John’s Good News: True Witnesses to Christ so You Will Believe.

Text: John 2:13-25; John 20:30-31

John is the only Gospel writer who gives us a hint at a yearly chronology by mentioning three and possibly four Passovers. He mentions Passovers in John 2:13; 6:4, 11:55, and possibly John 5:1.

A debate exists among scholars over the differences in the Synoptic account and the account here in John. The Synoptic accounts place Jesus cleansing the Temple during His Passion week, and John places it at the beginning of His ministry. The best answer is that Christ cleansed the Temple twice.

Remember, Passover celebrates the Exodus from Egypt and it is celebrated in the early spring. The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur is celebrated in early fall and is, in Jesus’ Day, the one time of the year that the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of the sacrifice. Passover remembered the Jews' physical deliverance and judgement on Egypt, while the Day of Atonement remembered the Jews ongoing spiritual deliverance and judgement on their sin.

Jesus testifies to His authority over His Father’s House (John 2:13-17).

The Jewish leaders were leveraging their monopoly of the Temple trade in exchange rates and animals to take money from pilgrims and the poor. For convenience, they had set up “shop” in the Temple Court, where the bartering for a better deal was mixed in with the prayers of the faithful.

The disciples remember Psalm 69:9 where David says that he was zealous for God’s House, but the people who hated God also hated him.

Jesus testifies to His authority over His own body (John 2:18-22).

Herod began working on the Temple in 19 BC, and the decoration and finishing touches were not completed until AD 64, only six years before the Romans destroyed it. This conversation with the Jews is likely in AD 27. The stones were quarried a few miles from Jerusalem and placed at the base of an ever-expanding area. This stone was 560 tons or 1.1M pounds.

Jesus testifies to His authority over the hearts of men (John 2:23-25).

He did not commit himself to them for they were looking for a political leader and He wanted their hearts first. “He knew what was in man” is a great transition statement to the encounters with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman.

Application Points

• Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died for your sins? Have you accepted His free gift of salvation into your life? Do you know for sure if you died today that you would go to Heaven? You can be confident of this! Read more.