John chapter 2

vs 13

Something that people regularly comment on is that in the other gospels, Jesus goes to Jerusalem only once or twice. But in John's gospel, he visits there regularly. Which makes sense, really - if his ministry lasted 3 1/2 years, you'd think he went there anywhere up to four times for passover if nothing else.

vs 14

Selling sacrificial things, and exchanging money for the proper kind of money to be donated. They would do this in the court of the Gentiles.

vs 15

One man being able to do this either tells us that there wasn't really that many people selling (and not all that much livestock being sold)or he was hardcore and people didn't want to tangle with him. I mean, if I saw someone coming at me with a whip and it was my business he was trying to ruin, I think I'd defend it. Regardless, Jesus seems successful at the time.

vs 16

So it seems Jesus took umbrage at the idea of the Temple being used as a market. Odd, considering Jesus came to replace the Temple. Perhaps that's why he was so upset - he is the new temple, and knows he will be treated likewise, in a metaphorical sense anyway.

Why didn't he whip the dove sellers? Perhaps Jesus was an ornithologist.

vs 17

Which shows that his disciples were not biblically illiterate. When your culture forces you to learn the Bible, you learn it. When you're not forced by anyone but yourself, it's a lot more difficult.

vs 18

I'm sure they said it just like that, without any swearing or demanding money for their damaged livestock and tables :P But they are perhaps willing to accept that yes, the temple is holy, and yes, perhaps selling stuff in it is wrong - but they want to know he's got authority to tell them what they already know.

vs 19

This is really very early on in Jesus' ministry, and he's already talking about his resurrection, albeit in mysterious terms.

vs 20

And no one was going to understand him of course - he was standing in the temple at the time, so referring to himself as a temple would have easily been lost on them at that point.

vs 21

We're not left to assume what he meant, though. John tells us straight up. What a great gospel, that John explains stuff like this straight to us!

vs 22

Note what the disciples believed after the resurrection - the words Jesus said, and Scripture. Because Scripture has told us these truths all along, it's just we suck at getting them. This is the guys that saw Jesus whipping people in the temple and related it to Psalm 69, and they still couldn't see what was going to happen. We'd have no chance.

vs 23

So Jesus is doing miracles, but John doesn't think that's very important, so he just mentions that Jesus did a bunch of them, and people believe in him, or better yet, believe in the authority by which he does them (his name).

vs 24

This is another reason I like John. He tells us things that we couldn't know simply from looking at Jesus' life. Jesus probably said something about how he wasn't going to entrust himself to these men, and John has recalled it and put it here so we can get an insight into the real Jesus. Not that we can't get to know Jesus from the other gospels - but here we are really seeing the man, and the God, that is Jesus.

Jesus knows what people are like - he knows that these people who are believing him now are going to bugger off later. So he stays a little aloof from them.

vs 25

Jesus created people, and had seen them all through the ages not measure up. He wasn't surprised at the fact that people were pretty unfaithful, and so he made sure he was separate. Still had his little group of special disciples though - because he was mentoring them into leadership positions.