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Commentary on "The Holiness of God"
Day 7: Friday, February 3, 2012 - Further Study
Today’s Lesson features a passage from Ellen White’s Desire of Ages, describing the scene from John 2, where Jesus cleanses the temple. Because of His commanding presence with his face illuminated by divine light, with divinity flashing through “through the garb of humanity,” the moneychangers and merchants flee from His presence. “None presume to question His authority,” but they flee because they suddenly feel the condemnation of His holiness. He displays the authority and majesty of God on Judgment Day.
Observations
When Jesus arrived at the temple that day, He came to fulfill His own prophecy in Malachi 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. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?” Malachi 3:1, 2
He didn’t give prior warning or ask permission; He came suddenly. There is beautiful irony in this text. The religious leaders delighted in “approaching to God” in the temple rituals, pretending true delight in the Lord with their worship (Is. 58:2). When He does show up, they cannot endure his coming or stand before Him. What were they delighting in if not the Lord? From this scene, we can see that they delighted in making money, and used religion to cover their greed and hypocrisy. This was irreverent blasphemy. Jesus suddenly came to His house to bring fiery judgment and true worship to His temple.
“And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables” (vs. 15).
Many writers, including Ellen White, have attempted to soften Jesus in this scene by saying that He really wasn’t violent with the temple merchants; he just scared them with His fierce eyes and countenance. He wouldn’t have actually used the whip of cords to hit anyone, they say, not even the greediest of them scrambling over the stones, grabbing the scattered coins. But scripture simply says that He made a whip and drove them all out. John didn’t try to soften the picture with an angry but passive Jesus. The text implies that the scourge was used for its purpose. There is Old Testament precedent of the Lord visiting His people in judgment with painful scourging (Joshua 23:13; Is. 28:18).
“So the Jews said to him, 'What sign do you show us for doing these things?’” (vs. 18)
After they regained their courage, they came back into the courtyard to question His authority. Jesus’ answer is profound and gives more than one meaning. When answering the Jewish leaders, He usually gave veiled answers, as He did in Isaiah (Is. 6:10), to the unbelieving Jews at that time. God hides things from the learned and reveals them to little children (Mt. 11:25).
“Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’” (vs. 19)
Jesus veiled answer has two levels of meaning, with the Jews missing both levels. At one level, Jesus was referring to the fact that when they destroyed the temple of His body, He would raise it up again on the third day. Resurrection was not a job for a lesser being such as an angel; He clearly said He would raise Himself by His own authority and power (John 10:18). On the third day, Jesus would thus rebuild what they destroyed.
At another level, He was referring to what the Jews were doing to their physical temple in their profane worship. Centuries before, God declared that He was sick of their corrupt worship:
“When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates…” Isaiah 1:12-14
In mixing iniquity with their solemn assemblies, they were destroying both worship and the temple. Now Jesus had come suddenly to His temple, and who could stand at His appearing? As Lord of the temple, He now was bringing an end to all the solemn assemblies, sacrifices, and holy days. The old system was obsolete, growing old, and ready to vanish away (Heb. 8:13). The Old Covenant shadows were giving way to the brilliant reality of the Lord Himself (Col. 2:17). The whole ministry of death, carved in stone (II Cor. 3:7) in all its glory, was being overturned, just like the tables of the moneychangers. The ministry of righteousness had arrived with much greater glory (II Cor.9).
When Jesus departed from the temple for the last time, there was no more glory to be found in that place. Jesus told them, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate!” When He died, the veil covering the Most Holy Place was torn from top to bottom. So what replaced the material temple as a place of worship in three days? Where would people meet to worship God and fellowship with each other? Jesus answered that question when He was accused of profaning the Sabbath:
“Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.” Matthew 12:5, 6
We have a new temple, something greater than either Solomon’s or Herod’s temples. Something greater than the temple, greater than the Sabbath, is here, and He is Lord of everything. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that she would soon worship the Father, not on any mountain, but in spirit and truth (John 4:21, 23). True worship is not attached to physical things but to a Person. Jesus is more glorious than any mountain, any church building, or any day of the week. We don’t have to travel any distance or wait for the sun to enjoy our worship. Our locus of worship comes to be with us fulltime, in everything we do. Jesus’ presence with us is the secret of our holiness. With Jesus, we can live “coram Deo,” before God’s face. He is always with those who are born of the Spirit, for He dwells within them:
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.” John 14:18, 19
Summary
- The Lord, whom the Jews sought, suddenly came to His temple, and because of their unbelief and corruption, they could not stand in His presence.
- Jesus’ veiled answer contains two levels of meaning. Jesus referred to His body’s death and resurrection, and also to the physical temple being replaced by worship in spirit and truth.
- Jesus’ overturning of the temple merchandising symbolized His overturning of the entire Old Covenant and its laws.
- In the New Covenant, worship attached to physical things is replaced by Jesus as the locus of worship. He comes to us, we don’t have to travel distance, or wait for certain times to worship.
- The Holy Spirit’s indwelling brings Jesus’ presence to us, so that we worship constantly in all we do, and are not left as orphans.
Copyright 2012 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised February 2, 2012. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
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