“And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up,” (John 2:13-17).
In the Gospels, the Anointed Savior cleansed the temple twice (John 2:15; cf. Luke 19:45-46; Matthew 21:12). In each instance, the temple was abused by those marketing religion, rather than aiding worshippers to worship the Father in spirit and truth. These “merchants” were in the courts with booths setup up for the purpose of selling sacrificial wares to the needy, but they were taking advantage of them, and Christ condemned them for overthrowing the purpose of the House of Prayer. Why? John’s Gospel says that zeal had eaten up Christ at His core. Holy zeal is a great ardor or fervor of spirit with a fierceness of indignation and jealousy for God’s holy character. In holy love, Christ could not stand by and watch his Father’s house defiled. John quotes Psalm 69:9, “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” He could not bear the wickedness of seeing the temple prostituted.
As the New Year approaches, the Christian must make a hearty distinction, a zealous distinction, between godly resolutions and worldly resolutions. What kind of resolutions do you have? To resolve to rid one’s self of one or two problems is worldly. “I want to lose weight.” “I want to pray more.” I want to be a kinder person.” Scripture, though, instructs us to deal with the whole man by way of reformation, not simply by trying to improve only one or two personal problems. Christians look to put remaining sin to death. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live,” (Rom. 8:13). They look to drive all the money changers out of the temple: a whole cleansing of the temple. If a child’s room is a mess, and the child picks up one or two pieces out of the hundred, is it clean? Does mom or dad think so?
The Christian’s body and soul are the blood bought temple of the Holy Spirit. God expects His people to live a certain way as His living temple. How? They are required to live in thorough reformation of their whole life conformed to His word, and the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29, 12:2). This means that someone who is a Christian is not merely looking to improve in one or two ways. Christians must have a holy zeal towards reforming their entire character daily. They have, along with Christ, an “ardor and fervor of spirit” to make a whip of cords and take a stand against all sin. They will not have their temple defiled. They are jealous for it. Are you ready to make some New Year’s resolutions? I would counsel you to abandon that worldly way of thinking, and instead embrace the biblical pattern of cleansing the whole temple.
Jonathan Edwards’ wrote a series of 70 Resolutions that would guide the rest of his life. He spent a year on the project, starting shortly after his 19th birthday in the late autumn. He penned his 70th resolution on August 17, 1723. He read them weekly to remind himself what zeal he ought to have as a Christian. Here are only three of them:
“1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad’s of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.”
“5. Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.”
“6. Resolved, To live with all my might while I do live.”
Do you see the difference between a Christian resolving to glorify God in reformation of the whole man, (putting to death the deeds of the body), and the earthliminded person saying, “I resolve to lose weight this year”? I would challenge you to make a New Year’s resolve against worldly resolutions. Instead, cultivate a Holy Spirit empowered desire to cleanse out that which is sin in the temple of your body and soul. Do this look at the whole man, in its entirety, in order to glorify Christ who resolved joyfully to die for you; for all believers are to have a holy zeal towards holiness because of this. Shall Christ come to you with a soft rebuke, or a whip of cords? Don’t make Him come in chastisement. You are, as Scripture says, bought with a price as Christ’s living, “temple,” (1 Cor. 6:19). In this way, resolve to live with all your might for Christ while you do live.
- Lord, help me love Your house above all places in the world. I would that my heart be passionate for it, that I may truly say with David, “O how I love thy house!” (Psalm 26:8). Help me, with strong resolve, to support Your house with joy and gladness. Help me stir the desire in others to worship You in the church with zeal (Isa. 2:2).
- Lord, let there be a special zeal and service of spirit-fire in me for Your church, as it was with You. And not in some outward show or gesture, but in the performance of my duties with great attention and intention of heart and mind. Help me be as a flourishing tree in the affection of godliness, glorying in Your mercy more than any worldly thing. Help me resolve each day to do those things which I know You desire of me. Help me grow in them and by them.
- Loving Your church when she is decorated with glorious ornaments in her full splendor is different than loving Your house when she is in an afflicted state, as this is true and pure love indeed. The Scripture says of Christ that He was a man of sorrows. He had no outward beauty to the world’s eyes. Yet, to the saints, Christ was and is altogether lovely, altogether desirous, as the Song of Songs 5:16 says, “His mouth is most sweet, and He is altogether desirable.” May both Your Christ and Your church be glorious and beautiful to me, Lord, and may I resolve to love them both forever.
Further References for John 2:13-17
Ps. 69:9; Luke 2:49; Isa. 59:17; John 4:34, 9:4; Acts 10:38
