Jesus Clears the Temple
"Destroy this temple, and in three days"
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- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
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The whole story, in shortWhat happens, start to finish. Open it if you want the ending first.
At Passover, Jesus found people selling animals and changing money in the temple courts, so he made a whip of cords, drove them out, and overturned the tables, saying, "How dare you turn My Father's house into a marketplace!" When the leaders demanded a sign, Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again." He meant his body, and after he rose from the dead, his disciples remembered and believed.
Where it is in the Bible: John 2:13-22
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. He has come to Jerusalem for the Passover feast.
- The sellers and money changers: People doing business in the temple courts.
- Jesus's disciples: His followers. They watch and try to understand.
- The temple leaders: Leaders who demand to know what right Jesus has to do this. John calls them "the Jews."
Setting
- The temple in Jerusalem, the center of worship for God's people. The story takes place in its large outer courts.
When
- Near the Passover feast, about 2,000 years ago, early in Jesus's work.
Before the Story
Jesus had just done his first sign. At a wedding in Cana, he turned water into wine (2:1-11). A sign is a miracle that points to who Jesus is.
The temple was where God promised to meet his people. People came from far away to pray and bring sacrifices there. A sacrifice was an animal offered to God.
Passover was a great feast. Every year, God's people remembered how God rescued them from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12). Many thousands of people came to Jerusalem.
Here's what you know that the people in the temple don't: John has already called Jesus "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (1:29).
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A marketplace | 2:13-14 | Jesus finds people buying and selling in the temple courts |
| 2. A whip of cords | 2:15-16 | Jesus drives them out |
| 3. The disciples remember | 2:17 | A line from the Psalms comes to mind |
| 4. "What sign?" | 2:18-20 | The leaders demand proof. Jesus gives a puzzling answer |
| 5. The temple of his body | 2:21-22 | John explains what Jesus meant |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 5A Marketplace
It was almost time for Passover. Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
In the temple courts, he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves. Money changers sat at their tables. Money changers traded one kind of coin for another.
Visitors needed animals for sacrifices. They also needed the right coins to pay the temple tax. So business was going on right inside the temple courts.
Scene 2 of 5A Whip of Cords
Jesus made a whip out of cords. A cord is a thin rope.
He drove everyone out of the temple courts, with the sheep and cattle.
He poured out the money changers' coins and turned over their tables.
To the people selling doves, he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father's house into a marketplace!" (2:16).
Jesus called the temple "My Father's house" (2:16). He was saying that God is his Father.
Scene 3 of 5The Disciples Remember
Jesus's disciples watched. They remembered words from Scripture: "Zeal for Your house will consume Me" (2:17).
These words come from Psalm 69. Zeal means a strong, burning love for something. To consume means to burn up. Jesus loved his Father's house with a love that would cost him everything.
Scene 4 of 5"What Sign?"
The temple leaders were not pleased. "What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?" they demanded (2:18). Authority means the right to do something.
Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again" (2:19).
The leaders thought he meant the stone building. "This temple took forty-six years to build," they said, "and You are going to raise it up in three days?" (2:20).
Scene 5 of 5The Temple of His Body
But Jesus was not talking about the stone building.
"Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body" (2:21).
His enemies would destroy his body on a cross. Three days later, he would rise from the dead.
Nobody understood this at the time. But after Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture, and the words Jesus had spoken.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Selling cattle, sheep, and doves" (2:14) | Animals were sold for sacrifices. The place meant for prayer had become a busy market. |
| "My Father's house" (2:16) | Jesus spoke as God's Son. The temple belonged to his Father. |
| "Zeal for Your house will consume Me" (2:17) | Jesus's love for God's house would cost him his life. |
| "What sign can You show us" (2:18) | The leaders wanted proof that Jesus had the right to act like this. |
| "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (2:19) | Jesus pointed to his death and resurrection. That would be the sign. |
| "The temple of His body" (2:21) | The temple was where God met his people. Now God meets people in Jesus. |
Back Then
The temple was huge. King Herod rebuilt and enlarged it. The work started about 20 years before Jesus was born and went on for many years (Easton's Bible Dictionary). That's why the leaders said it took "forty-six years to build" (2:20).
Its largest court was open to everyone. People who were not Jewish could come into the outer court to pray. The animals and tables filled this space.
Doves were the offering of poor families. If a family could not afford a lamb, the law let them bring two doves or pigeons (Leviticus 12:8). Mary and Joseph did this when Jesus was a baby (Luke 2:24).
The other Gospels tell a story like this at the end of Jesus's work. Matthew, Mark, and Luke place it in Holy Week (Mark 11:15-17). John tells it at the beginning. Some think Jesus did this twice. Others think John placed it early to show from the start who Jesus is.
Literal Reader Alert
Did Jesus hurt people with the whip? John says Jesus drove out the people and the sheep and cattle (2:15). John does not say Jesus hit anyone. A herder used a whip of cords to move animals.
Was Jesus out of control? No. Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. He was showing that the temple belonged to his Father. Anger at what is wrong is not the same as losing control.
Is it wrong to sell things at church? This story is not mainly about bake sales. It's about who Jesus is: God's Son, and the true temple where we meet God.
Did Jesus mean he would rebuild the stone temple in three days? No. John tells us plainly. He meant his body (2:21). The leaders took his words literally. They didn't understand until much later, and some never did.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Jesus | Angry | His Father's house had become a marketplace (2:16) |
| The sellers | Shocked | Their tables and coins were thrown on the ground (2:15) |
| The temple leaders | Offended | They wanted to know what right Jesus had (2:18) |
| The disciples | Puzzled | They did not understand until after Jesus rose (2:22) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Where do you go to meet God? Tap one.
At church
That's a good place. Jesus loved his Father's house. In church, God comes to you in his word.
Anywhere I pray
Jesus said true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). God hears you anywhere.
I'm not sure
This story gives an answer: we meet God in Jesus. Start by reading about him.
My life feels messy
Jesus cleared out the temple. He can make room in your life for God too. Tell him what's crowding you.
You Might Have Heard
"This story shows that Jesus was mainly against money."
What's true: Jesus did not want God's house turned into a marketplace (2:16). How we use money matters to God.
What the story is mainly about: Jesus is the true temple. The building was where God met his people. Now God meets people in Jesus, the one who was destroyed and raised again in three days.
Where Jesus is: In his Father's house, clearing the way. And later, on the cross and out of the tomb, the temple destroyed and raised.
Good News
The temple was where people brought animals to be sacrificed for their sins. Jesus became the sacrifice himself.
"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again" (2:19).
They destroyed his body on the cross. He rose on the third day. Now no one needs to buy an animal to come near to God. Jesus has opened the way.
Jesus is the place where God meets us. He gave his body for us and rose again.
Big Idea
Jesus cleared his Father's house and pointed to his own body as the true temple. In Jesus, crucified and risen, God meets us.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
Luther taught that God has promised to meet us in certain places: in his word, in Baptism, and in the Lord's Supper. We do not have to climb up to find God. He comes to us in Jesus, through these means.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads John 2:13-22 on the Third Sunday in Lent in Year B.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.
How did that feel?
You finished Jesus Clears the Temple.
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Third Sunday in Lent Year BGospel, John 2:13–22
For a newsletter or sermon notes
Jesus Clears the Temple, explained in plain words. The temple courts are a marketplace. Jesus turns the tables over. About 10 minutes. https://freescripture.org/stories/jesus-clears-the-temple/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church