Your Father’s House Revisited
*John 2:13-22*

The Setting
John 2:13-14 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.

The Story
John 2:15-22 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.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (Psalm 69:9)
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Applying the Story:
• Consider the underlying issues:
• The purpose of the sacrifices was to honor the Father who by His mercy and grace was providing a covering of his children’s sins as their guilt was placed on an innocent substitute.
• All this was to prepare hearts for the coming of the Lamb of God, His own son, whose blood would be the provision for our forgiveness of sin.
• Such a loving Father deserves our grateful praise and worship.
• At the very focal center of time and place of this expression, these people with selfish motives were exploiting this worship setting for their own selfish gain.

• My Application
• My physical body and my local church are both considered to be God’s temple, the place where His Holy Spirit dwells. 1 Cor 3:16; 6:16
• Sometimes we don’t appreciate what we have until it is taken away. Consider the sacrifices of those who face persecution and hardship just to gather with believers for worship.
• It is natural in the flesh for my attention to shift away from honoring God to seeking my own self-interests.

• How do I do this?
• I bring my messy smelly selfish desires into the environment which ought to be the beauty of holiness and the fragrance of praise.
• I make my interests of greater importance than that which our Lord is seeking.
• I think in terms of whether something pleases me rather than whether it pleases Christ.
• I neglect the needs of Christ’s flock in order to satisfy my needs.
• I treat the well-being of Christ’s flock as a matter of little importance, not worthy of my time, effort, or financial support.
• I see the growth and development of the lambs, which are the children, as of lesser importance than my own self interest. (and the list goes on)

• What will I do?
• Repent, turn from my selfishness and pride in order to show honor toward my Father in Heaven.
• Ask Him for the same attitude of mercy and grace He has shown toward me to be the way that I will respond to others.