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Based on John 2, this discussion looks at Jesus’ body as the temple of God, as well as how Jesus sanctifies our bodies as His holy temple.
Opening question: What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word “temple”? … Today we will look at what Jesus thought was the true temple.
Read John 2:13-22: Jesus clears the temple. There are scoffers in v18 who are offended by his actions.
v11-12: How many miracles had Jesus done at this time? [Only one.]
And where was that miracle done? [Galilee - North Israel. Jerusalem is far away, in the South.]
So how well-known would Jesus have been in Jerusalem at this time? [He would have been completely unknown.]
v14: What infuriated Jesus? [They were turning God’s house into a market of greed and corruption.] During the Passover, it was required to sacrifice an animal (Deuteronomy 16:2-6) and also to pay the annual head tax (associated with the temple tax). The Sadducees decided that only animals bought from them could be sacrificed, and only money in their currency could be offered. What does this tell us about v14? [They had taken God’s holy regulations and turned them into massive money?spinners. Those money changers were skimming profits off everyone’s contributions to God!, and those animal sellers were ripping people off who simply wanted to give an offering to God!]
v18: What did these guys want from Jesus? Why? [They wanted some proof of his authority to do what he was doing. He was acting like a big leader, but he was a nobody in their eyes.]
How are these guys just like many sceptics today? [Many sceptics of Jesus ask for the same thing: “Anyone can make those claims. Where’s the proof?” “If God just appeared to me right now…”]
Jesus had one answer for the sceptics of his day. It’s exactly the same answer we should have today. What was it? [v19 – Jesus rose from the dead.]
Why is it such a powerful answer? [Because Jesus had the power to rise from the dead – this backed up his claims that he was the way to salvation. Not only that, the evidence for the Resurrection is very compelling! Has anyone read “More than a Carpenter” or “True and Reasonable”?]
So, Jesus gave an incredible answer – the most powerful answer possible. Did they get it? [v20 - They totally missed the point!] Why did they completely miss what Jesus said? [They thought that a temple was a building.]
How many people think this way today? Why? [Almost everyone thinks the same way. The religions of men sanctify places – their holy places are buildings.]
What is a Temple, really? So what makes Jesus’ teaching different? [Our bodies are designed to be God’s true temple. This is one of the most unique things about Jesus’ teachings. The religion of God sanctifies people – 1 Corinthians 6:19.] Religions of men have elaborate purification rituals before entering temples. We are unclean. We need to be cleansed in order to enter the holy place. What kind of thinking can this lead to? [That our bodies are evil. That we are worthless. That we’ll never “measure up.” That places are more important than people…]
“[You may] remember the assassination of India's prime minister, Indira Gandhi. The murder was prompted by revenge because she had sent the military into the Sikh temple, where weapons were being stored. She was murdered in order to preserve a temple. Jesus would have told them that they had actually destroyed what was intended to be His temple in order to preserve a place.”– Ravi Zacharias, "Jesus among other gods", page 72.This is what makes Christianity unique: God wants to sanctify us so that we can come directly to Him (Hebrews 2:11, 4:16). Our bodies are the sacred temple of our God.
An interesting question is how is the body viewed in society today? How do people, especially in the non-religious world, treat their bodies? [Some overeat, some starve themselves; some are slothful, some work themselves to the bone. People get drunk, take drugs, sleep around, dress lewdly, indulge in lust – people have no respect either of their own bodies or those of other people, and they abuse their bodies in the name of pleasure, freedom and independence. The world places no value on God's holy temple – we are encouraged to profane it daily; it is a tool to be used and abused.]
Our bodies are sacred – one of the greatest gifts that God gives us. In God’s eyes, no place is any more special than any other. He doesn’t live in temples! Instead, God sanctifies us, his people, so that he can dwell in us, His holy temple. And that is an amazing truth! No other founder of a major religion has ever made this claim.
Conclusion
Each December, the Jews celebrate the re-dedication and restoration of their temple in a feast called the “Feast of Dedication” (Hanukah). Jesus thought it was important enough to travel to Jerusalem for! (John 10:22) But today, their temple is no more. Our “Feast of Dedication” is the communion, where we commemorate the destruction of Jesus’ temple, and its restoration 3 days later.
As Christians, we also celebrate the restoration of a temple. But our temple is not a building, it is Jesus Himself! Even today, God's temple stands in living, breathing glory – in you, in me, in all His sons and daughters. As it was in Christ's body, so it is in our body. The church rises as a holy temple to the Lord, shining the light of God to all nations. We worship a living God in His living temple. And that is something to rejoice about!
Life Applications
We need to respect the sanctity of our bodies and those of other people.
We need to worship God in confidence and awe that we are His holy temple.
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