The Hero

Christ Confronts Corruption in the Temple

Picture: Christ Confronts Corruption in the Temple 3TC 93.1

This chapter is based on John 2:12-22.

“Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” Jesus had not yet announced His mission publicly, and He mingled unnoticed with the crowd. On these occasions, the Messiah’s coming was often the theme of conversation. Jesus knew that their hope of national greatness would be disappointed, for it was based on a misinterpretation of Scripture. With deep earnestness, He explained the prophecies and tried to stir up the people to study God’s Word more closely. 3TC 93.2

At Jerusalem during the Passover week, large numbers of people assembled from all parts of Palestine, and even from distant lands. The temple courts were filled with a great variety of people. Many were unable to bring with them the sacrifices they were to offer as representing the one great Sacrifice. For their convenience, animals were bought and sold in the outer court. 3TC 93.3

Every Jew was required to pay “a ransom for himself” each year, and the money collected helped to support the temple. See Exodus 30:12-16. Besides this, people brought large sums as freewill offerings to be deposited in the temple treasury. And all foreign coins had to be changed for a coin called the temple shekel, which was accepted for the service of the sanctuary. The money-changing gave opportunity for fraud and extortion. It had grown into a disgraceful business, which was a source of income to the priests. 3TC 94.1

The worshipers had been taught to believe that if they did not offer sacrifices, the blessing of God would not rest on their children or their lands. The dealers demanded exorbitant prices for the animals sold, and they shared their profits with the priests and rulers, who enriched themselves this way at the expense of the people. 3TC 94.2

Financial Corruption at the Heart of God’s Work

Sharp bargaining, the lowing of cattle, the bleating of sheep, the cooing of doves, mingled with the chinking of coin and angry disputing. The confusion was so great that the uproar drowned out the words directed to the Most High. The Jews rejoiced over their temple and regarded a word spoken in criticism of it as blasphemy, but the love of money had overruled their concerns for its honor. They had wandered far from the purpose of the service that God Himself had established. Wherever God reveals His presence, the place is holy. See Exodus 19:12, 13. God’s temple grounds should have been regarded as sacred. But in their hurry to get rich, all this was forgotten. 3TC 94.3

The priests and rulers should have corrected the abuses of the temple court and given the people an example of integrity. Instead of watching out for their own profit, they should have been ready to help those who were not able to buy the required sacrifices. But greed had hardened their hearts. 3TC 94.4

Those who were in poverty and distress—the blind, the lame, the deaf—came to this feast. Some were brought on beds. Many were too poor to buy the humblest offering for the Lord or even to buy food to satisfy their own hunger. The statements of the priests greatly distressed them. The priests boasted of their holiness, but they had no sympathy or compassion. The poor, the sick, the dying, stirred no pity in their hearts. 3TC 95.1

As Jesus came into the temple, He saw the unfair transactions. He saw the distress of the poor, who thought that without shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness for their sins. He saw the sacred, outer court of His temple converted into a place of unholy business. 3TC 95.2

Something had to be done. The worshipers offered sacrifices without understanding that they represented the only perfect Sacrifice. And among them, unrecognized and unhonored, stood the One that all their service symbolized. He saw that the offerings were perverted and misunderstood. No link connected the priests and rulers to God. Christ’s work was to establish an entirely different worship. 3TC 95.3

With a searching glance, Christ took in the scene before Him. With prophetic eye, He looked into future years, centuries, and ages. He saw how priests and rulers would forbid the gospel to be preached to the poor, how the love of God would be concealed from sinners, and people would put His grace up for sale. His face showed indignation, authority, and power. The people’s attention was drawn to Him. The eyes of those engaged in their unholy business were riveted on His face. They felt that this Man read their inmost thoughts and discovered their hidden motives. Some tried to hide their faces. 3TC 95.4

The sound of selling and bargaining stopped. The silence became painful. It was as if the assembly were arraigned before God’s court of justice. Looking at Christ, they saw divinity flash through humanity. The Majesty of heaven stood as the Judge will stand at the last day—not encircled with the glory that He will have then, but with the same power to read the soul. His eye took in every individual. His form seemed to rise above them in commanding dignity, and a divine light illuminated His countenance. His clear, ringing voice—the same that had proclaimed the law on Mount Sinai—echoed through the temple: “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 3TC 95.5

Raising the whip of cords that He had gathered up on entering the temple grounds, Jesus ordered the bargainers to leave the temple. With a zeal and severity He had never before shown, He overthrew the tables of the money-changers. The coins fell, ringing sharply on the marble pavement. No one questioned His authority. None dared stop to gather up their ill-gotten gain. Jesus did not strike them with the whip of cords, but in His hand that simple scourge seemed like a flaming sword. Officers of the temple, priests, brokers, and cattle traders, with their sheep and oxen, rushed from the place with the one thought of escaping from the condemnation of His presence. 3TC 96.1

The Temple Cleansed by the Presence of the Lord

Panic swept over the crowd, who felt the commanding presence of His divinity. Even the disciples trembled, awestruck by Jesus’ words and manner, so unlike His usual behavior. They remembered that it was written about Him, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” Psalm 69:9. Soon the courts of the temple were free from unholy commerce. Deep silence and solemnity settled on the scene of confusion. The presence of the Lord had made sacred the temple constructed in His honor. 3TC 96.2

In cleansing the temple, Jesus announced His mission as the Messiah and began His work. The temple was designed to be an object lesson for Israel and for the world. God intended that every created being should be a temple for the Creator to live in. Darkened and defiled by sin, human hearts no longer revealed the glory of the Divine One. But by the incarnation of the Son of God, God dwells in humanity, and through saving grace the heart becomes His temple again. 3TC 96.3

God planned that the temple at Jerusalem should be a continual witness to the high destiny open to every person. But the Jews did not yield themselves as holy temples for the Divine Spirit. The courts of the temple, filled with unholy trade, represented all too accurately the temple of the heart, defiled by sensual passion and unholy thoughts. In cleansing the temple, Jesus announced His mission to cleanse the heart from sin—the earthly desires, selfish lusts, and evil habits that corrupt the soul. 3TC 96.4

“The Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight. ...“But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner’s fire. ...
He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And purge them as gold and silver.”
Malachi 3:1-3 3TC 97.1

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17. 3TC 97.2

No one by himself can cast out the evil agencies that have taken possession of the heart. Only Christ can cleanse the soul temple. But He will not force His way in. He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.” Revelation 3:20. His presence will cleanse and sanctify the soul so that it may be a holy temple to the Lord, “a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:22. 3TC 97.3

A Preview of the Final Judgment

Overcome with terror, the priests and rulers had run from the temple court and from the searching look that read their hearts. In this scene, Christ saw a symbol of the dispersion of the whole Jewish nation for their wickedness and unrepentant rebellion. 3TC 97.4

Why did the priests run away? Why did they not stand their ground? The One who commanded them to go was a carpenter’s son, a poor Galilean. Why did they not resist Him? Why did they leave their wrongly acquired profits and run at the command of One whose appearance was so humble? 3TC 98.1

Christ spoke with the authority of a king, and in His appearance and the tone of His voice, there was something that they had no power to resist. At His word of command, they realized their true position as hypocrites and robbers. When Divinity flashed through humanity, they felt as if they were standing before the throne of the eternal Judge, who had passed sentence on them for time and eternity. For a time, many believed Him to be the Messiah. The Holy Spirit flashed into their minds the words of the prophets concerning Christ. Would they yield to this conviction? 3TC 98.2

They would not repent. They knew they had been guilty of extortion. Because Christ knew their thoughts, they hated Him. His public rebuke was humiliating to their pride, and they were jealous of His growing influence with the people. They determined to challenge Him regarding the power by which He had driven them out. 3TC 98.3

Slowly and thoughtfully, but with hate in their hearts, they returned to the temple. What a change had taken place! When they ran, the poor remained behind, and these were now looking to Jesus, whose face expressed His love and sympathy. 3TC 98.4

The people pressed their way into Christ’s presence with urgent appeals: “Master, bless me!” His ear heard every cry. All received attention. Everyone was healed of whatever disease he had. 3TC 98.5

As the priests and temple officials witnessed this great work, the sounds that fell on their ears were a revelation to them. The people were telling about the pain they had suffered, about disappointed hopes, painful days, and sleepless nights. When hope seemed dead, Christ had healed them. “The burden was so heavy,” one said, “but I have found a Helper. He is the Christ of God, and I will devote my life to His service.” Parents said to their children, “He has saved your life—lift up your voice and praise Him!” Hope and gladness filled the hearts of children and youth, fathers and mothers, friends and spectators. They were restored in both soul and body, and they returned home proclaiming the love of Jesus. 3TC 98.6

At Jesus’ crucifixion, those who had been healed did not join in shouting, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.” Their sympathies were with Jesus, for they had felt His wonderful power. They knew that He was their Savior. They listened to the apostles, and they became agents of God’s mercy and instruments of His salvation. 3TC 99.1

The crowd that had run from the temple court slowly drifted back after a while, but their faces showed that they were uncertain and timid. They were convinced that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies concerning the Messiah. The sin of profaning the temple belonged mostly to the priests. Their decisions had turned the court into a marketplace. The people were comparatively innocent. But the priests and rulers considered Christ’s mission as an upstart, and they questioned His right to interfere with what the authorities of the temple permitted. They were offended because He had interrupted their business, and they stifled the convictions of the Holy Spirit. 3TC 99.2

The Beginning of the Final Rejection of Christ

The priests and rulers should have seen that Jesus was the Anointed of the Lord, for they held the sacred scrolls that described His mission. They knew that the cleansing of the temple showed more than human power. Much as they hated Jesus, they could not free themselves from the thought that He might be a prophet God had sent to restore the temple’s sanctity. With a respect born of this fear, they went to Him and asked, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” 3TC 99.3

Jesus had shown them a sign. In doing the work that the Messiah was to do, He had given convincing evidence of His character. Now He answered them by a parable, showing that He read their evil intent and saw where it would lead. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 3TC 99.4

In these words, He referred not only to the destruction of the Jewish temple and worship, but to His own death—the destruction of the temple of His body. The Jews were already plotting to kill Him. As the priests and rulers returned to the temple, they had proposed to kill Jesus and so be rid of the troubler. Yet they took His words as applying only to the temple at Jerusalem, and they exclaimed indignantly, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” Now they felt that Jesus had justified their unbelief, and they were confirmed in rejecting Him. 3TC 99.5

Christ knew that His enemies would twist His words and turn them against Him. At His trial and on Calvary, they would fling these words at Him. But to explain them now would give His disciples a knowledge of His sufferings and bring on them sorrow that they were not yet able to bear. And an explanation would prematurely reveal to the Jews the result of their prejudice and unbelief. They had already entered on a path that they would steadily follow until He would be led as a lamb to the slaughter. 3TC 100.1

Christ knew that these words would be repeated. Spoken at the Passover, they would come to the ears of thousands who would then carry them to all parts of the world. After He had risen from the dead, their meaning would be plain. To many, they would be conclusive evidence of His divinity. 3TC 100.2

The Savior’s words, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” had a deeper meaning than the hearers grasped. The temple services symbolized the sacrifice of the Son of God. The entire plan of sacrificial worship foreshadowed the Savior’s death to redeem the world. The ritual system had no value apart from Him. When the Jews sealed their rejection of Christ by delivering Him to death, they rejected everything that gave significance to the temple and its services. Its sacredness had ended. It was doomed to destruction. From that day, sacrificial offerings were meaningless. In putting Christ to death, the Jews virtually destroyed their temple. When Christ was crucified, the inner veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, signifying that the great final sacrifice had been made. The system of sacrificial offerings was forever at an end. 3TC 100.3

“In three days I will raise it up.” From the opened tomb of Joseph, Jesus came out as a Conqueror. By His death and resurrection, He became the minister of the “true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.” Hebrews 8:2. Men had constructed the Jewish temple, but the sanctuary above was built by no human architect. 3TC 100.4

““‘The Man whose name is the BRANCH! ...
He shall build the temple of the Lord; ...
He shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So shall He be a priest on His throne.”’”
Zechariah 6:12, 13 3TC 101.1

The sacrificial service that had pointed to Christ came to an end, but the eyes of men and women were turned to the true sacrifice for the sins of the world. The earthly priesthood ceased, but we look to Jesus, the Minister of the new covenant. “The way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing. ... But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, ... by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 9:8-12, KJV. 3TC 101.2

“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25. Though the heavenly sanctuary and our great High Priest would be invisible to human sight, yet the disciples would experience no break in their fellowship and no reduction of power because of the Savior’s absence. While Jesus ministers in the sanctuary above, by His Spirit He is still the Minister of the church on earth. His parting promise is fulfilled, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20. His energizing presence is still with His church. 3TC 101.3

“We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15, 16. 3TC 101.4

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