The Cross is the most important thing in Christianity. Without it Christianity is just another religion. Because of the cross, Christianity is a way of life. Every one of Satan’s efforts to tempt Jesus was aimed at getting him to bypass the cross. Satan never tried to convince Jesus that he wasn’t the Son of God or that he didn’t have “all power in heaven and in earth.” But he did try to persuade him to choose some route besides the cross.
This is the manuscript of the third sermon in the Centrality Of The Cross Early in His earthly ministry Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast and on a visit to the Temple "turned it out". When He expressed His indignation at what was going on He revealed three distinct facets of His personality; each one of them relating, in a unique way, to His death on the cross. We see Him show anger, we hear him announce his mission to die, and we observe His divine magnetism that made him appeal to the people
For an audio recording click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript
This is the manuscript of the third sermon in the Centrality Of The Cross Early in His earthly ministry Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast and on a visit to the Temple "turned it out". When He expressed His indignation at what was going on He revealed three distinct facets of His personality; each one of them relating, in a unique way, to His death on the cross. We see Him show anger, we hear him announce his mission to die, and we observe His divine magnetism that made him appeal to the people
For an audio recording click the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript
Scripture Reading:
John 2:13-25 NLT It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said. Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
Text:
John 2:18-19 NLT But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
Introduction
We are continuing our series “The Centrality of the Cross”. As I said at the beginning the Cross is the most important thing in Christianity. Without it Christianity is just another religion. Throughout the more than two thousand years of Christian history, the cross has been the focal point of our faith. Every other aspect of Christianity is given validity and power because of the cross and what it stands for.
In a famous painting, an artist has depicted the boy Jesus with an armful of wood on his way to Joseph’s carpenter shop. The rays of sunlight that fall across his shoulders leave a shadow of a cross on the ground beside him.
Of course the picture is nothing more than a thought that grew out of the artist’s imagination, but the implications are true. The supreme objective of our Lord Jesus Christ was the cross. From his baptism in the Jordan River, when John the Baptist declared of him, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” ( John 1:29 NIV), until his crucifixion three and a half years later, Jesus’ steps were determined and unwavering to the cross.
In our text, John revealed three distinct facets of our Lord’s personality; each one of them relates, in a unique way, to his death on the cross.
In the text, we see Him show anger, we hear him announce his mission to die, and we observe His divine magnetism that made him appeal to the people—because not only did he work miracles on their behalf, but he also knew what was in their hearts. As we read earlier at John 2:24-25
John 2:24-25 NLT But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
1. Jesus’ anger (John 2:13–17).
John 2:13-17 NLT It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.
A. The “gentle Jesus, meek and mild” concept has been so overworked that many preach and follow a Christ who barely resembles the Christ of the New Testament.
When Jesus spoke of himself as being “meek and lowly in heart” as He did at;
Matthew 11:29 NLT Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
It was really a description that reveals his patience with sinful people like us. But this doesn't suggest that he is indulgent, or that he takes sin lightly in the lives of his people.
For example when Jesus was in the presence of the hypocritical Pharisees,
Mark 3:5 NLT He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!
There was nothing “meek and mild” about Jesus when he sent a fierce message to Herod
Luke 13:32 NLT Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.
Nor was Jesus mild mannered when Peter, had so misunderstood the cross and had urged Jesus to bypass it,
Matthew 16:21-23 NLT From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
Then there were these blistering words he hurled at the Pharisees:
Matthew 23:33 NLT Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?
We see that Jesus could get angry.
B. At the very beginning of his public ministry, we see Jesus demonstrate righteous anger.
The incident of Jesus’ anger had to do with the desecration of the temple, his “Father’s house.”
John 2:16 NLT Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
We can hardly imagine how Jesus felt, with the cross ever looming before Him, as he walked through the outer court of the temple. He was coming to his Father’s house, which practically shouted that one final redemptive sacrifice was going to be offered. This single sacrifice would fulfill and end all of the sacrifices and rituals that had been part of the temple since the original one was built in the days of Solomon! So when Jesus saw the shameful desecration in the actions of money changers, he expressed strong indignation.
C. The disciples must have been amazed by what Jesus did.
Out of a burning passion for the true purpose of the temple to be maintained, Jesus had dared to challenge the religious leaders. The whip he used was not for conquest but for cleansing. Jesus knew, because it had long ago been prophesied that he would one day be destroyed as the “living temple”. A living temple in which the glory of God had actually walked with and lived among humanity.
Psalms 69:9 NLT Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
Driving of the Merchants From the Temple by Scarsellino
2. In His anger Jesus made an announcement (John 2:18–22).
John 2:18-22 NLT But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.
A. Manner of cleansing the temple.
The Jews who questioned Jesus in regard to his cleansing of the temple were members of the high priest’s party, the Sadducees, who controlled the temple finances.
Understandably they were furious because of what Jesus had done. The practice of money changing and selling animals for temple sacrifices each year at the Passover feast was a major source of revenue for them. So they wanted to know who gave Jesus the authority to do what He had just done.
What many of us miss when reading this passage is the fact that this was early in Jesus’ earthly ministry and, at this time He would have been an unknown Galilean, who swept through the temple and no one lifted a finger to stop him!
Why?
Perhaps it was because Jesus obviously demonstrated divine authority that literally paralyzed the religious leaders who were present. The very way in which he had cleansed the temple was sign enough of His authority.
John 2:15-16 NLT Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
B. There were some Implications of cleansing the temple.
Jesus gave the religious leaders an answer, and it was one of the most profound, prophetic statements He made while he was on earth:
John 2:19 NLT “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
What did he mean?
Jesus was actually saying a couple of things.
First, he was prophesying his death and resurrection. Here we see the cross in his mind already because it was these very people who would conspire to destroy the temple of his body—yet in three days he would raise it again.
There is another implication in His cleansing of the Temple. In the destruction of the “temple of Jesus’ body” and the purposes for which God intended it, they would still not succeed in stopping God’s redemptive plan for sinful humanity. Because in his resurrection, Jesus would also provide power—through the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Acts of the Apostles 1:4-8 NLT Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
And when the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost the church (the “called out” which we talked about in our Doctrines series) was born.
Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4 NLT On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
Acts of the Apostles 2:37-41 NLT Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away —all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
The Jews completely misunderstood Jesus. They thought he was talking about the actual temple building.
Their next comment was one of contempt:
John 2:20 NLT “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?”
In so many words, “How dare you infer that you could rebuild this temple, which took forty-six years to build, in three days!”
C. Explanation of cleansing the temple.
John’s explanation of Jesus' answer is profound in its simplicity:
John 2:21 NLT But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.
These people were going to destroy the temple in which the glory of God dwelt in human form.
But that act of destruction, which was actually, permitted by God as part of his sovereign plan for our redemption, would start a new movement that can not be stopped. Because when Jesus was raised from the dead, the church became “the body of Christ.”
Colossians 1:18 NLT Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
By virtue of the three days of his death and resurrection, Jesus transformed a band of Jewish disciples into a universal fellowship in which all people could find God and forgiveness for their sins.
John 2:18-22 NLT But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.” “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.
A. Manner of cleansing the temple.
The Jews who questioned Jesus in regard to his cleansing of the temple were members of the high priest’s party, the Sadducees, who controlled the temple finances.
Understandably they were furious because of what Jesus had done. The practice of money changing and selling animals for temple sacrifices each year at the Passover feast was a major source of revenue for them. So they wanted to know who gave Jesus the authority to do what He had just done.
What many of us miss when reading this passage is the fact that this was early in Jesus’ earthly ministry and, at this time He would have been an unknown Galilean, who swept through the temple and no one lifted a finger to stop him!
Why?
Perhaps it was because Jesus obviously demonstrated divine authority that literally paralyzed the religious leaders who were present. The very way in which he had cleansed the temple was sign enough of His authority.
John 2:15-16 NLT Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”
B. There were some Implications of cleansing the temple.
Jesus gave the religious leaders an answer, and it was one of the most profound, prophetic statements He made while he was on earth:
John 2:19 NLT “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
What did he mean?
Jesus was actually saying a couple of things.
First, he was prophesying his death and resurrection. Here we see the cross in his mind already because it was these very people who would conspire to destroy the temple of his body—yet in three days he would raise it again.
There is another implication in His cleansing of the Temple. In the destruction of the “temple of Jesus’ body” and the purposes for which God intended it, they would still not succeed in stopping God’s redemptive plan for sinful humanity. Because in his resurrection, Jesus would also provide power—through the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Acts of the Apostles 1:4-8 NLT Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
And when the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost the church (the “called out” which we talked about in our Doctrines series) was born.
Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4 NLT On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
Acts of the Apostles 2:37-41 NLT Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away —all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
The Jews completely misunderstood Jesus. They thought he was talking about the actual temple building.
Their next comment was one of contempt:
John 2:20 NLT “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?”
In so many words, “How dare you infer that you could rebuild this temple, which took forty-six years to build, in three days!”
C. Explanation of cleansing the temple.
John’s explanation of Jesus' answer is profound in its simplicity:
John 2:21 NLT But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.
These people were going to destroy the temple in which the glory of God dwelt in human form.
But that act of destruction, which was actually, permitted by God as part of his sovereign plan for our redemption, would start a new movement that can not be stopped. Because when Jesus was raised from the dead, the church became “the body of Christ.”
Colossians 1:18 NLT Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
By virtue of the three days of his death and resurrection, Jesus transformed a band of Jewish disciples into a universal fellowship in which all people could find God and forgiveness for their sins.
3. Jesus’ appeal to the people (John 2:23–25).
John 2:23-25 NLT Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
A. What had Jesus done in this act of cleansing the temple?
First, he had challenged the religious establishment. They were just “going through religious motions,” but there was no redemptive spirit in what they did; nobody was being convicted because of his or her sins, and nobody felt compassion or love from any direction.
Second, Jesus told them, by prophesying, that things were going to change. There would be a cross, and a death, but it would be followed by a resurrection, which would empower those who dared to believe.
Those who believed as a result of this saving power constituted a body of believers whose influence could not be contained within the four walls of a temple or any building. Instead, these believers “went out and preached everywhere”, proclaiming the Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 16:20 NLT And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
B. “He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person”
John 2:23-25 NLT Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
Jesus knew the sin and evil that had twisted and scarred people’s souls.
But he also knew the potential in those who come to the cross and believe in the name of the crucified, risen Son of God. He knew that the lives of those who came to him would be transformed, and they would become evangelists of his gospel, and His truth.
Matthew 5:13-16 NLT “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NLT And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
And because of the sheer number of those who believed, they would do greater works than he had been able to do in his brief time on earth. For the majority of Jesus’ time was spent discipling people to carry this good news to the ends of the earth.
John 14:12 NLT “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.
Matthew 28:18-20 NLT Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Conclusion
During the height of World War II, Sir Winston Churchill paid a great tribute to the young men of the Royal Air Force. Churchill said: “Never in the history of mankind have so many owed so much to so few.” But when we think of Jesus, who died on the cross to take away our sins, we say this: “Never in the history of the universe has mankind owed so much to one—Almighty God, in the person of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
John 2:19 NLT “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
That is the message of the cross. Jesus died, but he did not stay dead! Do you believe it?
John 2:23-25 NLT Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
A. What had Jesus done in this act of cleansing the temple?
First, he had challenged the religious establishment. They were just “going through religious motions,” but there was no redemptive spirit in what they did; nobody was being convicted because of his or her sins, and nobody felt compassion or love from any direction.
Second, Jesus told them, by prophesying, that things were going to change. There would be a cross, and a death, but it would be followed by a resurrection, which would empower those who dared to believe.
Those who believed as a result of this saving power constituted a body of believers whose influence could not be contained within the four walls of a temple or any building. Instead, these believers “went out and preached everywhere”, proclaiming the Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 16:20 NLT And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
B. “He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person”
John 2:23-25 NLT Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.
Jesus knew the sin and evil that had twisted and scarred people’s souls.
But he also knew the potential in those who come to the cross and believe in the name of the crucified, risen Son of God. He knew that the lives of those who came to him would be transformed, and they would become evangelists of his gospel, and His truth.
Matthew 5:13-16 NLT “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NLT And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
And because of the sheer number of those who believed, they would do greater works than he had been able to do in his brief time on earth. For the majority of Jesus’ time was spent discipling people to carry this good news to the ends of the earth.
John 14:12 NLT “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.
Matthew 28:18-20 NLT Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Conclusion
During the height of World War II, Sir Winston Churchill paid a great tribute to the young men of the Royal Air Force. Churchill said: “Never in the history of mankind have so many owed so much to so few.” But when we think of Jesus, who died on the cross to take away our sins, we say this: “Never in the history of the universe has mankind owed so much to one—Almighty God, in the person of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
John 2:19 NLT “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
That is the message of the cross. Jesus died, but he did not stay dead! Do you believe it?
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