Imitating CHRIST! Part 2

12 After this he went down to Caper'na-um, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples; and there they stayed for a few days. 13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; you shall not make my Father's house a house of trade." 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." 18 The Jews then said to him, "What sign have you to show us for doing this?"  19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he spoke of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.  John 2:12–22  

God’s Temple - a house of prayer for ALL. It is disturbed by those trading in the mercies and forgiveness of God as if these were commodities at an exchange, and very often at the expense of the poor who came to make sacrifices.
God is everywhere but at times we tend to be easily distracted by things around us especially sound.
Jesus was angry that the Temple, the one place in the world, where people came together to hear the still small voice was loud and crowded.

Jesus drives the money-changers out of the temple. When asked for a sign Jesus replies-He would raise the destroyed temple in three days.

Verses 14 Animals made readily available for purchase. V15–16: Jesus did not approve of what He saw. 

Matthew 21:13 does say: “It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers."

v16, The disciples saw this incredible display of fury—and they connected it with Psalm 69:9 “Zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.”

Jesus was consumed with zeal for His Father’s house. “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” Psalm 73:25.

The anger is directed at those who were selling and handling the money. “He himself knew what was in man” John 2:25.

Jesus saw the heart and everything that came out was the love of money and not the love of God. Jesus saw hypocrisy. Religion used as a cover-up for insatiable love of money.

“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me” Matthew 15:8–9

v18: Matthew 12:38–39: “Some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ But He answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign.’”

Of course it’s a trick question.

v19-20-21, Jesus would have meant, If you treasure money more than my Father, you will treasure my destruction and buy it with 30 pieces of silver.

Destroy this temple, the building; and destroy this temple, My Body.

“In Three Days I Will Raise It Up”

John 10:17–18 “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again; this charge I have received from my Father.” 
He lays it down for our sin. He takes it up again. 

We literally use the whip as a reason to tell ourselves that if Christ could use the whip to drive out money lenders, we think we are justified to support our violent tendencies saying that Jesus got angry too. But, here’s the thing, Jesus uses whip made from reeds, basket-weaving materials. 

The material temple that was destroyed, Jesus replaces this temple and becomes the new place where everyone may meet God and fellowship with God. Matthew 12:6, “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.” 

And It is Jesus, Himself.

Thank You, Abba Father.
Thank You, Jesus.
Thank You, Holy Spirit.