Man’s failure to
keep God’s law. Jesus cleanses the temple of those who traded in it. In the
first three Gospels, Jesus begins His ministry in Galilee, but in John’s Gospel
the focus is on Jerusalem. In the first three Gospels, the cleansing of the
temple comes at the end of Jesus’ ministry, but John’s Gospel puts it at the
beginning. In the first three Gospels, the cleansing of the temple becomes the
immediate cause of Jesus’ arrest. In
John, the cleansing is related to the Jew’s demand for a sign authorizing Him
to take such dramatic action. Jesus’ sign was the destruction of the temple and
rebuilding it in three days – a forecast of His death and resurrection.
“Who are you to
say or do what you said or did?”
This question is the same as the Jews’ asking Jesus for a sign. The
temple with its activities, services, and programs is in the charge of the
priests who were authorized to take care of the temple. Who is this itinerant
peasant preacher to say what is right to do in the temple? This question is certainly in order. Jesus
gives them the sign of the cross. He is the one whose temple will be destroyed
and rebuilt on the third day. This proves who He is – the Messiah – and He has
the right and the authority to cleanse the temple.
A Prayer in times
of temptation: Almighty and everlasting
God, through Your Son You have promised us forgiveness of sins and everlasting
life. Govern our hearts by Your Holy Spirit that in our daily needs, and
especially in all time of temptation we may seek Your help and, by a true and
lively faith in Your Word, obtain all that You have promised; through the same
Jesus Christ, our Lord.[1]
-05 March 2021
[1] A Collect in times of temptation, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
Illustration “Jesus Clears the Temple” is taken from a woodcut by Baron Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872, a distinguished German artist known especially for his book, The Book of Books in Pictures. © WLS Permission granted for personal and congregational use.
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