“Zeal for your House”
[John 2:13-17]June 30, 2011 Old First Presbyterian
What does it mean to say that Jesus had “zeal for [His] Father’s house”? And what does it mean for us today?
The Feast of Passover was at hand, so Jesus went to Jerusalem to the Temple to worship. We will remember that the Temple was the House of God. It contained the “holy of holies” where on the high priest could only go once a year, and then it had courtyards around it – for the Jewish men, then for the Gentile believers and women. It was a place of holiness and purity.
When Jesus entered the Temple, He found that people were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and there were tables with money changers. When Jesus saw them, He was filled with righteous anger – an “inflexible righteousness” (Pink, 97). Why?
We might think that Jesus got angry because people were selling things in the Temple, but that is not the case. It was standard practice for the sake of the worshipers that the animal sellers and the moneychangers were in the Temple. Remember, the major things that were offered – sacrificed – in the Temple were animals – and people were coming from all over Israel – and the known world. Many of them would not have been able to bring animals with them – they animals could well have died, been killed, or stolen on the way. Also, the Temple had its own currency for monetary gifts. The Temple did not accept money other than its own, so people had to trade their foreign money in for Temple currency. So Jesus was not angry about the selling of animals ro the changing of money – those were good and useful and approved practices in the Temple.
So what was Jesus angry about?
Jesus said, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” And. “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:13b, ESV).
Jesus was angry because the sellers of animals were selling dishonestly, and the money changers were changing money dishonestly. The animal sellers may have been selling animals that were sick rather than pure and healthy animals, which God required. They may have been overcharging for the animals, knowing that the people had nowhere else to go to get the animals they needed for sacrifice. And the money changers were likely purposefully giving the wrong change – using inaccurate weights and measures. Jesus was angry because they were lying to make a profit off of the people trying to worship. What they were doing is committing idolatry in the Temple of the God of Israel.
Paul wrote, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impunity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5, ESV). Paul tells his readers that they are to put away the earthly, sinful behaviors in which they once lived – one of which is covetousness. What is covetousness? It’s desiring something that another person has, believing that you deserve it more.
Covetousness would be like my saying, “I should have Donald Trump’s money, because I would use it better.” Or, “My neighbor has a lawn service take care of her yard, while I have to take care of my own yard. That’s not fair – I should have the lawn service, not her, because I’m more deserving of it.” Covetousness is more than just greed, which says, “I deserve this.” Covetousness says, “I deserve this more than you.”
Why is covetousness idolatry? For the same reason greed is idolatry: it replaces God as our supreme delight with things. We put things – and specifically other people’s things – in the place of God. Things become more dear to us than God.
That is what happened in the Temple: the animal sellers and money changers had a legitimate role to play in helping people to worship, but they had perverted their place with idolatry, with covetousness, with robbery. They were not giving the people the animal or the change that their money was worth, so they were stealing from them. They were saying, “I deserve your money more than you do.” They were desecrating the Temple and profaning the Name of God and His Worship. That is why Jesus was angry.
So, let us understand that the things that are right to do in worship may be done sinfully. For example, it is good and right to sing to the Lord, but if we sing – and sing loudly – to make sure everyone hears how wonderful our voice is – how much better our voice is from everyone else’s – that is sin.
Now, we might ask if Jesus had a right to be angry – and especially a right to react as severely as He did – overthrowing the tables, casting the sales people out, and driving them out with a whip.
The answer is “yes,” for two reasons:
First, Jesus was right to act in anger the way He did, because Jesus was defending the holiness – the hallowedness of the Name of His Father. Jesus was making it clear that the Temple was to be kept holy – set apart for God – God is very protective of how He will be worshiped.
Second, Jesus was right to act in anger the way he did, because, if Jesus’ Father is the Almighty God – the God of Israel, then Jesus is also the same One God – the God for Whom the Temple was built. So, what they were doing was profaning His Name as Deity.
Then the disciples remembered what David had prophesied in Psalm 69:9, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
What is “zeal”? Zeal is intense enthusiasm or devotion. Zeal is being totally committed, sold-out, totally obsessed with something or someone.
Jesus was intensely enthusiastic about the Temple and it’s holiness. Jesus was intensely devoted to the Temple and it’s holiness. Jesus was totally committed to the Temple and it’s holiness. Jesus was completely sold-out to the Temple and it’s holiness. Jesus was totally obsessed with the Temple and it’s holiness. Because He was whole-heartedly devoted to His Father and the holiness of His Father’s Name.
What are you zealous about? For what or whom would you cross an ocean, a desert, climb a mountain, risk everything you have and everything you are? Is there anything or anyone?
Jesus said, “For the sake of the purity and holiness of the Temple, for the sake of My Father’s Name – and My Name, I am willing to throw all of you out of the Temple.” The holy reverence of God’s Temple and God’s Name was so great for Jesus, He was willing to cause a huge, public scene.
What are you zealous about?
The Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., but our Triune God – the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit still live and reign, Sovereign over all Creation. And Jesus taught us to pray, beginning this way, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:6b, ESV).
What do we mean when we petition God, “Hallowed be your name”? We are asking that God would be zealous for His Name – that God would see that His Name is known and used rightly and not wrongly. We also petition God to make us zealous for His Name – that we would use it rightly and not wrongly.
Christians, Jesus was zealous to preserve and draw attention to the holiness of His Father’s Name. We have been called to preserve and draw attention to the holiness of God, our Father’s, Name. Do we love God enough to zealous for His Name? Are we devoted enough?
Let us strive to be zealous for the holiness of God’s Name, doing all we can to show God for Who He is, speaking the Truth of the Gospel – that God came to earth in the Person of Jesus, lived under the Law, suffered, died, rose, and ascended back to His Throne at the Right Hand of the Father – saying and doing those things that hallow the Name of God.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for being zealous for You Name. Help us to be zealous for it that we might be joyful as Your children. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen. 
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