Jesus Driving People and Animals Out of the Temple - John 2:15

John the apostle shared how Jesus turned water into wine, and he wrote, “went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting”, and in chapter two and verse fifteen of his book, John shared how Jesus, “made a scourge of small cords … and drove them all out of the temple” where we read:

And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;

The verse reads, “And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen;” John began with the words, “And when he had made a scourge” which means “and at the time and moment Jesus produced, constructed and fashioned a whip” “of small cords” which means “of rope made of rushes”, “he drove them all out” or “Jesus sent out with a notion of violence each, every, the whole and everyone of the animals and money changers” “of the temple” which refers to “belonging to the sacred worship place in Jerusalem”, “and the sheep” or “and the four footed tame animals accustomed to grazing”, “and the oxen” which means “grazing oxen”. John shared how Jesus made a “whip” out of “rushlets or grass-withe or tie” and began to “drive” all the animals and “money changers” out of the “temple”.

The verse continues, “and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;” John added the words, “and poured out” which means “and gushed, shed and spilled” “the changers' money” or “the coins and pieces of money belonging to the people who handled coins or brokered money”, “and overthrew the tables” which means “and turned upside down the tables which were being used by the money changers”. John shared how Jesus also “spilled” the money belonging to the “money changers” and “turned over” their “tables”.

When we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we learn how Jesus responded to the “animals begin sold and the money being changed” within the “sacred worship” place. After gathering materials to make a “whip”, Jesus began to “drive out” the animals and money changers who were in the “temple”. He turned over the “tables” of the “money changers” and “spilled” their money on the ground. In other words, Jesus was very upset over the way the “temple” was being used for “merchandising and profit”. Jesus will tell why He did this in our next verse, but for now, let us realize Jesus did not come to make “merchandise” of people. He came to “save” them from their sins. Anything and anyone who impedes a person from having a relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus would be “driven out” by Him as well, and because God loves people so dearly, He will remove any obstacle that prevents them from coming to Him.

Next time John shares how Jesus said, “make not my Father's house an house of merchandise”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".