The way of love is a set of spiritual practices that one undertakes for a Jesus centred life. The point of these spiritual practices is to de-centre the self, so that God continues as the central aspect of our lives. Through lent, we have explored the practices of turn, rest and learn. Using John 2, the cleansing of the temple, as our key text, we explore authentic worship as a practical discipline in walking the way of love.

There are a number of layers to the cleansing of the temple in John 2, we explore 2. The literary meaning of the cleansing of the temple as a parabolic action and empathy for the poor who are exploited in the cult of temple sacrifice.  

To appreciate John 2:13-22 one must quite obviously read the text within the broader Gospel of John. 

In John 1 the prologue offers a New Genesis, a New creation. The words “In the beginning…” (John 1.1) so clearly echo Genesis 1.1 that we know that the books of Genesis and perhaps Exodus have something to do with the Gospel of John. 

(About Genesis 1)

For the Ancient Near Eastern listener, Genesis 1 is the story of creation, but the creation in seven days matches the construction of a temple in seven stages. The perfect creation where heaven and earth indwell each other is symbolised by a temple. In accordance with ancient near eastern thought, the image of the deity is made second to last. On the sixth day God creates an image of Godself. On the seventh day the presence of God rushes into the temple to dwell in unity with humankind. The seventh day of rest in Genesis is the day in which deity rules in the temple. In the Psalms, the hymns describe God saying, “here is Zion my resting place” (psalm 132). Genesis offers an account of creation that describes a marriage between heaven and earth as the ideal creation. The ideal creation is the ultimate temple where God dwells with God’s people. 

(About John 1)

In the New Creation in John 1, the climax of the story is the Word of God made flesh who “tabernacles” among us. In John’s Gospel, the ideal creation where heaven and earth are united is Jesus. The development John offers in his Gospel is that Jesus himself is the temple of the new heaven and new earth.  

(About John 2)

If we can embrace the overarching theme of John’s Gospel as the New Creation with Jesus as the temple, the ultimate symbol of unity between heaven and earth, we can step into a different understanding of John 2.

John 2 begins with the wedding at Cana where Jesus performs the first of his signs. (Remember that John 1-12 is called the book of signs). The first sign is at a wedding. Jesus turn water into wine. As a dramatic precursor for what is to happen afterwards, it is the water for the rites of purification that Jesus turns into wine. Cheeky. 

The image of marriage is what is so very important. On offer is the marriage between heaven and earth made visible in Jesus. The ideal creation is one where earth and heaven wed. The temple is the sign that points to this ideal creation. In Jesus we have the meeting of heaven and earth. Later Jesus will teach us that this too is our identity, our destiny. Later Jesus will breathe out onto his disciples the Holy Spirit with the mandate, as the Father has sent me, so I send you. Through Jesus, we too will all be places where the world can see the marriage between the divine and human taking place.

(About John 2:13-22)

In cleansing the temple Jesus is relocating the vision of a heaven and earth unity in himself and not the Jerusalem Temple. It’s a parable in action. 

Notice that what Jesus attacks is the source of Temple sacrifice. The temple treasury where Roman coins are exchanged for temple coins is overturned. The sacrificial animals themselves, the cattle, the sheep and of course the doves, are set loose. Jesus is subverting the temple cult of sacrifice. Over and over again Jesus in John’s Gospel is preparing us for the end of sacrificial religion. The temple is a place of sacrifice and God in Jesus puts an end to any kind of sacrificial approach to God. Jesus will not be a sacrifice for our sins – his action in John 2.13-22 indicates a break with sacrificial systems. Later in John 4 the Samaritan woman will ask about the nature of true worship. Jesus will answer that true worship is not about temple sacrifice either in the Jewish temple or the Samaritan temple but true worshippers worship in spirit and truth.

The Jerusalem temple at its best was meant to be a sign of the marriage of heaven and earth as the ideal creation. Clearly it is not working that way. This temple must go. It is not about reform, as in “let’s make the temple great again”. The temple must totally be destroyed and raised in a new way in Jesus - Resurrection. 

(About empathy for the poor)

Of particular concern in John 2.13-22 is the way in which sacrificial religion exploits the poor. Notice the attention paid to freeing the doves. In temple worship the ideal sacrifice is a sheep. The Leviticus code made allowances for the poor who could sacrifice two doves or pigeons if they could not afford a sheep. The anger Jesus expresses is how the poor are exploited to pay for the lifestyles of the rich. Already burdened by tax the poor are further exploited in exchanging Roman coin for temple coin and then paying exorbitant prices for doves and pigeons authorised by the temple elite.

In following the tradition of the prophets Jesus enacts Micah 6.8. Micah criticises worship that focuses on temple to the neglect of the poor. He asks with what shall we become before the Lord our God? Shall we offer the fruit of our loins for the sin of the soul? No. You have heard o Mortal one what the Lord requires. To love mercy, to love justice and to walk humbly with our God.

As we focus on authentic worship as a practice on the way of love we remember that the true worship God requires is not perfection in temple worship but the love of Justice and Mercy and care for the poor.