(REFLECTIONS ON John 2:13-25)

16b “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”

In the Old Testament (Ref. Deuteronomy 16:16), God commanded all Israelite males to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem (the place which He chooses) three times a year. One of those times was for the Passover (Feast of Unleavened Bread).

During Passover, every Jewish male was required to pay the annual half-shekel Temple tax as commanded in Exodus 30:13–16, and sacrifices such as lambs, oxen, and doves were central to the feast.

Because many pilgrims traveled long distances, they often brought money instead of animals, as permitted in Deuteronomy 14:24–26, and purchased approved sacrifices upon arrival in Jerusalem.

Since foreign coins bearing Caesar’s image were not acceptable for Temple use, money changers exchanged them for Tyrian silver shekels, the required currency for the Temple tax.

What began as a practical provision to assist worshipers, gradually expanded into a large marketplace within the Temple courts, setting the stage for Jesus’ confrontation in John 2.

My Father’s House was to be a place of worship, the place that the Lord chose to put His Name and where His glory was, but it became a business operation of money exchange, with inflated exchange rates, and also animals being sold at the temple for exorbitant prices.

What have we turned My Father’s House into today? Has church become a place just for social gatherings, social activities, a place where business is done, where money is exchanged, all in the name of God, but without a heart of worship?

This reflection is not calling the church or church institutions corrupt, but is a reminder that we are called to worship in My Father’s House. However, if we are not careful, too confident of what we are doing, we may turn worship into something else than that. My Father’s House is a place of worship, and that is Jesus Himself.

When Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” (v.19) Jesus was declaring that He was the temple, that worship would no longer be a place, but in Him, through Him, and with Him.

My Father’s House is Jesus Christ, and our worship is what is required.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: John 2