Jesus cleansed the temple in Jerusalem twice―once at the beginning of His public ministry and once at the end. Both times, He drove out those who were buying and selling in the temple courtyard, overturned the tables of the money changers, and denounced those who had turned His “Father’s house” into a “house of merchandise” (John 2:16) and a “den of thieves” (Luke 19:46). Christ’s cleansing of the temple represented far more than the expulsion of merchants from a physical building. It declared a religious liberty manifesto proclaimed with divine authority by the Author of freedom.
The blueprint for the wilderness sanctuary, upon which the later temples in Jerusalem were modeled, was given to Israel after their miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery. “And let them make me a sanctuary,” God told Moses, “that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). Freedom reigns where the Freedom-Giver dwells, and God’s desire to dwell among His people revealed His purpose to set them free from physical bondage and from sin. In his song of praise after the miracle at the Red Sea, Moses said, “Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established” (Exodus 15:17). The sanctuary and the temples eventually erected in Jerusalem represented the promise of freedom from sin that comes through God’s power and presence.
The purity of all things connected with the temple and its services was intended to reflect the holiness of the God it represented and of the people that worshiped in it. Shortly before telling Israel to build the sanctuary, God had revealed this purpose when He said, “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). The New Testament makes a similar connection between Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary and its effect on those that worship Him. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14). The temple, therefore, represents the dwelling place of an infinitely free God and of a free people that love and serve Him.
Israel’s repeated mistake was to assume that the mere physical presence of the sanctuary, or the later temples, was an automatic safeguard against the consequences of sin and rebellion against God. An example of this delusive mindset was demonstrated by the men of Judah when Jeremiah warned them, “Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good” (Jeremiah 18:11). In response, they said, “Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words” (Jeremiah 18:18). The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple a short time later proved the folly of their blind trust in the physical structure that was intended to represent their own spiritual strength.
Both times that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, the physical destruction had been preceded by a spiritual fall. The book of 2 Chronicles reveals the spiritual condition of the nation before its Babylonian captivity. “Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy” (2 Chronicles 36:14-16). Spiritual apostasy and rebellion against divine authority resulted in the destruction of the city and the temple, and seventy years of captivity in Babylon.
The city and the temple were both rebuilt after the return from captivity. However, the erection of physical walls was not mirrored in the construction of spiritual character. By the time of Christ, “the priesthood had become so corrupt that the priests had no scruples in engaging in the most dishonest and criminal acts to accomplish their designs. Those who assumed the office of high priest before, and at, the time of Christ’s first advent, were not men divinely appointed to the sacred work. They had eagerly aspired to the office through love of power and show. They desired a position where they could have authority, and practice fraud under a garb of piety, and thereby escape detection. The high priest held a position of power and importance. He was not only counselor and mediator, but judge; and there was no appeal from his decision. The priests were held in restraint by the authority of the Romans, and were not allowed the power of legally putting any one to death. This power rested with those who bore rule over the Jews. Men of corrupt hearts sought the distinguished office of high priest, and frequently obtained it by bribery and assassination” (Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, p. 13).
As had happened centuries earlier, misplaced trust in the physical building of the temple led to spiritual blindness and slavery to sin. Thirty-nine years after Jesus Christ was crucified, Jerusalem and its prized temple were destroyed by the Romans. Again, physical destruction was preceded by a spiritual fall. The massive walls of the temple provided no protection from the power of sin. This kind of freedom can be gained only by acceptance of, and obedience to, the divine Freedom-Giver.
On both occasions that Jesus cleansed the temple, the religious leaders responded by demanding evidence of His authority to do so. Jesus answered the first time by predicting His death and resurrection: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Freedom results from the work of the living Savior. Had Christ never risen from the dead, our faith would be futile. However, the miracle of the resurrection assures us of God’s power to save from sin and reveals His authority to forgive and to judge the transgressors of His law.
Jesus answered the second time to the challenge of His authority by pointing His accusers to the prophetic gift. “And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?” (Luke 20:3, 4). John the Baptist, like the prophets before him, had revealed and denounced the hypocrisy and sin of those who claimed to serve God. In persecuting and killing the prophets, the nation of Israel silenced the voice of divine correction, seared its national conscience, and prepared itself to finally reject the Messiah. For this reason, Christ linked his work of cleansing the sanctuary with acceptance of the prophetic gift. When His accusers answered that they could not tell where John’s baptism came from, Jesus replied, “Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things” (Luke 20:8).
When Jesus left the temple for the last time before His crucifixion, He declared with sorrow in His voice, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not? Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:37, 38). The temple’s promise of freedom held meaning only in connection with the nation’s acceptance of the Freedom-Giver. The purpose and significance of the building vanished with the rejection of the Messiah.
This sad history is a lesson and a warning for the church today. The buildings, institutions, structures, and history given to us have meaning only in connection with acceptance of, and obedience to, Jesus Christ’s authority and power. They have purpose only in connection with our willingness to listen to and obey the spirit of prophecy. They have the power to spread the gospel and change lives only in connection with continual reliance on divine power, self-surrender, and commitment to speak and act for God’s glory alone. The temple must be cleansed again. The beautiful buildings entrusted to God’s people must be reflected in an even more beautiful character. The hearts of God’s children must be turned to their heavenly Father, “[lest He] come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:6).
Jesus Christ is about to return in clouds of glory, but before this happens, He “shall suddenly come to his temple, … And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness” (Malachi 3:1, 3). Just as He cleansed the temple two thousand years ago, He will cleanse His people today, so that they are prepared to stand in His presence when He returns. The miracle will take place. The only question that remains is whether we will be part of it.