John 3:16-21 THE AMAZING LOVE OF GOD FOR A SINFUL WORLD

Last time we considered John 3:1-15, in which we find a dialogue between Jesus  and  a Pharisee  named Nicodemus. 

Nicodemus is one of those who has seen the signs that Jesus was doing (2:23). He has seen something in Jesus, but not enough to make him believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Word of God, the Creator of all things (John 3:1-3).  To Nicodemus,  Jesus  simply is ‘a teacher  come from God’  (3:2), and isn’t that the way many people have looked  and are looking at Jesus Christ? The gospel of John challenges us  to look further   than just an enlightened teacher  or a  miracle worker. In this conversation Jesus essentially challenges  Nicodemus to look further, but not  with human eyes. In order to see and enter the kingdom of God (3:3,5), to understand who Jesus is,  one needs  to be born again.  This will enable one to see and enter the kingdom of God (3:3,5). Jesus invites Nicodemus to  look  to Him  and believe in Him, who in due course  was  going to lifted on a cross (3:12-15).

We have every reason to believe that in due time Nicodemus was born again. We have two more encouraging references to Nicodemus in the gospel of John.  In John 7:50-51, we find Nicodemus defending   Jesus  against  a group of  Pharisees  who wanted to arrest  Him unlawfully. Later in John 19:39, after Jesus had been crucified, Nicodemus joined Joseph of Arimathea in giving Jesus a traditional Jewish burial. Nicodemus “brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds” (John 19:39). All this suggests that this encounter which Jesus had with Nicodemus in this 3^rd chapter was indeed a life changing encounter.

John 3:16-21

Our text follows from where we last finished. Jesus invites Nicodemus to believe in Him, the Son of Man[1], one of Jesus’ favourite self -designations. 

John 3:16 is the most famous and most quoted verse in the Bible.

There is some debate  as to whether  vv.16-21  is  the continuing conversation of Jesus, or whether this is  the commentary of  John.   It seems most  likely  that  vv. 16-21 are John’s  added  comments. The reason why we say this is that in 3:16, the phrase ‘God gave his only Son’ (a reference to the cross) is  stated in the past tense[2]. Whatever the case may be, these are  the words  inspired by the Holy Spirit. This is what the Holy Spirit  caused John to write  down.   And here  we  learn  about 

(i) the  amazing reason  as to why God  sent Jesus into this world  

(ii)  the amazing disbelief  of the world.  

We close  with  a summary of the gospel – what it means to believe in Jesus  and the consequences  thereof , and what happens if we do not believe.

1. God’s love for this sinful world

a. An extensive, inclusive  love:  John 3:16 is a radical statement from every point of view. From  a Jewish perspective  this would have been  radical. If John had written, “For God so loved the Jews”, this would have been entirely acceptable.  The Jews prided themselves in being God’s chosen, specially loved people[3]. In the course of the Exodus from Egypt and through the desert, His special love for them is evident. Even when they were sinning, God remained faithful to them. The reference in 3:14 is a point in case.  God sent a plague of biting vipers among them. He made a way for them- a bronze serpent- to which they only needed to look and be healed.  But when John writes, “God so loved the world“, this statement comes with a new force. God loves the whole world. The love of God   now also includes the gentiles. The thought that  Yahweh, the God of their covenant,  could love the whole world  would have  disturbed  the  average  Jew. 

b. A surprising  love: John’s usage of the word ‘world’  is  usually a negative one (see the ‘world’ mentioned 3 times in our text). He sees the world as being   sinful and hostile[4]. This is what we read in  1:9-11.  The   doctrine of the surprising  love of God for the world (Jew and gentile) comes against the background   that  the  whole world is actually hostile to  the God,   and yet  the Gospel of John teaches us  that  the Gospel (the Good News)  is for the whole world.  This raises the age old question, “If God loves the world, then why does He not save everyone?”   In order to answer this, we need to understand the various ways in which God loves this world. 

Baptist theologian Don Carson wrote a book on this subject entitled,”The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God” [5]. Here he explains  that the Bible speaks of the love of God in at least five ways:

i.     The  unique  love of the Father for the Son, and of the Son for the Father (Jn. 3:35; 5:20; 14:31).

ii.      God’s providential love for all that He has made. He cares and provides for all His creation.

iii.      God’s free offer of salvation for all  in this fallen world (Jn. 3:16; Ezek. 33:11).

iv.      God’s particular love toward His elect (Deut. 7:7-8; 10:14-15; Mal. 1:2-3; Eph. 1:4-5; 5:25).

v.      There is God’s conditional love toward His own people, based on their obedience (Jn. 14:21; 15:10; Jude 21; Ex. 20:6; Ps. 103:9-11, 13, 17-18).

So, when we read the Bible with respect to the doctrine of the love of God we need to determine what the text actually says. When we think of the love of God  in John 3:16  we need  to  think in terms of  point 3 and point 4.  Christ is offered to the whole world, and in that sense that Christ’s death was sufficient for all. God invites, commands and desires all men to come to Him, and yet it is clear that no one will come out of their own free will. The parable of the great banquet in Luke 14:12-24 illustrates this point. Every man makes excuses, because every man’s will is bent  on evil  (wait for 3:19 which refers back to 1:9-11). 

And so the love of God goes further, and He  freely  chooses  from among  those who  resist Him and reject Him. And so we may say, according to point 4, that Jesus died effectively for the elect alone. The  doctrine of God’s particular love for the sheep  will be expounded in John 10.  So, in summary John  teaches that  Christ’s death  is  sufficient for this world and many worlds over, but efficient only to the elect.  

c. A gracious, generous love (3:17).  We are told that Jesus, in His first coming, came to seek and to save the lost (Lk. 19:10). His primary work right now is not to condemn (judge) the world. This will happen at his second coming and this is what Jesus refers to in John 9:39, Jesus says, “For judgment I came into this world ….”

d. A reassuring love (3:18a) Whoever believes  in him is not condemned cf. Rom 8:1 “ There is  therefore now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. If you have embraced the Lord Jesus, if you love Him and  if your hope is in Him then stand assured in the love of God.  

2. God’s wrath on those who  will not believe.

John not only exposes us to the wonderful love of God. He also  tells  us of the awful consequences  of rejecting  the  gospel offer.  

a.      Those who reject the free gospel offer  will “perish” (3:16)  This  is an everlasting state  –Perishing does not mean that they will be annihilated or cease to exist. In Matthew 25:46, Jesus says that some “will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” If eternal life lasts forever, then so does eternal punishment. Jesus referred to it as the place where “their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). If you ask whether the fire is literal or figurative, my reply is that it doesn’t matter—you don’t want to find out personally! Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus makes it clear that hell is a place of awful torment (Lk 16:23-24).

b.      Not believing the  free gospel offer means ‘continuing in the state we are already in 3:18b-20. No-one is neutral before  God.  By nature we are  ‘condemned already’. By nature  we all love darkness rather than the light. Our evil nature is drawn to darkness. We instinctively hate the light. We will not come to the light lest the darkness of our hearts be exposed.

THE GOSPEL – WHAT THIS TEXT  TEACHES US

In practical terms, this means that we can tell unbelievers that God loves them so much that He sent His only Son to die for their sins, if only they will repent and believe in Christ- with eternal consequences  (eternal life).  At the same time we should warn them that if they do not believe in Christ, they are under God’s righteous judgment and wrath (Jn. 3:18, 36), with eternal consequences (they will perish).   And, since we know that none are willing to repent and believe in Christ,  unless God grants it (John 6:44, 65; Acts 11:18), we should be praying as we proclaim the gospel, that God would have  mercy  in opening  blind eyes, deaf ears, converting hearts of stone.

We must offer the gospel freely to everyone, but at the same time that we must tell everyone also the bad news. The Good news becomes more meaningful and powerful as  we hold before our listeners the  facts of the  bad news. 

Both, verses 16 and  18 make it clear that the crucial issue on our part is to believe in Jesus. Those who believe have eternal life; those who do not believe are currently under God’s condemnation and ultimately will perish.

What does it mean to believe in Jesus?

Believing in “the name of the only Son of God” (3:18) means

·       believing in all that He is and all that He came to do.

·       believing in Jesus requires understanding who He is: Son of Man ( promised Messiah) and Son of God (God the Son). He came from heaven  as the Lamb of God, the One to whom all the sacrifices point. Through His death and resurrection He offers eternal life to all who will come.  Based on that knowledge (which we get from the Bible), believing in Jesus means to entrust your eternal destiny to all that He did in dying for your sins on the cross. It means that you must cease trusting in your own goodness or self-effort as the means to  get  to  heaven.

A helpful illustration of believing, of exercising  a  saving faith  in  Jesus  is  the story  of the famous French tightrope walker, Charles Blondin (born Jean François Gravelet, 28 February 1824 – 22 February 1897)[6]. He  became famous for crossing  340 meters  of the  Niagara Gorge, 50 metres  high,  on a tightrope.  This he did on 30 June 1859, and a number of times thereafter, often with different theatrical variations: blindfolded, trundling a wheelbarrow, carrying a man (his manager, Harry Colcord) on his back, … The point  is this. If  Harry Colcord   did not believe and  trust Blondin, he would never have gotten onto his back and walked across  the Niagara  fall. Many saw and believed  what  Blondin could do, but   the fewest would dare to get on his back.  In the same way, many say that they believe in Jesus, but they have not entirely trusted Him, believed in Him  for the journey  that  lies ahead. Remember that we all have to cross  that  final  river  some time. Dear unconverted friend, will  you not take another look at Jesus, and ask the Holy Spirit to have mercy on you? Ask Him in these words  –Lord I believe, help me in my unbelief  (Mark 9:24). 

God  will surely hear you!

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[1] The term ‘ Son of Man’ occurs 88 times in the NT ; Son of Man is as a reference to the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14,

[2] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John [Eerdmans], p. 228

[3] Deut. 7:6-8; 10:14-15; Mal. 1:2-3

[4] 1:9,10; 7:7; 14:17; 15:18-19; 16:8, 20, 33; 17:6, 9, 14, 25; 1 John 5:19

[5] Published by Crossway

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Blondin

John 3:1-21 "THE NEW BIRTH"

John writes his gospel with the aim of showing that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (20:31). He does this in a number of ways:

1.  By making some very direct  theological statements concerning  Jesus; the most profound is that he makes Jesus equal with God  (John 1:1-18; cf. 5:18).

2. By telling   us about some of the signs that Jesus did. By this He proved that He had the ability to do things that only God could do. Nobody spontaneously makes wine out of water (2:1-11); nobody feeds 5000 people with only 5 loaves and two fishes (6:1-15). Nobody suspends the laws of nature by walking on water (6:16-21). Nobody raises people that have been dead for 4 days,  to life  (11:1-44)

3. By recording some of the profound conversations that Jesus had with various people (i.e. with Nicodemus here, and with the Samaritan woman at the well in Chapter 4). In these conversations Jesus reveals what He calls ‘heavenly things’ (3:12). He reveals the way into   the kingdom of God (3:3, 5), a kingdom infinitely bigger than geographical Israel. In these conversations He invites people to believe in Him (3:16, 18) that they may enter into eternal life.  During the course of these conversations it becomes very clear how ignorant Jews (Nicodemus) and gentiles (The Samaritan woman) were about these things. Many in our world are just like that. People’s understanding of God and of Christ and of the work of the Holy Spirit is too small. Our understanding of the serious effects of the fall is stunted and the nature of our sin is underrated. Most people believe that they have the capacity to work out their salvation through good works. Most people believe that they are going to heaven.

Our text focuses on the conversation of a Pharisee named Nicodemus. 

He comes to Jesus by night, perhaps for fear of being seen. The preceding context is important here. In John 2:23 we read that Jesus performed more of His miraculous signs in Jerusalem during the Passover feast. They are not recorded - see the comment in Jn. 20:30. The result is important to note: "many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.”  

Nicodemus was one of these  many who saw  these miraculous signs being done. He says to Jesus, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." And we, in our own minds may be thinking, "this man is a convert. He is one Pharisee who has come  to  believe in Jesus, because he saw the signs.” But, not so!  John 2:24-25  says,  [1] “But Jesus on his part  did  not entrust himself to them, for He  knew all people  and needed  no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew  what was in a man."

Now what did Jesus know about these so-called believers, like Nicodemus that caused Him to not entrust Himself to them?  The answer is given in our text. Jesus knew that Nicodemus, the religious man and leader that he was, was not born again. Jesus knew what was in Nicodemus. The problem with religious men like Nicodemus is that he is not born again.  He does not really know God. He does not know what this kingdom of God is all about.  

And, so without much further ado, Jesus tells him, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again  he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (3:3) 

Now Nicodemus is really confused. Jesus is speaking here of the necessity of a birth. The only birth he knows of is the birth which a woman gives to a baby. So what is this ‘born again’?   Bewildered he asks a sort of logical question, “How can a man be born (again) when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (3:4).  So Jesus repeats  himself,  “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”.  He is repeating the same thing, but He adds a phrase,   ‘born of water and the Spirit’.  

The subject is still the regenerating   work of the Holy Spirit, but what is the meaning of the water? There are a number of views here. We will not elaborate on them all. Both,  water and the Spirit often refer symbolically in the OT to spiritual renewal and cleansing[2]. That’s what John came to do (see John 1). He called people to spiritual renewal and cleansing through baptism in water. The Spirit baptism he left to the Messiah (1:33), but both pointed to the same thing- a renewal, a cleansing, a washing from the horrible effects of sin.  

And now we must also  refer to Ezekiel’s prophecy, which is an allusion to the new covenant. Here God says through  Ezekiel,  24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezek. 36:24–27)

With the context of John 1 (John’s baptism) in mind, and Ezekiel’s prophecy pointing to the new covenant (the Spirit baptism associated with water), we can be fairly sure that this is what Jesus had in mind. Without the spiritual washing of the soul (symbolised in water baptism), accomplished by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, no one can enter God’s kingdom.  And so Jesus explains this further to Nicodemus: “Nicodemus, in order to enter the kingdom of God you must not only be born once. You must be born twice.  Your first birth is flesh - and it gives you a human nature. The second birth – gives you a spiritual nature.” In fact, it replaces that which was lost in the fall   through sin (Genesis 3).   So, "do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again “(3:7). In order to see the kingdom of God (3:3), and to enter the kingdom of God (3:5), you must be born again.

The mystery of the new birth is now explained.  “Nicodemus, the wind (the Spirit) blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know  where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. It is a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, in which you have no part – just like you have no part in your first birth” (3:8). 

You do not initiate your new birth any more than you give birth to your own body. You do not initiate your spiritual birth any more than Lazarus initiated his resurrection. The resurrection of Lazarus to new life was owing to one thing: the word of Jesus Christ—“ Lazarus, come out!” [John 11: 43]. The word that makes people come alive, is the Word of Jesus, as it is applied by  the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is upon the message there is an explosion of life. The Word and the Spirit give new life to dead hearts. When the gospel is preached and the Holy Spirit says, “Let there be life”, the eyes of the heart are opened, and a person is born again! May it be so today!

Nicodemus is now utterly confused, “How can these things be?”(3:9).Jesus says to him, “Nicodemus, you are  a  spiritual teacher in Israel , and  yet you do not understand these things?” (3:10).   

What we learn here in John 3:3-10 is Jesus’ view of “what is in man”. The people that were marveling at His signs, and even this  religious teacher  of the Pharisees, Nicodemus, have no true perspective of  those  Scriptures which they claim to search. They have no  true idea  who God is  and what the kingdom of God  is. They have no understanding of the person and the nature of the long prophesied Messiah, who is right here before their very eyes. If the truth be told … they are dead.

Jesus however does not leave Nicodemus without an answer, “You must be born again!”  

What is the nature of a man who is not born again?   

He is mere flesh. Flesh in John 3:6 refers to human nature out of touch with God. It results in all sorts of problems, described in  Galatians 5:19-21: “The works of the flesh) are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy,  drunkenness, orgies  and things like  these. I warn you, as I warned you before , that those who do such  things will not inherit the kingdom of God."  

“Flesh gives birth to flesh.”  

Who is mere flesh?  

All people, since all are born in this way. All people, everywhere, by nature, are cut off from God.  "We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23).  Apart from being born again by the Holy Spirit, all of humanity  is, from God’s perspective,   totally depraved. There is no sufficient moral good in any  of us  to make us  acceptable before this holy God[3]. The flesh may have the capacity to compose beautiful music, and  send spaceships to Mars, design and build and invent wonderful things  -  but all  these achievements are of no moral value in God’s sight. Wherever man does not humbly rely on God for power, the product of his brain is an idol (Rom. 14:23- Whatever does not proceed from faith – even my preaching to you - is sin).  

Since religion is such a  common  substitute for  the real thing , i.e  the new birth, each of us ought to examine ourselves to see if we are truly born of God (2 Cor. 13:5). I say  this  with trembling… but many, many people in our churches are utterly minimalistic  when it comes to portraying the born again life, in terms of  loving God, loving  one another… I fear for  religious people in our churches. 

These words of Jesus   must have rocked Nicodemus’ heart and soul. Jesus’  words must have pierced his hearts  and  they must have  humbled this   ruler of the Jews “… Nicodemus, you are a spiritual teacher in Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly I say to you (3^rd time in this conversation), we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen .” Jesus is  including John the Baptist  or the disciples in the ‘we’ (cf. John 1:14,15) , but you  (Plural – meaning the Jewish  people whom Nicodemus represented)   if I have told you earthly things  and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”

Jesus had employed earthly metaphors such as birth (for the new birth) and the wind (for the Holy Spirit), and  yet Nicodemus, and those whom he represented  refused to believe (3:12). How will they possibly understand and accept a still more direct language, like “I AM YOUR CREATOR- THEREFORE COME TO ME  AND I WILL HEAL YOU FROM YOUR BLINDNESS, DEAFNESS AND HARDNESS OF HEART?”  

Jesus knew what He is talking about, for His own origins were from heaven. He  descended  from heaven. He  is, right now, the ascended Christ (3:13). 

Which brings  me to my final words. Jesus is preparing Nicodemus for  a work of grace : "In fact, Nicodemus, I am telling you now that  I am  here  to do a great work for all who will believe." 

The OT under Moses has left a great illustration  for us in Numbers 21:9 ff. When Moses used the image of an upraised  snake in the desert, to be looked  at, and so   to save from death those that were bitten by snakes,  Jesus  saw Himself in this picture as the One lifted  up on a cross to save all those  who would look to Him  and  believe in Him. 

Jesus, lifted up on the cross for us to behold  is  a far greater saving achievement  than Moses.People healed from their snakebites  will die again. People  who look to Jesus  for the healing of sin's lethal  effects  will live for eternity. 

All this leads us to that great statement  in John 3:16, perhaps the most quoted verse in  the Bible. I will have to leave this for next time.  

Dear friends, Christ has been clearly portrayed before you. Who is He to you?And  those  of you,  who  are still   half committed and religious, how will you escape  the coming wrath if you continue to ignore  this Christ? 

What will you do on the day of His coming?

This is an invitation to believe in Jesus – His person and work! Embrace Him, love Him with all your heart soul mind and strength.

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[1] Note:  this is very similar  to  the story  of the rich young ruler in Mark 10

[2] cf. Num. 19:17–19; Isa. 4:4; 32:15; 44:3; 55:1; Joel 2:28–29; Zech. 13:1

[3] See Isaiah 6:1-7- Isaiah overcome with the holiness of God

John 2:13-25 "THE NEW TEMPLE"

From a wedding in Cana of Galilee in the north of Israel, we find ourselves now   in the temple in Jerusalem at the time of Passover. Jesus, whom John has called “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (1:29)  is now here.

The Passover was the greatest of all the Jewish feasts. It took place in the month of Nisan- our March-April, at the time of when the church celebrates Easter.   Jesus is here with countless worshipers who, on this occasion, remember the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage and in particular the deliverance from the from the angel of death (see Exodus 12  - the 10^th plague). By applying the blood of a lamb to their door lintels, the angel of death passing through Egypt that night would pass over the houses marked by the blood of the lamb. The Feast of Unleavened bread ( Ex 13) also happened at this time,  and so  the entire Passover celebration took a week.

Jewish law required that every adult male Jew who lived within a 25 km radius of Jerusalem was bound to attend the Passover.  However, many more Jews came from the diaspora – in fact it was the aspiration of every Jew, no matter how far they lived from Jerusalem, to celebrate at least one Passover in Jerusalem.  The main sources available estimate that the population of those living in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus was probably around 80,000 to 100,000 citizens. But during the Passover hundreds of thousands of Jews from the Diaspora would pour into Jerusalem. It is estimated that over 2 million Jews may have come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover. [1]

So here is Jesus. He looks around the temple and He is distressed by the fact that this place of worship is so abused. It smelled more like a farm than the place where one would seek God’s presence. What was more, the temple area was being used to fleece those who came from far to the Passover.  You see, at the heart of temple worship was the sacrificial  system.  Not being able to bring their own sheep or oxen, pilgrims would have to buy them in  Jerusalem. Conveniently, these were offered in the temple precincts, but ruthless  people  exploited  this  by  charging exorbitant prices. You know  that feeling  when  you go to the airport or to  a late night  convenience store  to get a  chocolate or something  and you pay three times the amount of  what it costs you at  your regular  supermarket.

But that was not all. There was also the  obligatory temple tax-  the ½  shekel - roughly two days wages. It could not be made with the common Roman currency,  because it  bore the image of the  Roman emperor. This is where the money-changers in our story come in.  Being what they are, they were making money out of this exchange, like all the money changers in our city of Windhoek. All this was beginning to make the whole issue of  coming for the Passover a very expensive undertaking, also considering the  travel costs involved.  

When you think about this  you realize that  this  was  not only  exploiting people; it was also  exploiting God. It made  business out of God.  And here  Jesus is, at the temple, the  place where God, in Solomon’s day   had chosen to manifest His earthly presence  and His  glory (2 Chron. 7:12). He sees this sacrilege  and  exploitation, and  indignantly He asks, “How dare you treat My Father's house in this way?”  Jesus had possessed a strong sense of the sanctity of the temple. He called it ‘My Father’s House’ (Lk 2:49). It was ordained by God to be a centre of worship… a house of prayer for all nations (Isa. 56:7 – Mk. 11:17). Looking at this with His godly and holy zeal and in the quiet strength of the Spirit,   Jesus deliberately made a whip out of cords - probably from the cords used to tie up the animals.  And so we read, “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. And he told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.’”  (2:15, 16)

Our thoughts must now go back to these words found in the Book of Malachi, the last book of the OT: 1 "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. (Mal. 3:1-2)

I want to, very briefly, deal with the apparent problem of the temple cleansing. The three synoptic gospels,  Matthew, Mark and Luke record the temple cleansing at the end of Jesus’ ministry, just before he came to Jerusalem, to face the cross. John’s record of the temple cleansing appears right at the beginning of Jesus’ short earthly ministry. How do we reconcile this?  If one accepts the accounts of the Gospels at face value, then there are obviously two temple cleansings. Many scholars seem to have great difficulty with two cleansings. Three of my most  trusted commentators see no such difficulty[2].  

Reactions to the Temple Cleansing 

The first reaction comes from the disciples. When His disciples  saw Him doing this, they remembered  what was written in  Psalm 69:9, “For  zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach  you have fallen one me”,  and they quickly apply this text to Jesus,  the Greater Son of David.

The next reaction comes from the Jews. The Jews  question His authority for doing these things, and in typical  fashion  they asking Him for  a sign, an authentication  for what he was doing: “What sign will you show us for doing these things? [Reminds us of Paul’s observation in 1 Corinthians 1:22- “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom]. So, Jesus promises them a sign, but they clearly  don’t  understand what He is saying here in veiled form- like the parables : “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up!”  The Jews are thinking  about  this temple[3] that took 46 years to build, from about  20 BC, and it was still being  built in Jesus day, for it wasn’t  finished until about 63 AD or so,  only to be  finally destroyed again in AD 70.

Jesus however,  wasn’t talking about that temple. He knew that this temple was going to be soon destroyed, and He said so on a different occasion. [4] He is now speaking about the temple of His own body. He is talking about His death, burial and resurrection, which would all happen within a matter  of three days. The reflective note from John in v.22 shows us that the disciples  really only understood this after His resurrection. 

So then, the two big themes  surrounding this portion of Scripture  are  the temple cleansing and the  temple replacement.

Clearly Jesus  has a high regard for the old temple, and as far as  OT temple  worship went, it was designed  to  keep before  Israel the fact  that  God was dwelling here in their midst. Here in this place He would hear their prayers, accept their guilt offerings and sacrifices and extend His forgiveness. And in its day it was good and holy. And when Jesus came on numerous occasions He was rightly offended about what He saw, and He rightly took action.

But Jesus came to do so much, much more. He came to make all things new.   In 2: 1-12 we saw that He is the one who brought the joy of the fruit of the new wine. In fact He is the vine (John 15).   And now He  comes to  rebuild the temple, and He is  the Temple. When Jesus stands before these Jews and their temple we must know that someone greater than Moses[5] is here. Someone greater than the temple is here (Matt. 12:6).

So, Jesus’ statement in v. 19 is a huge statement that points to the abolishing  to the formal temple worship with all its sacrifices. This will come about as a result  of His sacrifice on the cross.  He will be both, the new  and final sacrifice and the new, final and lasting temple.  In   John  4  we shall  see Jesus speaking  not only about a new temple, but about a new  and deeper way of worship- worship in spirit and in truth, and it all holds together in  Him . And that is really the profoundest way in which we can understand John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt (lit. tabernacled) among us.” The tabernacle, the tent of meeting, designed and  constructed under Moses,   was  the first place where God regularly  met with  His people after the Exodus. This tabernacle was erected at the heart of the camp. The Israelites camped around this tabernacle in their divisions, 4 tribes on each side – north, east, south, west. And John uses this word deliberately. Jesus came to   tabernacle  in our midst and among us. He came into our midst, and those that see Him for who He is, they are the ones who  behold His glory. The true church today gathers  around  Jesus, and in Jesus,  to the glory of God the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The apostle Peter  capitalizes on this thought of Jesus as the cornerstone, and  a living stone and we also being living stones being built into  a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual  sacrifices  acceptable to God  through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-6) The same idea is implied  by Paul in Ephesians  2:18-22.

And so, when the Jews were  seeing Jesus  zealous for the temple, they are asking Him, ”By what authority are you doing this? What sign will you give us that you have this authority?”  

The sign that Jesus will give them is the sign of the cross, and the sign of the resurrection. That's the only sign that Jesus will give. But they will not come to Him to have life (John 5:40). This brings us to the last few verses in vv. 23-25,  a  bridging statement  which  not only belongs to this text , but which also  introduces us to the next section in Chapter 3.  

JESUS WOULD NOT ENTRUST HIMSELF TO THEM

There were some ready to believe certain signs. They liked that He changed water into wine. But do you notice what it says in v. 24?  “Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them.” They were ready to believe in Jesus for the things that He would do for them and for their convenience, but Jesus will not accept as His disciples those who are not willing to embrace Him for who He is.  This is John’s purpose. To show you Jesus – for who He really is!

Jesus knew human nature only too well. He knew that there were many who were attracted only by the sensational things He did. He knew that there were many who would only  follow Him while He  produced signs, wonders and miracles, but as soon as He spoke about self - abandonment and following  Him,  they left him on the spot (see John 6:66).

Jesus will not take you if you will not follow Him. So, today before this Lord’s table, once again, or perhaps even for the first time declare your clear allegiance to  Him, who is the temple.

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[1] https://www.bible-history.com/ancientquestions/how-many-were-in-jerusalem-for-the-passover-of-jesus/

[2] E.g.  William Hendriksen, p. 120; Leon Morris, pp. 188-191; RVG Tasker pp.

[3] The first temple was  built by Solomon (see 1 Kings 6-7) ;  the second temple was  rebuilt by the Jews returning from their Babylonian captivity (Ezra 6:15) .It was the third temple, known as “Herod’s Temple.” This temple was built by Herod, not so much to facilitate Israel’s worship, but as an attempt to reconcile the Jews to their Idumaean king.

[4] See Olivet discourse in Matthew  24:1-2  where Jesus speaks about the destruction of Herod’s temple

[5] Moses represents the law-  Christ is greater than Moses  and the law Hebrews 3:1-6