Feeling the Weight of Jesus' Sacrifice

Did Jesus "cleanse" or "clear" the Temple?

This past Sunday at CityView, we took a look at Mark 11 and Jesus' reaction to the activities taking place in the Temple near Passover.  The actual account starts in verse 15, but the story needs to be placed in context, going back to verse one.  To listen to the sermon, go HERE.

Near the middle of my sermon, I mentioned that Jesus' intent was not to cleanse or reform or set-straight the manner in which Temple worship should be conducted...but rather to clear the Temple so as to communicate His rejection of the Jerusalem Temple in making way for a better Temple--Himself (John 2:18:22).

With Jesus as our better and ultimate Temple, we are no longer in need of continual and short-lasting animal sacrifices.  Because of Chrst's shed blood and broken body, we are provided a better Temple sacrifice whereby our sin-penalty can be fully paid  for those that trust in the sufficiency of Jesus' finished work on the cross.

Thus Christ's sacrifice on the cross also clears the way to enter the presense of God uninhibited by veils and walls.  There is no longer a barrier due to pedigree (Gentiles weren't allowed beyond the outer courts of the Jerusalem Temple) OR even due to our status as sinners (w/ the Jerusalem Temple, nobody was allowed into the Most Holy Place where God's presence dwelt, except the High Priest once a year because of the depth and seriousness of our sin would result in immediate death).

So how do we know Jesus wasn't also trying to reform the Temple worship?  The following is a synopsis of the arguments made by Professor David E. Garland:

1.  Some believe Jesus was reforming the Temple worship by re-claiming the commercial space in the outer courts for it’s proper use of prayer (for the Gentiles).  The problem with this is that it is theorized that the small market in question was actually located in the Royal Stoa--not spread out all over the outer court.  Also, the outer court was not necessarily viewed as the "courtyard of the Gentiles" during Jesus’ day…but rather, the place from which the Gentiles could go no further into the temple.  Plus, such a reform still wouldn’t do anything about giving the Gentiles access to the inner place of God’s presence...so it would seem to be a minor reform if it was meant as a reform at all.

2.  If Jesus intention was reform, then it was ultimately a failure.  His alleged reforms probably wouldn't be able to be enforced on an ongoing basis.  In other words, the Temple commerce probably recovered and continued the next day or soon thereafter.  Surely Jesus would not have attempted to reform something he knew very well would not "take".

3.  Some believe that Jesus was reclaiming the purity of the Temple from the desecration by money-changers, sellers, etc.  However, there is little evidence that the outer courts were considered “sacred” in the same way as the inner courts and the Holy of Holies.

4.  Some believe Jesus was making a statement concerning corruption (den of robbers) in regards to the defrauding of buyers and the greed of the high priest and his family in charging for goods and services.  But since Jesus throws out sellers AND buyers, there is little evidence to show that the elimination of corruption was his motive.  Plus, this is a misunderstanding of the term "den of robbers" as I outlined in the sermon on Sunday.

As a final comment, perhaps some would want to see "reform" in the Temple action so as to conjure up a modern "application" for the text (fight against injustice of those that would defraud like the money-changers, fight against those that would impede prayer, etc.).

Unfortunately, we are sometimes addicted to application because it gives us something to "do" which sometimes feeds our tendencies towards a works-based righteousness.  The truth of the matter is that this text gives us less to do and more to "feel" in weight and seriousness.

While most of those reading this might not worship at THE Temple...we have plenty of "temples" in our life that serve as functional saviors that seek to replace or do a work-around the only Temple that both makes a complete and final sacrifice while making God fully approachable at all--Jesus Christ.

As we continue in Holy Week, perhaps intead of feverishly trying to apply the Mark 11 text, we might need to feel its weight as we approach Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.  Is Jesus your Temple during this season?  What temples might need to be rejected in your life?