John 2:12–25 (ESV) —
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
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.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
NOTE: The passage is not the most flattering description of humanity. The first part of the story has scoundrels (most likely the priests) selling and making a profit off of religious items. The second part has the religious leaders questioning why he would disrupt these business. In essence they were defending this sham. What is even more interesting is what western readers never notice, they were actually using the court of the Gentiles in the temple to sell their goods. The court was a place of prayer for all people, but now it was a noisy marketplace for people to be ripped off. Yes, Jesus knew what was in man: deceit, greed, selfishness, and a total disregard for God's holiness.
There are people today who don't seem themselves that way. They are deluded. They think they are good because they can always find someone worse. But the bible is clear on this point.
Romans 3:10–12 (ESV) —
10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
Other verses are Ps 14:1-3; Ps 53:1-3; Eccl 7:20; Rom 3:23; Isa 64:6; and Gen 6:5 to name only a few.
It only takes one sin to fall short of the glory of God.
PONDER:
- Do I recognize my real sin nature?
- Do I understand my need for a savior?
PRAYER: Father, I need no convincing to realize how far short I fall of your standard. As I age, I appreciate with each passing the year the forgiveness that is found only in Jesus Christ's death on the cross for me. Thank you. Forgive my weakness which surfaces too often.
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