John 2: 18-25, Destroy This Temple

Jesus clears moneychangers, sheep and cattle out of the temple grounds in Jerusalem. After doing that, he is challenged by temple leaders.

John 2: 18-22, Rebuilding the temple in 3 days
The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 
21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 
22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Jesus is challenged as to the reason for his actions in the temple and responds with a messianic statement. This statement about rebuilding the temple is later twisted by Jesus's accusers to be an attack on Judaism.

John 2: 23-25, Feast and fickle followers
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.
24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 
25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

The author of this gospel will consistently emphasize belief and people's response to the actions and teaching of Jesus.  Here we are told that "many... believed" because of the "signs" he performed. Both the actions at the Cana wedding and the reaction to the moneylenders are signs of Jesus' authority as Messiah.

These signs "testify" about the identify of Jesus, but as to the identity of mankind, no testimony is required!  We will be reminded again and again that Jesus, the True Light (as described at the beginning of the book), is very aware of how fickle we humans can be.  The people are impressed by miracles but pay more attention to the entertainment than to the One working the miracles.  Throughout John's gospel, many miracles comes with a statement, an explanation of purpose, not of entertainment.

John 2: 12-22, Clearing the Temple Courts

Jesus attended a wedding in Cana with several of his disciples.

John 2: 12
After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

This verse is a transitional verse, describing the town that Jesus will use for much of his ministry.

John 2: 13-17, Driving money changers from the temple
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 
15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 
16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 
17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Jerusalem was south of Galilee, by more than a hundred miles. But one went "up" to Jerusalem since Jerusalem was on a ridge, of higher elevation than Galilee.

The money changers and people selling animals were using the temple -- and temple regulations -- to steal from the visitors. To pay the temple taxes, one had to use temple coins. To sacrifice an animal, it had to be "perfect" and so probably had to be purchased at the temple. Both situations offered opportunity for graft.

It is natural to make a whip to drive sheep and cattle from the temple courts. Did Jesus use the whip on the men at the tables?  How violent was he? It is possible that the whip was reserved for the sheep and cattle.  But Jesus did overturn the moneychangers tables.

Jesus' action is motivated by "zeal" to honor the temple and not desecrate it with greed and corruption. The quote about zeal is from Psalm 69:9.

The other gospels record this cleansing at the end of the ministry of Jesus.  (See Matt 21: 12-13, for example.) Is this the same event, or a new one? William Barclay argues that this is the same event -- it is hard to imagine that the temple let him do this twice.  If this is the same event as that recorded in the other three gospels, then it is at the end of his ministry, as it contributes to Jesus' arrest. In this case, John is not attempting to write events in chronological order but intends to link this event with a teaching of Jesus.

John 2: 18-22, Rebuilding the temple in 3 days
The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 
21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 
22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

The "zeal" at the temple is linked, by John, to a teaching on the role of Jesus as the "temple" that will be destroyed and then restored for all of Israel.

This statement about rebuilding the temple is later twisted by Jesus's accusers to be an attack on Judaism.

We will look more at this paragraph, and the teachings that follow, tomorrow.

John 2: 1-12, Wedding and a Feast

After Jesus has been introduced by the Baptizer to the nation of Israel, the disciple John records an event at a small private party.  This event is not included in the other gospels.

John 2: 1-5, A wedding in Cana
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 
2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Cana was probably very close to Nazareth, a walk of several miles.  Presumably this event occurs shortly after the baptizer, John, sends disciples to Jesus?

No mention is made here of Jesus' father Joseph.  It is presumed that he died before Jesus' ministry began, for only Mary appears in the events of Jesus' adult life.

We are given details here that come from an eye witness. Presumably the disciple John was one of these eyewitnesses. The significant hospitality of the wedding has drained the host's wine and Mary (identified here only as "Jesus' mother") is concerned for the hosts. (Various traditions identify the hosts as relatives of Mary, which would explain the appearance of Mary and her son.) Concerned by lack of wine, Mary turns to her son, expecting something from him.

The English phrase "Woman, why do you..." sounds like disrespect but the NIV footnotes say that "woman" did not indicate disrespect.  The word was just a simple address.  William Barclay says it could be just as easily translated "lady".  Barclay goes on to claim that the phrase "why do you involve me" could mean, "I will take care of it."  But Barclay tends to try too hard, in my opinion, to smooth this over into a friendly conversation instead of a disagreement.  This ignores Jesus' comment about the hour.  Jesus is not planning to begin his ministry at this time, but is pushed into the next acts by his mother.

Regardless of the plans of Jesus, his mother passes on the responsibility to the servants, anticipating some action by her son.

John 2: 6-10, A wedding in Cana
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 
9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 
10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

The Jews had numerous rituals about washing.  The prophet John, in the previous chapter, had apparently adopted the conversion washings in his ministry. In this chapter, the stone jars were available for handwashing between meals. (See Wikipedia articles on ritual washing in Judaism and the similar later rituals adopted by Muslims.)

Jesus asks that the jars be refilled and water taken to the banquet master, who would approve service to guests. The banquet master is impressed by the new drink, for it is quite good and so he expresses his surprise to the bridegroom. The writer of this gospel wants us to know that the resulting drink, wine, not water, is of high quality.  (I have jokingly told friends that it must have been a Malbec; one friend said, No, it must have been a french oak Cabernet! Regardless -- it was a "choice wine".)

Is there a point to this miraculous and unexpected event? Is Jesus just "showing off"?

In the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) miracles tend to be acts of compassion, linked to some need. But in the gospel of John, miracles are usually identified with a message, a theological point. This differing view of miracles distinguishes John's gospel from the others.

John 2: 11, A sign

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

The gospel writer, John, identifies this event as the "first sign" of many to come.  What does it say about Jesus? It is the first to "reveal his glory" and leads his disciples to their first steps of belief.

I think water and wine are intended to say quite a lot about the ministry of Jesus. After conversations in a recent study in this passage in our Bridges International ministry at Sam Houston, it hit me that this may indeed say something about the directions God plans to take us mere human beings. Both water and wine have very similar characteristics -- wine is mostly water -- but wine is "glorified" water, water that has become extraordinary and sublime.

John 2: 12, Capernaum

After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

This is a transition verse.  Jesus will make his home in Capernaum, not Nazareth.  The disciples will stay with Jesus' family there, as Jesus presumably prepares to open up his ministry in Galilee. That ministry is already described in the synoptic gospels and so John, the gospel writer, will leave most of those events out of his record.

John 2, Wedding and Feast (Overview)

After Jesus has been introduced by the Baptizer to the nation of Israel, the disciple John records an event at a small private party and then describes an event in Jerusalem. The first event is not included in the other gospels; it is not clear how the second event fits in. The passage ends with a short teaching response by Jesus.

We will summarize this chapter before looking more carefully at the individual verses.

John 2: 1-12, A wedding in Cana
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."

"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

The third day after what? Presumably this event occurs shortly after the events in chapter one, in which the Baptist has introduced disciples to Jesus.

No mention is made here of Jesus's father Joseph.  It is presumed that he died before Jesus's ministry began, for only Mary appears in the events of Jesus's adult life.

After conversations in a recent study in this passage in our Bridges International ministry at Sam Houston, it hit me that this may indeed say something about the direction God plans to take us human beings. Both water and wine have very similar characteristics -- wine is mostly water -- but wine is "glorified" water, water that has become extraordinary and sublime.

John 2: 13-17, Driving money changers from the temple
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

The whip may have been simply for the animals, but it is noted that Jesus scattered the coins and overturned tables. The other gospels record this cleansing at the end of his ministry. Is this the same event, or a new one?

The quote about zeal is from Psalm 69:9.

John 2: 18-22, Rebuilding the temple in 3 days
Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"

Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"

But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

This statement about rebuilding the temple is later twisted by Jesus's accusers to be an attack on Judaism.

John 2: 23-25, Feast and fickle followers
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

We will be reminded again and again that Jesus, the True Light (as described at the beginning of the book), is very aware of how fickle we humans can be.  The people are impressed by miracles but pay more attention to the entertainment than to the One working the miracles.  Throughout John's gospel, many miracles comes with a statement, an explanation of purpose. The miracles make a theological statement.

John 1: 43-51, Philip and Nathaniel

The wilderness preacher, John the Baptist, has sent a number of followers to Jesus.  Here we see Jesus collect a few more.

John 1: 43-46, Philip and Nathanael
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

Philip (for reasons not given) knows a lot about Jesus and believes he is the Messiah. All of these followers are from Bethsaida. (It is not clear where Bethsaida was; there may have been two towns with this name, one near Capernaum in Galilee.)

Why does Nathanael respond, as he does, to Philip's invitation?  Nathanael has a poor view of Nazareth, which presume some knowledge.  Philip's response is mild, "Come along and check him out."

John 1: 47-50, Philip and Nathanael
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 
51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

We are never given any indication as to why Jesus chooses certain men to be his closest followers. But each, when called, responds quickly.  Here Nathanael is impressed that Jesus seems to have some special sight, able to see things that happened yesterday, from far away.

Nathanael, in his awe, identifies Jesus with the Messiah ("Son of God") and future king. In this, he affirms Philip's earlier statement.

Jesus's response to Nathanael's awe is essentially, "That's nothing...."  It is one thing to see small miracles; it is another thing to walk with the eternal Messiah.

The  statement in verse 51 of the heavens opening and "angels ... ascending and descending" is most likely from Genesis 28: 12, the night vision of Jacob (Israel), in which God confirms with Jacob his early promise to Abraham.

A meditation question:  What do you think Jesus really looked like?  Was he completely ordinary? Attractive? Did he glow, have a halo, always have a euphoric smile?  Would you have noticed him in the crowd?  Did John the Baptist?

John 1: 35-42, Three Disciples Introduced to Jesus

Jesus has just been baptized by John. Jesus will also baptize people, but his baptism will be different.

John 1: 35-42, Andrew, another, and Peter
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 
36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 
38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
John immediately identifies Jesus as the "Lamb of God" to two of his disciples. The "Lamb" apparently refers to the sacrificial lamb of the sacrifice in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur.  John's identification of Jesus is intended as instructions to the two disciples and they respond by switching their allegiance to Jesus.

Jesus asks their intentions and they make it clear they want to follow him by calling him "Rabbi" and then asking where he is staying.  In what appears to be a short conversation, they switch their allegiance to Jesus and follow him from there own.

The writer identifies a certain time of day, as if he were there.

John 1: 40-42, Andrew, another, and Peter
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 
41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).
42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

Who was the second disciple, the one with Andrew?  We are not sure but one reasonable conjecture is that it was John, the author of this letter.  (There is a stackexchange discussion of this here.) I find that logical given the details, such as time of day, provided by the author. The author also has a tendency, throughout the gospel, to leave unidentified a witness who is clearly intended to be himself.

What is the significance of the name change, from Simon to Peter? (Cephas/Peter means "rock".)  Jesus has plans for this "rock".

John 1: 29-34, John Baptizes Jesus

John the Baptist begins preaching in the area of Jerusalem, talking about the coming Messiah.

John 1: 29-31, The Lamb of God
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 
30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 
31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

John introduces his disciples to the sacrificial lamb, the one who will replace the old ritual of sacrifice once a year in the Holy of Holies. He identifies Jesus as the "Lamb of God", a sacrificial symbol, somewhat unusual in Messianic imagery. But he also identifies Jesus as one much greater, who "was before me."  He, Jesus, is the one of whom John has repeatedly prophesied.

John admits not knowing the Messiah personally but knowing that he (John) was to begin his ministry so that the Messiah would be revealed.

John 1: 32-34,  The baptism of Jesus
Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 
33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 
34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

Jesus probably appeared to be a rather ordinary man, but the Spirit told John otherwise, in some way. Matthew's gospel, Matt 3: 16-17, also reports a dove coming down at the baptism of Jesus.

Jesus will also baptize people, but his baptism will be different.

Some manuscripts (says the NIV footnotes) say "Son of God" instead of "God's Chosen One."  Presumably there is little difference between these phrases. The NIV footnotes also suggest that this "chosen one" reference alludes to the chosen servant of Isaiah 42:1.

Why does Jesus choose to be baptized by John?  Is it a statement in support of John's emphasis on renewal?