Bible Passage: John 2:13-22
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: March 7, 2021

Bulletin March 7, 2021

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

In the middle of our text is the little word “zeal.”  A relatively benign little word.  Zeal is defined as “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.”  Sounds like a pretty good thing.  It’s when you get into some of the words derived from “zeal” that things begin to take a turn.

If someone has great zeal, they are said to be “zealous,” or even “overzealous.”  A person who is zealous is said to be a “zealot.”  If you look up synonyms for “zealot” you will find these suggestions:  fanatic, enthusiast, extremist, radical, maniac, and nut.  Whoa!  If that’s where “zeal” leads, who would ever want to be considered “zealous?”

Jesus would.  That little word “zeal” in our text is spoken of him.  Jesus is the one with zeal!  Jesus is the one who is zealous for a cause!  Jesus is the “zealot.”  Jesus would never apologize for being, nor would we ever want him to be anything other than, The Zealous Savior. 

Our text takes place early in Jesus’ ministry.  This is his first Passover in Jerusalem since beginning his public ministry.  So appreciate that Jesus is making a “first impression” for many by what he does.  This is their first taste of the Messiah and what he is like.  They would not soon forget Jesus of Nazareth!    

Let’s remember that Jesus has been in Jerusalem for many Passovers.  Recall, the one story we have from Jesus’ boyhood is when he is 12 years old and accompanies his parents to Jerusalem for the Passover.  He had likely been at every one since then, too.  So what was going on at the Temple was no surprise to him.  He had very likely seen it every year he went.

But this year he came to town publicly as the Messiah, the Christ.  And it was time to clean up the mess!  During Passover week, the Temple courts became like an oriental bazaar.  It would be difficult for the pilgrims who traveled a long way to bring along Passover lambs and whatever other animals they might want to sacrifice while there.  No problem!  You need a Passover lamb?  Right over there, aisle 5!  Inspected and priest-approved!  Want to do a whole burnt offering while in town?  No problem!  Bulls are in aisle 2!  Need a dove?  Got those, too!  How convenient!  And how out of place in God’s house!

We are also told about money-changers in the Temple.  This was for those who came into town with foreign currency.  Every adult male was required to pay the Temple tax, and it had to be paid with the correct currency.  The same way if you travel to Europe you need to see a “money-changer” to exchange your American dollars for Euros.    The money-changers were also known to have a very advantageous exchange rate – for themselves!  So a nice profit could be made. Great if you’re in the banking district of town; not so great if you are at the place which is God’s dwelling place on earth among men!

Jesus enters the Temple courts.  He twists together a whip out of ropes.  There were likely ropes and ties lying all over the place from the all animals.  He drives out the sheep and the bulls.  He tells the dove-sellers to pack up and get out.  He dumps the tables of the money-changers and sends their coins rolling.  Can you picture what the scene must have been like?

Friends, this is what holy zeal looks like!  This is what it looks like when the only-begotten Son defends the honor of his Father.  There are some who squirm a little when they hear this story.  They believe Jesus here is a little “overzealous.”  A little “over-the-top.”  Maybe should have “dialed it back just a little.”  But this is the sinless Son of God!  His reaction to what was happening in the Temple is perfect.  This is what perfect love and zeal for God look like!

This holy zeal of Jesus gives us the opportunity to examine the zeal in our lives.  And I’m afraid it might not be a comfortable examination.  Recently I was reading an article about the problems facing the church today.  And the author of the article suggested that the main problem facing churches today is what he called “apathy-ism.”  Apathy is just not caring that much about things.  Apathy in our culture is characterized by the word, “Meh.”  Apathy happens in churches when people say “Meh” to the things of God.  Apathy is seen when only 40, 30, 20% of people come to their Father’s house for worship.  Apathy is seen in irregular worship – once a month, maybe twice a month is viewed as “good enough.”  Apathy is seen when people deny themselves no creature-comforts, but offerings for the Lord’s kingdom are seldom, and then only grudgingly given, or are the first thing to go when we must “tighten our belts.”  Apathy can be seen in dusty, unopened Bibles at home and in an almost non-existent prayer life.  And in a hundred other ways.  I don’t know about you, but one prayer I have never had to pray is this: “Lord, please forgive me.  I was too zealous for you today.”

Behold in the Temple your zealous Savior!  There is the zeal God demands of you.  There is the zeal God DOES see in you through faith in Jesus.  There is the zeal that is placed in the balance and tips things in your favor in God’s courtroom.  Jesus never once said, “Meh!” to the things of his Father.  His zeal went further still.

Back to our text.  When the disciples see what Jesus does, the words of Psalm 69 come to their minds.  They thought of the words of David who wrote:  Zeal for your house consumes me.  David wasn’t saying that he had this consuming desire to go to church.  David was saying in Psalm 69 that because he was zealous for the Lord and the Lord’s cause, other people wanted to consume him!  At the Temple, the disciples begin to realize, “This is really about Jesus!  The zeal Jesus is showing is going to get him killed!”

Already the biting and “consuming” begins.  Some present demand that Jesus do a sign, a miracle, to prove his authority to “rearrange” the Temple.  Jesus says, Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days. (v. 19)  They are puzzled.  “This current Temple renovation project has been going on for 46 years, and YOU – you’re going to completely rebuild it in three days!”  But Jesus wasn’t talking about the Temple building.

There was little clue in Jesus’ words that should have tipped them off.  Jesus didn’t say he was going to “build” the Temple again, he said he was going to raise it.  He didn’t use a construction word, he used the word that is used for raising people.  He was talking about his resurrection.  And Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on the third day is the sign above all signs that he is the authoritative Son of God!  And it is also the crowning jewel of Jesus’ zeal.  It is vindication that his zeal was not in vain or for nothing!  It is the Father’s “with him I am well-pleased” over all Christ did.  The ministry of Jesus begins with zeal to clean his Father’s house, and it concludes with his zeal to die for our sins and rise again.

Friends, we can be forever – literally, FOREVER – grateful that we have a zealous Savior.   Some may say of Jesus’ zeal that is was fanatic, radical, extreme.  How about we call Jesus’ zealous love “amazing?”  And then say, with Christ-motivated and Spirit-given zeal: “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” (CW 125:4)

Amen.

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