Digging deep into the passage, we look at John 2:12--22, to discover the truths there.
Nathan reads the text, and commentary is made as Keith, Nathan, and recorded comments from radio bible teacher, J Vernon McGee are inserted.
John 2:12-22 (ESV)
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
15 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.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."
17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."
18 So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?"
19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
20 The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?"
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Verse 12 sets the stage as it transitions from Jesus private life growing up in Galilee, to his public ministry. There is an unspecified time spent in Capernaum. Though John is silent on what Jesus did, he may have begun his ministry since other gospels record more about his early teaching and healing. The phrase, "Not many days" could be long, but implies it was probably short. Jesus spent the time "with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days." John is again silent on details, but Mark records 4 brothers, and some sisters.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
There is a little conflict over the timing of Jesus going to the Passover of the Jews. The other gospel writers record this at the end of his ministry, and not the beginning g. The question is whether it happened only once, and John has it out of sequence. Or that it happened twice, but each gospel author decided to only record one instance. According to J Vernon McGee and other bible commentators, it is plausible to have happened twice.
The custom of exchanging currency, and purchasing the required livestock for sacrifices had been in place for years. By the time of Jesus, the custom was accepted as a handy convenience for travelers. Was it wrong, or going against old testament laws? Maybe not. There is some wording in the description to support the event happening twice. Namely, the mention of sheep and oxen, carrying money through the temple, and the reference to rebuilding the temple have slightly different descriptions from the other gospel accounts.
Regardless of how the other gospels read, or whether it was once or twice there are consistent similarities. It occurred at passover, Jesus threw out the moneychangers, Whips were involved, he was defensive of purity, and was against corrupting the lords house.
That last feature seems to be the real issue here. Religious leaders had turned the concession into a money making event. It may not be an issue of making a profit. But where the profit was being made. The temple is for worship. Not for merchandise.
Taking Action
Jesus made the whip, but driving out doesn't mean he whipped anyone. Overturning the tables would confuse the profit. Who earned what.
