John 2:13-22 (ESV)

¹³ The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. ¹⁵ And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” ¹⁸ So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But he was speaking about the temple of his body. ²² When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

The Passover required that the worshippers sacrifice an animal and pay a temple tax. Many people traveled for long distances to attend this event. It would have been inconvenient and difficult to travel with the animals to be used for sacrifice, so booths were set up where the worshippers could buy animals instead. In addition, the temple tax had to be paid with a certain coin that contained a high silver content. When Jesus saw what was taking place in the temple, he became angry. He used a whip to drive the animals out of the temple, and he threw the money changers’ tables over. Jesus was not angry about the purchase of animals or the exchange of money, but he was upset that it was all taking place in the temple. Jesus was passionate about the “house” that God had set up for worship. People were to pray and connect with God on the sacred temple grounds, but the place set aside for the purpose of worship had become a mess. The Jews asked Jesus what authority he had to do what he did. On what ground could he claim to be the Son? Jesus told them that if they tore the temple down, in three days he would build it again. Later, his disciples understood what Jesus was talking about. Jesus meant the temple of his body. Three days after his crucifixion, he rose from the dead. His resurrection was the ultimate “sign.”

In a short amount of time, the tables were back up, and the money changers and those who sold animals were in business again. They didn’t heed the message Jesus brought. It was time to turn off the “noise” and focus on the Lord, but they continued with business as usual. What about you? It is important that we too make time for God. Do you set aside time in your busy week to simply worship the Lord? Do you pray with distractions around you, or do you get legitimate “quiet time”? When you are in church, are you thinking about other things, checking your text messages, wondering what’s next? It is difficult in our fast-paced, rapidly moving culture to carve out time to simply worship Jesus. But it is necessary. Determine today to get time alone with God. And make sure it’s time during which outside “noise” is off, even in your mind.