Daily Dose of Hope

October 3, 2025

Scripture –– John 2:13-25

Prayer: Lord, We come before you on this Friday, and we pray for you to speak to us. We need you. It's the end of the week and we need a new word from you. We need your guidance, your wisdom, your help. Help us set aside the distractions of our day, our many scattered thoughts, and focus on you. During these next few moments of silence, Jesus, help us remember that we belong to you...In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts which will last through the end of 2025. Happy Friday!

Today, we finish up John 2. Our reading for today begins with Jesus cleansing the Temple courts. It's interesting that this text is at the beginning of Jesus' ministry in John and at the end of Jesus' ministry in the other Gospels. As we will see as we walk through the Gospel of John, the author reorders several different events in the life of Jesus. Some scholars say there may have been two Temple cleansings but there isn't a lot of evidence for that. Most likely, John felt there was a theological need for moving up this story. For instance, beginning Jesus' ministry with the Temple clean-up may provide a kind of theme for the whole Gospel. It demonstrates the corruption present in first-century Judaism. It also speaks to who John believes Jesus to be. Remember, the Temple was typically seen as the dwelling place of God on earth. Now, John is making the point that God dwells in the person of Jesus (remember John 1:14). Jesus is taking on the role of the Temple and John wants to make that clear from the beginning of his Gospel.

Let's talk about the text itself. We've mentioned this before but the need to have the animal salesmen and the money changers was a necessary evil in the Temple. Being part of the Roman Empire, the rest of the country used a different currency from the Jewish shekel. But the law in Exodus stated that the temple tax was half a shekel so the money had to be changed. This ensured a very rigorous interpretation of the Old Testament scriptures. The Old Testament law also assumed that families would have their own animals to bring as offerings. By this point in time, not all families had their own flocks. People had other occupations or were day laborers. Thus, they had to purchase the animals for their sacrifice and this had become quite the money-making industry.

There are details in John's Gospel about the Temple cleansing that we don't find in the other gospels. For instance, Jesus prepares a whip. Thus, it seems Jesus knew ahead of time he would do this. In the other Gospels, it all feels very spontaneous. It's also a fairly detailed summary of the event. Read through it again and look at all the detail John uses to describe Jesus' anger. Jesus is livid that the place where God is to be worshiped has become a marketplace. Where God should be central, making money has become the focus.

After the turning of tables and the animals being thrown out (that had to have been quite the scene), the Jews ask by what authority Jesus is doing this. In fact, they ask for a sign to demonstrate his authority. Jesus replies that if they destroy the Temple, then he will raise it in three days. They are appalled at the idea of this, but what they don't understand is that Jesus is referring to his own body. His body, the temple of God, will be destroyed on a cross and raised again in three days. It says that it isn't until after his death and resurrection that his disciples remember his saying this.

The chapter concludes by saying that Jesus performed many signs and many people believed in him. But it also indicates he was wary of many of the people who said they followed him. He knew the nature of humanity and that many were simply following him for what they might get, not give.

Have a wonderful weekend. We will touch base on Monday.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki