In the last few weeks the Apostle John has taken us from a Genesis-like start to his Gospel through God's revelation through the Word or λόγος to John's testimony prior to Jesus' public ministry, the call of the Disciples, and then a "private" miracle or sign at Cana when He turned the water into wine.
We briefly discussed miracles last week and I wanted to give a better definition than what I gave last week. Grudem says that "A miracle is a less common kind of God's activity in which he arouses people's awe and wonder and bears witness to himself." This definition is carefully chosen to take into account God's providence whereby God preserves, controls, and governs all things. Some definitions have poor consequences when you examine them. For example, one definition of miracle is "a direct intervention of God in the world." But this definition assumes a deistic view of God's relationship to the world, in which the world continues on its own and God only intervenes in it occasionally. That is far from biblical. Yet another definition of miracle is "an exception to a natural law" or "God acting contrary to the laws of nature." But the phrase "laws of nature" in popular understanding implies that there are certain qualities inherent in the things that exist, "laws of nature" that operate independently of God, and that God must intervene or "break" these laws for a miracle to occur. Nothing is independent of God. Another definition of miracle is "an event impossible to explain by natural causes." This definition is inadequate because it assumes that God does not use some natural causes when he works in an unusual or amazing way, and it assumes again that God only occasionally intervenes in the world. Unfortunately it also minimizes actual miracles and increases skepticism since many times when God works in answer to prayer the result is amazing to those who prayed but it is not impossible to explain by natural causes. So the skeptic can reject it simply because some extreme physical cause can be proposed. So a miracle is a less common kind of God's activity in which He arouses people's awe and wonder and bears witness to himself.
The miracle or sign of turning water into wine was "semi-private" (as Jesus politely reminded his mother that it needed to be) and was for the disciples and some awe struck servants. Of course, for us, it looks forward to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and marks the end of Old Testament ritual purification. This week we will cover the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. In this part of the Gospel, John contrasts and parallels the responses of those who encounter Jesus.
John 2:13-17
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. 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."
The Old Testament Temple was constructed as a place of God's presence on earth for Worship. Emmanuel was foreshadowed in the Temple but Emmanuel was and is the Temple. So Jesus objection was to the pollution to the earthly representation to His image. Pollution and dead hearts will be a recurring theme. The activities could have been conducted outside the Temple. People had to come long distances for Passover and found it more convenient to purchase animals for worship than to bring them from home. That is a nice thing and it was customary for it to be done across the valley from the Temple and not in the temple. In addition, the coinage used to pay the Temple Tax had to be pure. You couldn't just bring in impure silver from the boonies and expect it to be accepted so you needed a money changer. It appears they may have been charging more than a fair amount to make the conversion but it was a useful service. So both of these things facilitated worship but they were out of place. They made it easier to get worship done efficiently and on time but they made it harder to worship. They were out of place. It was man-centered worship rather than God-centered worship and Jesus drove them out of the temple.
The Scripture quotation used by the Apostle John is interesting because it isn't from a Messianic Psalm. It is from Psalm 69 and it is a Psalm of David in which he describes persecution because of his zeal or love for the Temple and worship of God. So John, remembering the Psalm, realized that Jesus as David's offspring had this same characteristic passion for purity in worship and in the Temple.
John 2:18-22
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.
Jesus acted with authority and as a prophet so the Jews wanted a sign. They asked who do you think you are and can you prove it with a sign from God? The actions of Jesus were prophesied by Malachi.
Malachi 3:1-4
"Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
So, in reality, Jesus driving out the animals and money changers was a sign. Signs act as signs to those who conform to the law and are a curiosity to those who are spiritually dead. Jesus gave them a perfect answer and His point was to draw attention to the real Temple. Signs don't save people because they don't change hearts. These signs point at, or testify to, Christ but the Holy Spirit saves spiritually dead people to glorify Jesus and the Father. Signs are sometimes associated with salvations of those whom are being raised from death to new life by the Holy Spirit but real signs would never distract from the glory of Christ in the miracle of salvation of sinners.
John 2:23-25
Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
Remember that we have three stages mediated by the Holy Spirit for the glory of Christ. Those stages are given Latin names and they are noticia, assensus, and fiducia. These correspond to an awareness of the Gospel facts, conceding that the facts are true, and then finally saving (fiducia) faith. We see that here in the response to the signs that Jesus was doing. The Bible makes it clear that all believing is not fiduciary in regards to regeneration. In fact, as we've said before, if you have noticia and assensus then you are simply qualified for serving as a demon. Jesus was aware that men often hear only what they want to hear and remake His words to fit their sinful desires. The Jews wanted a political solution to remove the Romans from their midst. With a few exceptions, the belief in this verse was not based in repentance and the desire for salvation from sins. This belief was that provisional and empirical belief that tests out Jesus to see if He is can make things better for the sinner. This is the lucky rabbit's foot approach to religion.
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