JOHN LESSON 6

      We will begin this lesson in John 2:13.

      V-13, "And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to
 Jerusalem,"

      V-14, "And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep
 and doves, and the changers of money sitting:"

      In the outer courts, a market had been set up to sell animals
for sacrifice and there was a place to exchange the weary travellers'
money for the half-shekel suitable for the temple. No coin which had
earthly ruler on it could be used in the temple. This place was not
only located in a place that God called a place of prayer, but these
animals were not the quality the Lord required. These merchants were
really not honest.

     V-15, "And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove
them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured
out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;"

     scourge  was a whip. This whip was usually made with strips of
leather and had knots tied to make it hurt worse. This is the only
time in Jesus' ministry that we ever see Him violent and striking
out. He was usually very humble and would not even protect Himself.
This is supposed to be the special place of worship. Jesus believes
this shows disrespect to the Father. Our churches today should take
special note of this. The Lord is very strict about what goes on in
His house. This tells me that there is a time to show anger. When the
name of the Lord (or anything pertaining to Him) is violated, it is
correct to be angry about this.

     V-16, "And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things
hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise."

     Because of this very Scripture above, I feel it is wrong to sell
any type of merchandise in the church. Our generation has taken God
far too casually. He is not casual. He is exact. He never changes. If
He said this was His Father's house, then all sanctuaries everywhere
are His Father's house. In Matthew 21:13 we find that Jesus said, "My
house shall be called the house of prayer". We should enter the
sanctuary with reverence, retain this attitude while we are there, and
leave the same way.

     V-17, "And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal
of thine house hath eaten me up."

     The Scripture the disciples are remembering is from Psalms
69:9, "For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the
reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me." These
things said before the disciples are just sinking the message deeper
and deeper that Jesus is truly Messiah. The Bible, Old Testament and

New Testament, say the same thing. It is the same God that wrote it
all.

     V-18, "Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign
shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?"

     Here these Jews are really asking Jesus what authority He has
coming in and doing all these things in the temple. Now they actually
are saying if you have the authority, prove it to us. They thought He
would do some miracle that would be undeniable. In a sense what
these people were doing was destroying the meaning of the temple. God
does not like anything associated with Him to be merchandised. Just as
He was angered when someone tried to buy the gifts of the Spirit.
God's blessings are not for sale. There are so many beautiful
spiritual meanings to glean from this. The temple contaminated by any
sort of worldliness God will not dwell in. He is a Holy God. The Lord
Jesus spoke to the disciples, and in so doing to us also and said He
would dwell within us and we in Him. This cannot be if there is sin in
our life. He wants a holy house to dwell in. The building we call our
church where the Christians meet is like our body. It must be pure and
holy, or the Lord will not meet with us there.

     V-19, "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up."

     John believes in this that Jesus is speaking of His own body,
which they did destroy and which was raised up on the third day.
There are many ways to destroy the temple, and I believe a great deal
of temple destruction is going on now. I am not sure the Lord
would approve of all the party atmosphere in the Church. The Lord can
change it anytime He wants to. If He can create the world and
everything in it physically, I am sure it would be no problem for Him
to build one temple in three days. Whatever is meant in this
Scripture, the Lord is perfectly capable of doing.

     V-20, "Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in
building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?"

     The problem is they did not know that they were speaking to the
Creator of the world. Here is another time when people are looking
with their physical eyes and comparing what they (mere men) could do
with what the Lord can do. With men this would be impossible, but
with God all things are possible.

     V-21, "But he spake of the temple of his body."

     We see here that John believes Jesus is speaking of His
crucifixion and on the third day His resurrection, which it probably
does mean. Many Scriptures have more than one meaning. This could mean
both.

     V-22, "When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples
remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the
scripture, and the word which Jesus had said."
     It is always much easier to understand what something meant by
looking back to it than by looking forward. Jesus told them numerous
times of His crucifixion and three days later His resurrection, but
until after it happened, it did not take roots in them. They panicked
and ran at the crucifixion, and many of them did not believe He was
raised from the dead until they saw Him in person.

     V-23, "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast
day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he
did."

     The Passover actually is eaten on the fourteenth of Nisan. The
purifying of the houses and vessels takes place on the thirteenth.
This is overlapped by the Feast of Unleavened Bread which is really
part of the same. It lasts eight days. Jesus was in and around
the streets of Jerusalem for an extended time. He was preaching,
healing, and delivering all that time. The miracles were undeniable.
The blind could see, the leper was cleansed, the deaf could hear, the
dumb could speak, the lame could walk. There was no end to the
miracles He performed. John 14:11 says, "Believe me that I am in the
Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works'
sake." Let Jesus' works speak for Him. It appears they spoke so loudly
here that many believed He was Messiah.

     V-24, "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he
knew all men,"

     Faith that is based upon things you can see, is not really faith
at all. It takes no faith at all to believe a miracle you see with
your own eyes. Jesus knew that the faith of these people was shallow
and not the kind that would stand up in tribulation. Their faith was
not in the giver, but in the gift. This is a dangerous type of
faith. When the gifts stop, so does the faith. Jesus did not bare
Himself to them, because He sensed this. A faith that is based
on getting from God and not giving will not hold up in
tribulation. John 16:33 says, "These things I have spoken unto you,
that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have
tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

     V-25, "And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew
what was in man."

     The Lord can look right into your heart and know whether it be
good or bad. Our thoughts are no secrets to Him, as well. We are His
creation , and He knows everything about us. Sometimes, like these
here who believed, the Lord can see through and know it is a front.
What we feel in our heart about something is even more important than
what we do and say. Jesus knows the truth anyway. It is no good to lie
about how we feel about Him.





                           JOHN 6 QUESTIONS

1.  Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem at this time?
2.  What did He find in the temple that displeased Him?
3.  What was really going on?
4.  Why did they need money changers?
5.  What did Jesus make of the cords?
6.  What is that?
7.  What did Jesus do that showed His anger?
8.  When is the only time anger is permitted?
9.  What were they doing with doves?
10. What did Jesus tell them to not make His Father's house into?
11. In Matthew, God's house is what?
12. Where was this action prophesied in the Old Testament?
13. What did the Jews want Him to prove?
14. Where did Jesus say He would dwell?
15. What did Jesus say He would do in three days?
16. What did John believe He was speaking of?
17. How long did it take the Jews to build the temple?
18. Why could these Jews not understand what He said?
19. When did the disciples remember this saying?
20. Why did many believe Him?
21. What was wrong with their belief?
22. Passover is eaten on what day?
23. What other Jewish celebration overlaps Passover?
24. Why did Jesus not commit Himself to them?
25. We learn in John 16:33 that in this life we will have
    _______________.
26. Why did Jesus not need someone to tell Him about these men?

                                 Notes