Jesus cleanses the temple

  

John 2:13  And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
John 2:14  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
John 2:15  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;
John 2:16  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
John 2:17  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

 

Psa 69:9  For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

 

Yes, he was zealous for the house of the LORD and his presence. All the selling and business as usual was going on in the court of the Gentiles. This is where the Gentiles came to pray and to seek God for they were not allowed inside the temple. I have mentioned before that so much of what the world sees of the church is the merchandising. It seems to be that the pleas for money and the selling of books, with distorted messages, is what the inquiring seekers see. The gospel came to us without charge and should be given to the world without charge. Business as usual with all the things in the way of worship was the way it was then and it upset the Lord. Soon the reproaches of the religious leaders would fall on him and he would suffer on the cross and shed his blood for our sins. If we knew that our time was short, would we be seeking to worship and pray to him without distractions?

 

Mat 21:13  And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Isa 56:1  Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
Isa 56:2  Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
Isa 56:3  Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
Isa 56:4  For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;
Isa 56:5  Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.
Isa 56:6  Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;
Isa 56:7  Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.Isa 56:8  The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

 

Two evidences that the Gentile was seeking the God of Israel were the keeping of the Sabbath, which was the the sign of the Covenant with Israel and they had to go to the temple, the court of the Gentiles. For the temple was the only place where God was to be in their presence. Also to be a Jew, they had to be circumcised in the flesh. After the cross we come to Jesus by faith and God comes into our circumcised, clean hearts, that he has made clean by his shed blood. The Gentiles were not required to be circumcised in the flesh, they were not told to keep a Saturday sabbath in the New Testament after Jesus was raised on the first day. Church was wherever two or more gathered together in his name. We are told to assemble ourselves together in a local assembly. We need to gather together for all the gifts of the Spirit to be ministered to the body of Christ.

 

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.