St John’s Gospel: The Cleansing of the Temple (2:12-25)
Posted on May 23rd 2010 in St. John's Gospel
The incident of the Cleansing of the Temple shows the divergence between the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and that of St John. The Synoptic Gospels record only one visit to Jerusalem and this visit would bring His life to a violent end on the Cross. St John, on the other hand, mentions three visits to Jerusalem and, each of these occurring at the time of the Passover, helps establish the traditional conviction that Jesus’ public life took place over three years. St John places the Cleansing of the Temple at the beginning of His Gospel as it marks, along with the miracle at Cana, the beginning of the new order since both incidents show Jesus replacing the tradition and worship of the Jews with Himself.
The arguments given by Jesus for His actions explicitly relate the Temple to His body, something that would be incomprehensible to the apostles till the Resurrection. The dwelling place of God will no longer be a building but a person, and this continues in the Church which is described as the Body of Christ. The profanation of the Temple with an excess of trading activities, is the immediate excuse for the actions of Jesus, which in themselves would fit the traditional pattern of the Old Testament prophets. These actions would have their consequence, and the authorities of the time would not look kindly on such activities, so the disciples ‘remember the Scriptures, ‘Zeal for your house will devour me’. This quote comes from Zechariah, a prophet killed within the Temple, a fact Jesus mentions in the other Gospels.
Yet with all Jesus’ actions and words a deeper meaning becomes apparent to the believer. The rebuilding of the Temple, a public work that had occupied forty-six years already starting under Herod the Great, is now being replaced with another rebuilding that of the Resurrection. This final rebuilding will overcome the limitations of time and space, and the consequences of sin and death, so through His Resurrection the risen Jesus will become the place of prayer, and the gift He will give of the Holy Spirit will incorporate all believers into the Body of Christ. This prequel, before the main body of the Gospel, gives the overview to the next eleven chapters, prior to Jesus’ final return to the Father and the gift of the Holy Spirit.