Pure Worship, True Temple, Genuine Faith
John 2:13-25
Main Idea: The crucified and resurrected Jesus calls us to pure worship and genuine faith.
I. Pure Worship (2:13-17)
1. Jesus is passionate about our pure worship.
“The temple courts were to be a place where the Scriptures were read, where sacrifices were offered, and where people came to pray… The one thing that would have been impossible at the temple was the one thing it had been made for: the reverent worship of God.”
~ Richard Phillips, John (Reformed Expository Commentary)
2. Jesus’ righteous anger against what God hates
“Jesus shows us that godly people are passionate people – passionate for the things of God, passionate in their love of good and in their hatred of evil. Jesus hated what he found at the temple and, employing all his great moral energy, cleansed it of impurity.”
~ Richard Phillips, John (Reformed Expository Commentary)
3. Jesus does what was expected of the Messiah.
II. True Temple (2:18-22)
Malachi 3:1, 3: And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts… He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.
Two things that are significant about Jesus referring to his body as a temple:
Jesus has come to be the new temple
Jesus has come to be the ultimate sacrifice
III. Genuine Faith (2:23-25)
These two expressions tell us something about this “faith” is not right:
1. “When they saw the signs…”
John 6:2: And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick
John 6:14- 15: Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’ Jesus perceived that the people were going to take Him by force to make Him king of Israel, so He withdrew to the mountain by Himself.
John 6:26: Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
2. Jesus knows what is in us.
“Jesus knows what is in every heart, and so he can see when someone believes in a way that is not really believing. In other words, Jesus’ ability to know every heart perfectly leads to the unsettling truth that some belief is not the kind of belief that obtains fellowship with Jesus and eternal life. Some belief is not saving belief.”
~ John Piper
