve the holiness of this place. In effect, God had been traded, traded for silver, and gold. Now think about that in our context.

We're not told a great deal of information in this passage, but I want you to think about this. Why did no one overpower Jesus? Why didn't anyone act violently towards him? It's interesting to me that that no one even laid a hand on Christ. Now think about that.

There were many merchants. Temple police are always there. Most likely priests and scribes were wandering the temple courts, and most certainly many others. Remember, the population of Jerusalem would swell to a maximum capacity at the time of Passover. and most would visit the temple.

Yet not a single hand was laid against the Messiah. These men loved money, and Jesus threw their silver and their gold all over the floor. He drove them and all their money-making animals out into the streets and caused all the affected a great loss of income. Beloved, people have been killed for a lot less, but no retaliation against Jesus. They didn't overpower him.

They didn't try to beat him. Why? Beloved, they could not lay a hand on Jesus Christ because it was not his time. How many times in the Gospels do we read, the Jews tried to arrest him, but couldn't. They tried to stone him, but he got away.

Or I love this one in Luke chapter four, when the people of his hometown were completely enraged at the piercing explanation of Scripture, and they tried to throw him off a cliff. That's what the text says. They tried to throw Jesus off a cliff. And then what does it tell us? Listen to these words, but passing through the mist, he went away.

You kidding me? These people are trying to throw him off. A crowd of angry, a mob of angry people. Jesus walks through their midst, untouched. Never for a moment, never for a moment was Jesus concerned for his well-being.

Not for a moment was Jesus afraid that he would be arrested or killed before his time, beloved. He is God, and he is in complete control over every situation. The reason no one could apprehend Jesus and do him harm in the temple is because it was not his time. And until it is, no one will lay a single hand on him. But when he returns in three years to cleanse the temple again for a second time, that will be his time.

I've experienced Jesus's outrage. These men ask, what sign do you show us for doing these things? We've seen what you did. Now prove to us that you have the right to do them. In other words, hear this, by what authority are you doing these things?

First of all, it's clear that they didn't understand the rebuke of Jesus or see the error of their ways, because if they had, they wouldn't be asking questions, but begging for forgiveness. But this is just evident of their spiritual blindness. They were more intrigued with who Jesus thinks he is than making matters right with God. So they were basically saying, show us, show us your credentials. Who do you think you are, Jesus?

But the irony is this, Jesus has already shown him or them his credentials and his divine authority by turning the place upside down with no one trying to resist him. In doing so, he is at his father's business and staking his claim that this is his house. Furthermore, If they understood the scripture, they would have anticipated this very thing. They would know the sign was the act itself. Malachi foretells of this event, I think, upon the coming of the Messiah in Malachi chapter 3.

Let's open our Bibles. Malachi chapter 3, and we'll be reading from verses 1 through 4. Malachi chapter three, verses one through four. Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple, hear this, and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He's like a refiner's fire and like a fuller's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.

And they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in the former years. The Messiah, the Messiah was predicted to purge and purify the temple when he arrives. So these men, these men didn't know the scripture and they were wicked for asking for a sign. They instead should have been ashamed of their conduct and repented from their sins.

Jesus was to be thanked for correcting the error, not interrogated for answers. But beloved, this is what empty religion looks like. externally polished, but no substance within. It reminds me of the time Jesus recounts Isaiah 29 in Matthew 15, applying this to the religious leaders of the day. There he says, these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are what?

Far from me. We ought to examine our hearts with these words, beloved. Are we honoring Christ with our lips? Or are we honoring Him with our hearts? The temple may look beautiful on the outside, but what was going on internally was the concern of Jesus Christ.

And when He saw what lies within, it made Him angry. So the Jews foolishly asked for a sign. Jesus doesn't give them the sign they were expecting, but hear this, he gives them the ultimate sign to come. Verse 19, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said, it's taken 46 years to build this temple and you will raise it up in three days?

But he was speaking about the temple of his body. In the few moments we have left, we'll look at this verse. I actually contemplated probably doing this next week because it's so full, this verse, but I decided to attach to the passage. So let's look at it this evening. The immediate assumption by these people was that Jesus is talking about the temple that stands before them.

It wasn't Solomon's temple, by the way, that's standing before him. Because that was destroyed back in 586 BC by the Babylonians. The temple standing before them was the one that Zerubbabel was built. It's called the second temple and it was built under the governor, Zerubbabel, after the return of the Israelites from exile. It had undergone an extensive work to expand and renovate by Herod about a half a century before this occasion, making it practically brand new.

The work took 46 years. And now Jesus is saying he can build it in three days. They're saying, are you kidding? They're thinking because they're thinking still in the physical terms. Now to be fair, Jesus' words were a little cryptic.

Even his disciples, in verse 22 we're told, were said not to have fully grasped these words until after the resurrection. So it is cryptic language. And then when the disciples did understand or were remembering what Jesus had said, the effect was they believed his words and they were strengthened in confidence with scripture. But in his response to these Jewish men, Jesus is doing something very profound, and he's doing it very early in his ministry. What's he doing?

Well, he's making the intentions clear. The temple he's talking about rebuilding is not Herod's temple, but the temple of his body. Jesus knows that the Jerusalem temple will be destroyed in 70 AD, because he had served its purpose as a type, hear this, as a type of the reality to come. Jesus is that reality. Jesus is the anti-type.

You see, he's not trying to convince these Jews that he has the authority to do what he has done. His actions has already shown he has the authority to do what he did, but rather he's trying to foretell that they will crucify him. That's the language he uses. but then he'll be raised again in three days. Beloved, this is a claim to deity.

He's describing exactly what will take place in the future. And when he is raised again, he'll establish a new temple, a temple, the temple of his body. Our Lord is doing away with the old and bringing in the new. The old served a purpose, but the better has come now. A new era has dawned.

Just like putting an end to the empty religious rituals by using the water jars in our last week sermon. In the previous passage in John, for a completely new purpose, he now shows that the temple, although it did have a God-given function, up until the crucifixion of Christ, will be obsolete, and it will become null and void, because Jesus will fulfill all that the temple stood for. You remember when we examined A few months ago, verse 14 of chapter one of this chapter, of this book, and the word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We examined every item in that temple and we looked at them and we saw that these were all pointing to Christ. There were types and shadows pointing to Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the fulfillment of everything the temple stands for. He is the substance and the reality. And, of course, this fulfillment happened in the spiritual sense when Jesus was crucified. Do you remember what happened then? The temple veil was torn from top to bottom, effectively making the Jerusalem temple and all its rituals obsolete.

The holy of holies was open. But that wasn't a concern anymore, because the manifest presence of God was no longer in the temple. A new age has begun with a new covenant, not requiring a temple built by human hands. No, his people from now on will worship in spirit and in truth. You see, these are the words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman at the well.

in John chapter 4. Woman, he says, believe me, the hour is coming where neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know. For salvation is from the Jews.

But the hour is coming and is now here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. The physical Jerusalem temple will give way to the new spiritual temple it always represented. The manifest presence of God will no longer be concealed behind a veil in a room.

the temple of God, the very real presence of God will dwell with mankind in the body of Jesus Christ. Beloved, it's in Christ and no place else that the believer experiences the dwelling place and the presence of God. This is why the New Testament is able to call the church the spiritual body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 5. It's because she has been united with the temple of God, Jesus's body.

Every member of this body is indwelt by God's spirit. 1 Corinthians 3. And our Lord still burns with holy zeal towards his spiritual temple as it's written. If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. But God's temple is holy.

God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. God's temple is holy, and you are that temple. What a privilege. Beloved, are you part of this spiritual temple? Are you enjoying the true presence of God in Christ Jesus?

Or will you experience the righteous fury of the Lion of Judah on that last day when he judges the world in truth and righteousness? My prayer, my prayer is that every one of us would come to that day and all be found in Jesus Christ. Amen.