1 The next (third) day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee…. 2 and Jesus and His disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, … 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 He said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” … 9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, … he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” 11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed His glory. And His disciples believed (placed their faith) in Him. John 2:1-3, 7-11, New Living Translation 2nd Edition
I.
Introduction
Chapter
2 of John’s Gospel begins the Book of Signs. The Book of Signs begins the public
ministry of Jesus that starts at Cana, located in Galilee. By way of
background, John’s Gospel is divided or organized into four sections. The first
section of John’s Gospel is the Prologue, and the Prologue is found at John 1
verses 1 through 18. In the Prologue, John sets the background for Jesus and
His public ministry. Next, John gives a long transitional section between the
end of the Prologue of verse 18 and the Book of Signs. This long transitional
section includes verses 19 through 51. These transitional verses center around
John the Baptist. John gives more details about John the Baptist that are not
included in the Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Chapter
2 of John’s Gospel officially starts the Book of Signs and Jesus’ public
ministry in Galilee. The Book of Signs goes from John 2:1 through John 12:50.
This section is often called the Book of Signs because of the seven miracles
Jesus performed. Jesus did more than seven miracles (e.g., see John
20:30; John 21:25). However, John identified seven miraculous signs of Jesus to
reveal Jesus’ identity and glory (e.g., see John 17:4). In this section, John
revealed through Jesus’ signs how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament and the
intent of Judaism.
Starting
at chapter 13 of John’s Gospel, John records Jesus’ Passion story with His
trial, execution, and resurrection. Significantly, John’s Passion story from chapters
18 through 20 are mostly the same storyline given in the Synoptic Gospels –
Matthew, Mark, and Luke.[1]
However, John begins Jesus’ Passion story in chapters 13 through 17 with Jesus’
Upper Room speech (discourse) to His disciples. In the Upper Room, Jesus
taught His closest disciples, who have accepted and believed in Him.
The
final section of John’s Gospel is the Epilogue found at chapter 21. In chapter
21, the Resurrected Jesus meets His disciples in Galilee, like the
Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. However, in chapter 21 of John’s
Gospel, Jesus feeds His disciples and instructs Peter also to feed and care for
His sheep and lambs.
I. Prologue: John 1:1-18
II. Book of Signs: John 1:19 through John 12:50
III. Book of Passion: John 13 through 20
a.
John
13 through 17 is Jesus’ teaching His disciples in the Upper Room (Upper Room
Discourse)
b.
John
18 through 20 is Jesus’s trial, execution, and resurrection
IV. Epilogue
Chapter
2 of John’s Gospel records the first of Jesus’ seven miraculous signs. John’s
Gospel builds Jesus’ public ministry around His seven miraculous signs.[2] The
seven miracles were as follows:
·
John
2:1-11 where Jesus turned water to wine
·
John
4:46-54 when Jesus healed the royal official’s son
·
John
5:1-15 when Jesus healed the diseased man at Bethesda
·
John
6:1-15 where Jesus fed the 5,000
·
John
6:16-21 Jesus walked on the water
·
John
9:1-41 Jesus gave sight to the blindman
·
John
11:1-44 where Jesus raised Lazarus from complete death
Some
biblical scholars include Jesus’ large catch of fish at John 21:1 through 14 as
Jesus’ eighth and final miracle.
II.
The
Uniqueness of John’s Gospel
Most
of John’s miraculous signs are unique to his Gospel and not found in the
Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John used Jesus’ miraculous signs
to reveal Jesus’ nature, character, and identity as the glorious Son of God and
the long-awaited Messiah (Christ) (e.g., see John 1:1-5, 14, 18; John 20:30-31).
Apart from John the Baptist in chapter 1, nothing in the first five chapters of
John’s Gospel is found in the Synoptics. Moreover, John used Jesus’ miraculous
signs to reveal the nature of the Kingdom that Jesus ushered into the world
(see also Mark 1:14-15).[3]
The
structure and style of John’s Gospel are different from the Synoptic Gospels. John’s
Gospel contains no parables and only seven miracles (five of which are not
recorded elsewhere in the New Testament). Moreover, John’s Gospel includes
Jesus’ long discourses or speeches such as the Upper Room discourse found at
John chapters 13 through 17 that are not included in the Synoptic Gospels. Furthermore,
John’s Gospel emphasized Jesus’ hunger, thirst, weariness, pain, and death to
reveal Jesus as not only the Son of God but also Jesus’ true human nature
(e.g., see John 4:6; John 17:35; John 19:28). Additionally, John’s Gospel
includes other important themes such as the Holy Spirit (e.g., see John 14:26;
John 15:26; John 16:7-14), Satan and the world (e.g., see John 8:44; John
12:31; John 17:15), Jesus as the Word (see John 1:1-14), and the new birth (see
John 3:1-12).
III.
Book
of Signs
As
discussed earlier, the Book of Signs begins at chapter 2 of John’s Gospel. The
Book of Signs begins the public ministry of Jesus that starts at Cana, located
in Galilee. The Book of Signs covers chapters 2 through 12. However, this
section naturally subdivides into two sections: chapters 2 through 4 and
chapters 5 through 12.
Chapters
2 through 4 of John’s Gospel start with Jesus’ miracle in Cana of Galilee, and
this section ends in Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performs another miracle with
Jesus’ healing of an official’s son. Chapters 2 through 4 of John’s Gospel is often
called the Cana to Cana cycle (see John 2:1-11; John 4:46-54). John identifies
Jesus’ two miracles with changing the water to wine at chapter 2 and the
healing of an official’s son at chapter 4 as the first and second signs (see
John 2:11; John 4:54).
In
chapters 5 through 12 of the Book of Signs, John revealed the increasing Jewish
resistance and hostility to Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had some resistance in
chapters 2 through 4 of John’s Gospel. However, chapters 5 through 12 reveal open
and growing hostility against Jesus from the Jewish religious leaders (e.g.,
see John 11:47). This Jewish resistance against Jesus intensified and climaxed
with the resurrection of Lazarus, which was Jesus’s seventh sign (see John
11:38-44). With this seventh sign, the Jews leadership established a plot to
kill Jesus (see John 11:47-53).
IV.
Jesus’s
First Miracle
a.
Background
Chapter
2 of John’s Gospel opens with a wedding celebration in Cana's village in the
Galilee region (see John 2:1). John records this as the third day of Jesus’s
public ministry (John 2:1; see also John 1:29, 35, 43). Some scholars see chapter
2 of John’s Gospel as a tale of two cities: Cana and Jerusalem with an
interlude in the middle at verse 12. These two cities react to Jesus in
different ways. At Cana, the people rejoiced with Jesus’ first miracle,
changing water into wine (see John 2:1-11). Afterward, the people of Jerusalem
become angry with Jesus as He cleansed and rejected the Temple with the Temple’s
moneychangers and business activities (see John 2:13-22).
Interestingly,
John begins and ends Jesus’ public ministry in the Galilee region like the
Synoptic Gospels (John 2:1; John 21:2; e.g., see Matthew 4:12-16; Matthew 28:16).
In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus’ public ministry centered in Galilee, and Jesus
entered Judea at the end of His ministry. Significantly, John’s account of
Jesus’ public ministry centers in Jerusalem, and John recorded Jesus
ministering back and forth from Galilee to Judea.
The
Synoptic Gospels do not record the Cana miracle. However, the geographic location
of Galilee is significant. Galilee is in northern Israel, and this region is
often called “Galilee of Gentiles” (e.g., see Matthew 4:15). In the first
century, many devout Jews saw the Galilean region as unclean because many
Gentiles lived in Galilee (see Matthew 4:15). Yet, Jesus devoted most of His
earthly ministry to Galilee, and therefore He became known as a Galilean
(e.g., see Matthew 26:69). Jesus’ ministry fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2,
which states that the Messiah (Christ) would be a light to
the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, which are located in the northern Israel
region of Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2; see also Matthew 4:12-17; John 1:4-5, 9). After
the fall of Jerusalem, located in southern Israel in AD 70, Galilee became the
major center of Pharisaic Judaism.
b.
The
Wedding Miracle
In
Cana of Galilee, Jesus was attending a wedding feast with this mother and His
disciples (John 2:1-2; see also John 1:37-49). In first-century Judaism, the
wedding feast was a weeklong celebration spent celebrating the married couple's
new life. A wedding feast was a joyous occasion with abundant eating, drinking,
dancing, and playing music for a week. Often the whole town was invited Significantly,
Jesus was on a mission to save the world (e.g., see John 1:29). Yet, Jesus and
His disciples took time to attend a wedding and take part in its festivities.
Jesus loves people, and He was never too busy to come when invited (see
John 2:2).
Next,
John says that the wine supply suddenly ran out during the marriage feast (see
John 2:3). To run out of wine during the weeklong celebration broke hospitality
in the first century, and the host family faced embarrassment. So, Jesus’s
mother, who is Mary, came to Jesus and told Him that the marriage feast had no
more wine (John 2:3, see also Matthew 1:16; Luke 1:27). At first, Jesus refused
to respond to His mother’s demand because His mission from His Heavenly Father had
not yet come (John 2:4; see also Matthew 26:18; John 12:23, 27; John 13:1; John
17:1). Jesus knew He had come into the world to redeem and save the world of their
sins through His sacrificial death as the Passover Lamb of God (e.g., see Matthew
17:22-23; John 1:29, 36; John 3:16-17; 1 John 3:5; 1 John 4:14). Notably, Jesus’s
mother informed the wedding’s servants to do whatever Jesus said to them
(see John 2:5). Although Mary did not fully understand Jesus’s mission, Mary
trusted and submitted to her Son Jesus, and Jesus responds to our heartfelt
needs. Jesus helps others!
At
the marriage celebration, there were six stone water jars that the Jews used for
their ritual washing and purification ceremony (John
2:6; e.g., see Mark 7:1-4; Luke 11:37-38; John 3:25).[4] When
full, each jar held about 20 to 30 gallons of water (or 75 to 113 liters) (see
John 2:6). For Jews, they wanted to stay in a state of ritual cleansing, and
the most important part of one’s body was their hands. According to the Jewish
ceremonial laws, people became symbolically unclean by touching objects of
everyday life. Before eating, the Jews would pour water over their hands to
cleanse themselves of any bad influences associated with what they had touched.
Jesus
instructed the wedding’s servants to fill the six stone jars with water (see John
2:7). The servants filled the stone jars with water up to the brim up to the
very top (see John 2:7). Then, Jesus instructed the wedding’s servants to
take some of the water from the jars to the master of ceremonies (also known as
the headwaiter, governor, or ruler of the feast) (see John 2:8). When the
master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it
had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom (see
John 2:9). The ruler of the feast said to the bridegroom that he had saved
the BEST wine for last (see John 2:10). Usually, the bridegroom always
served the best wine first, and then when everyone had a lot to drink, he would
bring out the less expensive or inferior wine (see John 2:10). Unbeknown to the
master of ceremonies and the bridegroom, Jesus gave everyone the good
new wine (see John 2:10).[5]
Changing
water into wine was the first of Jesus’ miraculous signs (John 2:11; see
also John 4:46). This first miracle of Jesus displayed His glory (John
2:11; e.g., see also John 1:14; John 11:4, 40). Jesus is the very radiance of
God’s glory that He received from His Father, the living LORD God of heaven and
earth, at the creation of the world (e.g., see John 17:24; Hebrews 1:3). Sadly,
the lawless one – Satan also uses all sorts of displays of power through signs
and wonders that serve his evil deception and lies to lead people away from the
truth and faith in the living LORD God and His Son Jesus (e.g., see 2
Thessalonians 2:9-12). Always love TRUTH and FAITH in God the Father and His
Son, Jesus (e.g., see 1 John 3:23).
Jesus’s
disciples believed on Him (see John 2:11). Many people saw Jesus’ miraculous signs
He performed and believed in His Name (e.g., see John 2:23; John 4:53; John 6:1-2,
14; John 7:31; John 9{31; John 12:18). For some like Nicodemus, Jesus’
miraculous signs proved that the living LORD God was with Him (John 3:2; see
also John 10:30, 38; John 14:10-11; Acts 2:22; Acts 10:38). Jesus’ miracles
revealed there was transforming power associated with Him. Nevertheless, even
after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, some people,
including some Jewish religious leaders, refused to believe in Him (e.g., see John
11:45-48; John 12:37). Remarkedly, Jesus’ first miracle was a quiet event at a
wedding celebration (see John 2:1-11). However, Jesus’ last miracle recorded by
John was a public event with Lazarus’s resurrection from complete death (see John
11:1-44).
c.
Revealing
God’s Kingdom
Importantly,
Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding feast symbolized the Kingdom and that the Messianic
times had arrived in Jesus (e.g., see Amos 9:13-15; Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19; Luke
5:33-24; John 3:27-29). The dominant symbol for the coming Kingdom in the Gospels
and Jewish apocalyptic literature is a great feast or banquet with food, drink,
and joy (e.g., see Matthew 8:11; Matthew 22:1-14; Matthew 25:1-13; Luke 12:35-36;
Luke 13:29; Luke 14:16-24). One of the key features of the Messianic times is an
abundance of food, drink, and joy (e.g., see John 10:10)! Joy is
different from happiness. Joy is what one receives from God and almost
always comes by God’s grace and mercy (e.g., see John 17:13). At the Kingdom
feast or
banquet, the living LORD God will give abundant food and drink and the
Kingdom will be filled with joy. HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS: Jesus promised
that we can receive that Kingdom joy NOW through faith and obedience to Him
(e.g., see John 15:10-12; John 16:24).
Thus,
John uses Jesus’ first miraculous sign to prove that Jesus brings God’s Kingdom
NOW and in the FUTURE as a gift of
His grace to those who believe and accept Him (e.g., see John 1:12-14). Jesus
gives to EVERYONE that obeys and believes in Him an abundant life, peace, joy,
and God’s grace (e.g., see John 1:4, 16-18; John 10:9-11; John 15:5, 11; John
16:24, 33; John 17:13). Jesus is God’s grace. NO ONE can receive the
living LORD God’s goodness, healing, and grace without accepting and obeying
His only begotten Son Jesus (e.g., see John 1:14, 16-18). Jesus is the stairway
and only connection to the living LORD God of heaven and earth (e.g.,
see John 1:51; John 14:6; John 15:1-5; Ephesians 2:18; Ephesians 3:12). Through
faith in Jesus, WE FIND TRUE, ABUNDANT, and a RESTORED LIFE both NOW and for all
ETERNITY because Jesus is the Author and Savior of Life (e.g., see
John 1:4; John 10:9-10; John 11:25; John 14:6; John 20:30-31; Acts 3:15; Acts
4:12; Acts 5:31).
Significantly,
Jesus’s first miracle was performed in Cana, located in the region Galilee
where many Gentiles (non-Jews) lived (see Matthew 4:15). With this miracle,
John revealed that God’s Kingdom is for ALL PEOPLE and not just
the Jews, who believe and accept God’s only Son, Jesus (e.g., see John 1:17-18;
John 3:3-8; John 12:20-26). Jesus and His public ministry revealed and made
known God and His Kingdom because Jesus is the stairway to heaven (e.g., see
John 1:18, 51; John 14:6). The clearest picture of God is not the Law of Moses,
not the Jerusalem Temple, not the created order of nature, but only in Jesus of
Nazareth! The Gospel message gives Jesus’ life, and Jesus’ life gives the
clearest picture of God. Jesus made God known and explained God and His Kingdom
for all humankind (e.g., see Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 17:6, 26).
d.
Interlude
After
Jesus’s first recorded miracle at Cana, Jesus went down to Capernaum with His
mother Mary, His brothers and sisters, and His disciples, and they stayed there
in Capernaum for a few days (John 2:12; see also Matthew 12:46; Mark 6:3; Acts
1:14). During His public ministry, Jesus moved from Nazareth, his hometown, and
lived in Capernaum, which was in the Galilee region of northern Israel (see Matthew
4:12-13; Mark 1:21; Luke 4:31). Capernaum became
Jesus’ home base during His public ministry in the Galilee region (e.g., see
Matthew 9:1; Mark 2:1).
V.
Jesus
and the Temple
a.
Passover
Next,
John explains that Jesus left Capernaum located in northern Israel and traveled
to Jerusalem to attend the Jewish Passover celebration (see John 2:13, 23).[6] Notably,
John’s Gospel refers to three Passover celebrations Jesus attended (see John
2:13; John 6:4; John 11:55). Because John refers to three Passover festivals,
many experts conclude that Jesus had a three-year public ministry.
In
the Gospel of John, Jesus traveled routinely from the Galilee region in
northern Israel to Jerusalem, located in southern Israel, to celebrate the
Jewish Passover celebration and other Jewish festivals and holidays (e.g., see John
2:13; John 5:1; John 6:4; John 7:2; John 10:22; John 11:55; John 12:1; John
13:1).[7] In
fact, John builds his Gospel message about Jesus around the Jewish feast days
and other Jewish traditions. John wanted his readers to know that Jesus not
only recognized Judaism, but Jesus fulfilled the intent of Judaism. Jesus
upholds the essentials of Judaism, and He never devalued Judaism. John’s Gospel
presents Jesus as the heart and the very fulfillment of Judaism by presenting Jesus
not as Moses but as the Word of God, and then Jesus the Word became flesh (see
John 1:1-5, 14, 17). THERE IS MORE GOOD NEWS:
Jesus brings the new teaching of God’s grace and truth that cannot be
contained within the old forms of the Law (e.g., see Luke 5:36-39; John 1:14,
16-17).
b.
Jesus
Rejects and Cleanses the Temple
John
records that when Jesus arrived to the Jerusalem Temple, He saw merchants
selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices (John 2:14; see also Malachi
3:1-3).[8] Instead
of people coming to worship His Father, the living LORD God of heaven and
earth, the Sadducees, along with their high priests that operated the Temple,
had turned the Temple into a marketplace with business and money-making activities.
The Temple was the most powerful symbolism in Judaism, and the Temple was
controlled by the Sadducees. Sadly, in Jesus’ day, the primary purpose of the
Temple was economics and business. The Jewish priests had established a
lucrative commercial enterprise of exchanging foreign money for Jewish
currency, and selling the animals needed for the sacrifices. Furthermore, Jews
brought to the Temple their Temple tax. The many pilgrims that came to
Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover celebration brought a variety of currency and
no animals for sacrifice. Thus, the Temple’s outer courts became a noisy market
for changing money and selling animals like a flea market, and not a
wholehearted and sincere place where the nations of the world could worship
Jesus’ Father, the living LORD God of heaven and earth (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark
11:17; Luke 19:46; see also Isaiah 56:7).[9] This
“religious market” with greedy business dealings made a mockery of God’s
house of worship where ALL NATIONS were to worship the living LORD God. Worship
was the main purpose for the Temple. The Temple was to be a place of worship
along with prayer, instruction, and sacrifice to the living LORD God. These
greedy business dealings revealed the poor spiritual condition of the religious
leaders and the people (see also Jeremiah 7:8-15; Ezekiel 8:7-18). No wonder
Jesus was angry!
When
entering His Father’s Temple, Jesus saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign
money in the Temple area and found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves (John
2:14; see also Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46). Seeing the
Temple’s money-making marketplace, Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased
the wicked merchants out of the Temple (see John 2:15). Jesus drove out
the sheep and cattle, poured out the changers’ money onto the floor, and turned
over their tables (see John 2:15). Then, going over to the merchants who sold
doves, Jesus told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning My Father’s
house into a marketplace of merchandise, business, and trade” (John 2:16;
see also Luke 2:49).
In
this scene, John revealed Jesus’ anger, rage, and frustration! Jesus had
a wholehearted passion and zeal for the holiness and worship of His Father’s house,
and He saw these money-making business dealings as an insult against His
Father, the living LORD God of heaven and earth, and His Temple (John 2:17; see
also Psalm 69:9; Luke 2:49). Jesus would not allow this “religious market” to misuse
and pollute God’s house with money-making, self-indulgent, and greedy business enterprises
(e.g., see also Luke 11:39-40; Luke 16:14). When Jesus cleansed the Temple, He “declared
war” on the phony, hedonistic, and profit-seeking religious leaders that exploited
the people and turn them away from worship (Matthew 23:1-7, 25-26; see also
Ezekiel 34:1-4).
Notably,
the prophet Jeremiah made a similar statement about Jerusalem before the
Babylonian’s attack and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC.
Before 586 BC, the Jews had turned the Temple – God’s House – into a den of
robbers and thieves and not a place of holiness and worship (Jeremiah 7:11; see
also Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46). The people followed a worship
ritual but maintained a sinful lifestyle against God and His covenant (see
Jeremiah 7:2-3). Jerusalem and the Temple had become corrupted and filled with theft,
murder, adultery, hypocrisy, lies, idolatry, and rebellion (Jeremiah 7:1-11;
see also Matthew 23:37). The people did not love one another, and they
oppressed and exploited the foreigners, the fatherless, the widows, and the
innocent (Jeremiah 5:26-28; Jeremiah 7:5-6; see also Exodus 22:21-22; Leviticus
25:17; Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Isaiah 1:15-17). Idolatry filled Jerusalem, and
the people did not wholeheartedly love the living LORD God and obey His
commands (Jeremiah 7:6; Jeremiah 13:10; Jeremiah 25:6; see also Deuteronomy
6:4-6, 14). In chapter 2, John revealed Jesus’ cleansing and rejection of the
Temple and the Temple’s religious corruption (see John 2:13-17). Significantly,
the prophet Zechariah predicted that the living LORD would again seek the
holiness of God’s House at His second coming (e.g., see Zechariah 14:5-7,
9, 17, 20-21).
c.
Jesus
Is God’s Temple
After
the Jewish leadership saw Jesus’ cleansing and rejection of the Temple, they demanded
Jesus give the reason and the authority for cleansing the Temple (see John
2:18). Jesus had God’s authority because Jesus is ONE and EQUAL with His
Father, the living LORD God (e.g., see John 5:18; John 10:30; John 12:45;
John 14:9-10). Also, the Jewish leaders requested Jesus to show them a miraculous
sign to prove His authority (John 2:18; see also 1 Corinthians 1:22). Oftentimes
during Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish religious leaders asked Jesus to give them a
sign (e.g., see Matthew 12:38; John 4:48; John 6:30). Great crowds of people
followed Jesus because they saw the signs Jesus had performed, yet some people
still did not believe in Him as the Son of God and the Messiah (e.g., see John
3:2; John 6:2, 14; John 12:37; John 20:30-31).
Jesus
said to the Jewish leaders that if they destroyed this Temple, in three days,
He would raise the Temple up from destruction (John 2:19; see also Matthew
12:38-40; Matthew 16:21; Luke 9:22).[10] In
the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus gave the Jewish religious leaders the sign of John
(see Matthew 12:38-40; Luke 11:29-30). The “sign of Jonah” was Jesus’ death,
burial, and resurrection. The Jewish leadership scoffed at Jesus and said to
Jesus that it had taken forty-six years to build the Temple (see John 2:20).[11] In
this cryptic expression, Jesus informed the Jewish leaders that He is now
the Temple of God, and He would raise again in three days if His body were
destroyed (John 2:19-22; see also Psalm 16:10; Luke 24:5-8). Remarkedly, Jesus’
statement would be used against Him at His trial during Passion week (e.g., see
Matthew 26:60-61; Matthew 27:39-40; Mark 14:57-59; Mark 15:29; John 10:18).
John
wrote his Gospel so that everyone would know that God’s grace and truth have now
come through Jesus (e.g., see John 1:14, 16-17). Jesus is the new sacrifice
that takes away our sins (e.g., see John 1:29, 36). Even more, Jesus is God’s new
Temple that gives everyone access to God through Him (e.g., see John 2:19;
Ephesians 2:18; Ephesians 3:12). Even more, John’s Gospel teaches that the new
worship will depend on inward truthfulness and not outward geography (see
John 4:19-24).
At
first glance, John 2:13-22 passage seems out of place. John’s Gospel placed the
cleansing of the Temple near the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry after the
Cana wedding feast. In a sense, John 2:13-22 reveals Jesus experienced
hostility throughout His public ministry on earth and not just at the end of
His life (see also John 1:10-11). However, the Synoptic Gospels – Matthew,
Mark, and Luke – record Jesus’ cleansing the Temple during the last week
of Jesus’ life before His death at Calvary (see Matthew
21:12-16; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-47). There have been many attempts to
reconcile these two accounts as possibly two different cleansings by Jesus. Many
biblical scholars believe it was unlikely there were two cleansings. Many
scholars believe it was highly unlikely Jesus would have survived two cleansings,
so this cleansing probably occurred during the last week of Jesus’ life, but
John placed Jesus’ cleansing at the beginning of his Gospel. John simply placed
Jesus’ cleansing out of chronological order. In John’s Gospel, the chronology was
not as important as John’s theology about Jesus as God (e.g., see John 10:30).
In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus’ direct assault and rejection of the Temple and
their money-making schemes ultimately led to His death (see Matthew 21:46; Mark
11:18; Mark 12:12; Luke 20:19).
Importantly,
chapter 2 of John’s Gospel contrasts the Kingdom of God in Cana of Galilee of
the Gentiles versus the Jerusalem Temple. In this chapter, John reveals no
resistance to the Kingdom of God in Galilee of the Gentiles in northern Israel,
because the Galileans welcomed God’s Kingdom found in Jesus (see John 2:1-11).
However supposedly the most holiness place on earth – the Jerusalem Temple –
rejected God’s Kingdom found in Jesus (see also John 1:10-11). In southern
Israel, Jerusalem has become filled with religious evil! The Temple was
supposed to be where the nations of the world come and worship God. However,
Jerusalem had become a marketplace and rejected God’s Kingdom found in God’s
Son, Jesus. Therefore, Jesus rejected the Jerusalem Temple and their wicked
actions of trade and money (see Matthew 21:12-16; Mark 11:15-18; Luke
19:45-47; John 2:13-22).
All
four Gospels reveal that the Temple has become a barrier to God. At Jesus’
death on Calvary, the massive, thick curtain (or veil) in the Temple in
Jerusalem was split and ripped in two (see Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke
23:45).[12] The
Temple’s veil was split, symbolizing the Temple had NO MORE importance in God’s
eye with Jesus’ sacrificial death at Calvary (see Hebrews 10:19-20). The
Temple's essence was to be holy, but the veil was split because the Temple had
become defiled and corrupted with evil. Thus, Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple was
Jesus’ rejection of the Temple since the Temple no longer provided access to
God for worship. Now, the Temple has become Jesus’ Himself, and Jesus gives
everyone access to God through faith in Him (John 2:21; see also 1:51; John
14:6; Romans 5:1-2; Ephesians 2:18; Ephesians 3:12). As the Temple, Jesus is
where the living LORD God is present!
VI.
Conclusion
Because
of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration,
many began to follow Him and believe in His Name (John 2:23; e.g., see John
2:11; John 7:31; John 10:41; John 11:45; John 12:42). Jesus performed many
miraculous signs and healing the sick during His public ministry on earth
(e.g., see Matthew 4:23-25; Luke 6:17-19: John 3:2; John 6:1-2, 14-15; John
21:25; John 20:30). Despite His many miraculous signs, not everyone believed
and accepted Jesus as from God (e.g., see 6:36, 64, 66; John 7:5).
Nevertheless,
Jesus did not trust people’s belief in Him (see John 2:24). Sadly, three years
later, many of these same people would reject Jesus as their King and Messiah
and shout “crucify Him!” (e.g., see Matthew 27:22-23, 31; Mark 15:13-14, 20;
Luke 23:21; John 19:6, 15). Besides, Jesus knows EVERYONE’S hearts and
thoughts (John 2:24-25; see also e.g., Jeremiah 17:9-10; Matthew 9:4; John
1:48-49; John 5:41-42; John 6:61, 64; John 13:11; John 16:30). No one needed to
tell Jesus what humankind was really like inside their hearts because He was
the Author of life (John 2:25; see also Acts 1:24; Acts 3:17; Acts 5:31).
References
Apologetics Study
Bible: Understanding Why You Believe (Nashville, TN:
Holman Bible Publishers, 2012).
ESV Study Bible,
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008).
Life Application Study Bible (Carol
Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1971).
New Student Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992).
Ryrie Study Bible
(Chicago, IL: Moody, 1995).
The Living Bible
Paraphrase (Tyndale House, 1971).
Zondervan NIV
Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008).
Morris, Leon. The Gospel According
to John, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995).
Dr.
Loyd Melton, Ph.D., Senior Professor of the New Testament (Due West, SC:
Erskine Theological Seminary, Summer 2020).
Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament
(Victor Books, 1989).
[1]
Biblical scholars refer to Matthew, Mark, and Luke as the Synoptic Gospels. The
Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell essentially the same storyline of Jesus
that begins with Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee and ends with Jesus’ Passion
story in Jerusalem. However, John’s Gospel does not follow the same storyline
as the Synoptic Gospels. Instead, John’s Gospel supplements Jesus’ public
ministry in Galilee with Jesus’ many activities in Jerusalem and Jesus’
attendance of several Jewish festivals.
[2]
Significantly, “seven” is a good Jewish number that represents completion or
perfection. Moreover, “seven” symbolizes God. John also uses “seven” in the
book of Revelation, the other book he wrote.
[3]
The Kingdom of God means the rule and reign of God is already present
throughout the world and the future Kingdom at Jesus’ Second Coming (e.g., see
Psalm 10:16-18; Matthew 24:1-51). Jesus is the clearest expression of the
rule of God. In Jesus, the reign and rule of God was a Person (e.g., see
Mark 1:14-15). Jesus revealed the reign and rule of God over sickness, disease,
and evil. Jesus always gave salvation, healing, goodness, and deliverance
through faith in Him (e.g., see Matthew 4:23-25; Luke 4:18-19; John 2:10; John
10:9-11).
[4]
Jesus never condemned the Jews’ ritual washing before eating. However, Jesus
wanted His fellow Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles or pagans) to wash the inside and
outside of their hands and bodies with good deeds and actions (e.g., see Luke
11:37-44). Remarkedly, the four Gospel writers never discounted Judaism. In
fact, the Gospels show Jesus’s continuity with Judaism (e.g., see Matthew
5:17-20). Therefore, Christians have continuity with Judaism. The only significant
difference between Christianity and Judaism is that Christians believe the
Messiah has come with Jesus, and Jesus will come again at the end of the age
(e.g., see Matthew 1:1, 16-17; Matthew 24:30-31; John 1:41; John 4:25; Acts
1:11).
[5]
In first-century Palestine, wine was the normal drink of the people. Therefore,
NO ONE must use Jesus’s miracle as an argument for the abuse of alcoholic
beverages and other illegal drugs.
[6]
The Passover festival is one of Israel’s three great yearly festivals, the other
two were Pentecost, and Tabernacles (see Deuteronomy 16:16). Passover
celebrated the Jews’ deliverance and redemption from Egyptian slavery by God.
At Passover, God “passed over” the Jews’ homes during God’s tenth and final
plague against the Egyptians, and He brought death to the Egyptians’ firstborn.
The Passover celebration took place yearly at the Temple in Jerusalem. This was
a weeklong festival — the Passover was one day, and the Festival of Unleavened
Bread lasted the rest of the week. To learn more about the annual Jewish
Passover celebration, read Exodus 12:14-40; Exodus 23:15; Leviticus 23:4-8;
Numbers 28:16-25; and Deuteronomy 16:1-8.
[7]
As mentioned earlier, Jesus was a devout Jew, and He did not condemn the Jewish
cultural (e.g., see Matthew 27:11, 37; John 4:22; John 19:19-20, 40). The
Gospels reveal that Jesus deliberately violated the man-made religious
traditions of the Pharisees. However, Jesus ALWAYS obeyed the written statutes
of the Law and was faithful to uphold the Law. The Law of Moses came from His
Father, the living LORD God, and not from humans. However, EVERYONE – Jews and
non-Jews – are saved not by obeying the Law but by God’s grace when we humbly,
wholeheartedly, and dependently in trust Him (e.g., see Acts 15:10-11, 19-21; Ephesians
2:8-9).
[8]
In the Jerusalem Temple, the complex included the sanctuary (the Holy Place and
the Holy of Holies), at least four courtyards (for the priest, Jews, women, and
Gentiles), numerous gates, and several covered walkways.
[9]
The Temple in Jerusalem was majestic and overlooked the city. King Solomon
built the first Temple in approximately 959 BC, but Solomon’s Temple was
destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC (see 2 Kings 25). The Jerusalem Temple
was rebuilt in 515 BC led by Zerubbabel and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah and
Herod had enlarged and remodeled the Temple during Jesus’ public time on earth.
Sadly, the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed in AD 70 by the Roman army, and the
Temple’s destruction officially ended the Jewish sacrificial system.
[10]
Some biblical translations use “sanctuary” instead of Temple.
[11]
This Temple had been built by Zerubbabel over 500 years earlier and completed
in approximately 515 BC. The first Temple built by Solomon was destroyed by the
Babylonians in 586 BC. Then, the living LORD God instructed Zerubbabel to
rebuild the Temple destroyed by the Babylonians. Zerubbabel’s Temple is often
called the Second Temple. Herod remodeled Zerubbabel’s Temple to expand the
Temple beginning in 20 BC, and this Temple was present during Jesus’ times.
[12]
This thick curtain or veil sealed off the Most Holy Place. No one except the
high priest was allowed into the presence of God in that Most Holy Place. The
high priest was permitted into the Most Holy Place only once a year, on a special
day called the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur.
