“Temple”176, the Evangelist describes the bustle in the temple area because of the daily offering of animals in sacrifice to God like the “oxen”177, “sheep”178, or “doves”179 (cf. v. 14) by the pilgrims. The pilgrims from other cities and countries required a faultless animal (cf. Leviticus 1:1–17; 3:1–17) for their offering, which they had to buy on the spot in the outer Temple’s court of the Gentiles because many could not bring their own sacrificial animals on their long journey. In the temple area the foreign pilgrims had to use the local money, the “Syrian” currency, so that they had to change their own money there because their coins pictured other gods and emperors, not the God YHWH. That is the reason that merchants and money-changers with the work-permission of the authority of the Temple were around the Temple. In this way, the Temple’s courtyard was like a commercial bazaar, a marketplace (cf. v. 16c), or a profane180 “centre of business” (cf. v. 16) and no longer a place of worship. He protested against the secularization of the Temple. This is the starting point of the cleansing of the Temple by Jesus in verses 15–16.
v. 15: The non-verbal action of Jesus was as follows: First He “made a whip181 out of cords182”, then He “drove … all”183 animals (cf. v. 14) “out184 of the temple” area (cf. Mark 11:15–16; Matthew 21:12; Luke 19:45) and was against the money-making and less against the “money changers”185 (and merchants) as persons. Afterwards He “scattered186 the coins187” and “overturned”188 the “tables”189 of the money-changers.
v. 16: Jesus explained His action with the help of the quotation by the prophet Zechariah 14:21. It means that “God’s house” (cf., for example, Mark 2:26; Matthew 12:4; Luke 6:4 – Genesis 28:17, 19; Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11) is seen as a “house of prayer” (cf. Mark 11:17; Matthew 21:13; Luke 19:46) for all people(s), including the Gentiles (cf. Isaiah 56:6–7; Jeremiah 7:11).
- First Comment by the Evangelist (v. 17)
The words “the house of (my) Father ( )” in verse 16c are the catchword for the quotation of the “Hebrew Bible”190, in verse 17 especially Psalm 69:9/10. Instead of the Fourth Evangelist (and maybe the “beloved disciple” John), the disciples of Jesus are interpreters of their Master’s action. In this way, Jesus is the fulfiller of the Hebrew Bible, our so-called “Old Testament”.
- Jesus’ Hearing by the Jewish “Police” of the Temple in the Form of a Dialogue (vv. 18–20)
v. 18: In the pilgrimage time, the “Temple guards” (cf. John 7:32, 45–46) as the Temple “police” or some other Jewish authority – note the general phrase “the Jews” – in Greek “hoɩ ’Ioudaῖoɩ” in verses 18a, 20a – had to interview Jesus about the permission, authority, legitimation of his agitation in the Temple’s courtyard (cf. vv. 18, 20) as it was done for John the Baptist in John 1:19–28. In this context they demanded a “sign”191 (cf. John 4:48; 6:30; 7:31; 9:16; 11:47 and Mark 8:11–12/Matthew 12:38–39; Luke 23:8; 1 Corinthians 1:22) from Him; they wanted to see. With His prophetical action against the money-changers and merchants around the Temple (cf. vv. 14–16) Jesus attacked the lifeblood of the aristocracy in Jerusalem and He called their business into question. This business was their means of existence and the financial basis of the authority of the Jerusalem Temple. Whoever was against the Temple had all the people of Jerusalem against him. In this way, Jesus was not only a theological rebel but He was also a political and economic revolutionary because of His political provocation and economic boycott192.
v. 19: Jesus quickly answered their question with the help of a comparison: on the one hand the “Temple”193 (vv. 20b, 21) in Jerusalem, a building “of stone” and on the other hand Jesus as Christ’s temple “of flesh” (cf. Ezekiel 36:26) by His Risen body194 (cf. Mark 14:58; 15:29; Matthew 26:61; 27:40) as a “new Temple”195 – note also the contrast196 of the verbs “lúo” (= to destroy) in verse 19b and “egeíro” (= to raise up) in verse 19c. For the Jewish people and for the Christians this was an important and existential (eschatological, soteriological) question after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70 A.D. After this date, the Pharisees and the synagogues had a special standing in Jewish religious life, however for the Church of Jerusalem and also the Johannine Christian community Jesus, the Crucified and Resurrected Christ, was/is their centre in the light of the Easter event. That was one reason for the antagonism between Jews and Christians. The literary style progresses from ambiguity to misunderstanding and finally to comprehension.
v. 20: The Jewish authorities rejected His mysterious comparison. Their query in verse 20 has the same structure as Jesus’ answer in verse 19, so that the structure and same words of verses 19b–c and 20b–c are the same: In this way, they contrasted the long building-time (46 years) in the first part of the question (cf. v. 20b) with the short time (“three days”) of Jesus’ comparison in the second part (cf. vv. 19c, 20c) in an antithetic197 way. Jesus only used the first person Singular for His answer in the second part in verse 19c (“… and in three days I will raise it up”) in contrast to the question of the “Temple guards” the second person Singular in verse 20c (“… and ( ) in three days (you) will raise it up”) for Jesus. Their misunderstanding was that they proceeded from the rebuilding of King Herod the Great who had enlarged the Temple in Jerusalem since 20/19 B.C. as a physical action. The additional “46 years” would date to about 26/27 respectively 27/28 A.D. (cf. Luke 3:23) but in fact the rebuilding was finished in 63/64198 A.D. (cf. Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews XX 219). Or is the number 46 the symbol for “ADAM” (1 + 4 + 1 + 40) according to the church father Origen199?
- Second Comment by the Evangelist (vv. 21–22)
v. 21: The explanation of the Fourth Evangelist is in the light of Easter that the Risen “body” (in Greek “sõma”) of Jesus Christ is the new (spiritual) “Temple” (vv. 19b, 20b) where the Holy Spirit dwells fully (cf. John 1:32; 4:23–24; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19).
v. 22: The Evangelist’s comment suggests at the beginning of his Gospel that the passion of Jesus is also the glory of Jesus Christ because of His Resurrection at Easter in the acceptance of the Hebrew Bible (in Greek “graphé” – Scripture/s). Similar to verse 17a, His disciples – including the so-called “beloved disciple” in John 13:23; 18:15–16; 20:2–10; 21:7, 20–24 – “remembered” (in Greek “mɩmnéskomaɩ” in vv. 17a, 22b and in 14:26) all and reread the Hebrew Bible with a different interpretation (cf. 12:16; 20:9). In this way, like their Master Jesus, they were the “first Christian exegetical interpreters” of the Hebrew Bible200, the Jewish “Holy Scripture(s)” and our so-called “Old/First Testament” (= OT), with its three parts, in Hebrew called “TaNaK”: the Torah, the prophets (nebiim), the writings (ketubim). Their task was to tell this “Good News” to everyone and everywhere. On this point His disciples had – and all people still – have to decide about “believing” (cf. 1:50) in Jesus of Nazareth in “word” and deed and in His Resurrection for our Resurrection of the bodies, saying YES or NO to this foundation of our Christian creed as a great mystery (cf. 20:30–31).
The essence of the verses 13/14–22 is summarized with the words of the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin 1770–1843 A.D.), Brod und Wein/Bread and Wine, written in the 1804 version:
