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John 2:13-25
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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
  • The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition & sermons.

• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • The Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
  • Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit: War against Evil.
  • "Temple and Jesus," The Jesus Database, an online annotated inventory of the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus. Dr. Gregory C. Jenks, FaithFutures Foundation.
  • Chapter II, The Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110). (Longer Version only - 4th cent interpolation)
  • XXXII.1-2, 4, 6-11; Tatian's Diatessaron (c. 150-160).
  • III.XVI.5, V.VI.2, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
  • III.11, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
  • Chapter XVIII, On the Resurrection of the Flesh,  Tertullian (c. 211)
  • Chapter XXI, Against Praxeas,  Tertullian (c. 213)
  • Chapter XVI, On Modesty, Tertullian (c. 217)
  • II.IV.1, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen. (c.225)
  • X.1-30, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Philocalia [anthology of Origen prepared by St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen], Origen. (c.230)
  • III.XXXII, VIII.XIX, Against Celsus, Origen. (c.246)
  • From Augustine's Tractates on John: Tractate X (2:12-21).
    • "For indeed every man twists for himself a rope by his sins: "Woe to them who draw sins as a long rope ?" Who makes a long rope ? He who adds sin to sin. How are sins added to sins ? when the sins which have been committed are covered over by other sins."
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "Christ being ordained to purge the Church with great zeal begins his office both of Priest and Prophet."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "Those now make God's house a house of merchandise, whose minds are filled with cares about worldly business when attending religious exercises, or who perform Divine offices for love of gain."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "And the changers of money - Those who changed foreign money for that which was current at Jerusalem, for the convenience of them that came from distant countries."
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
    • "There was nothing wrong in the merchandise; but to bring it, for their own and others' convenience, into that most sacred place, was a high-handed profanation which the eye of Jesus could not endure."
  • From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
    • "The great crowds who came to Jerusalem at this time could not bring victims, and the traffic in oxen, sheep, kids and doves became enormous. It would have been proper enough if it had been conducted at stockyards, but the priests made a monopoly of it and installed it right in the temple. The Court of the Gentiles, "a house of prayer for all nations" (Mark 11:15-19), was filled with cattle, ordure, and the din of traffic."
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
  • The Temple Demonstration, audio telling, story in episodes, graphic, audio and written commentaries. Go Tell Communications, Biblical Storytelling for the Global Village, 2012.
  • Commentary, John 2:13-22, Sarah Henrich, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
  • "Subtle as a Sledge Hammer: Jesus 'Cleanses' the Temple," The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with Jesus Foundation.
    • "I read the cleansing of the temple as a stark warning against any and every false sense of security. Misplaced allegiances, religious presumption, pathetic excuses, smug self-satisfaction, spiritual complacency, nationalist zeal, political idolatry, and economic greed in the name of God are only some of the tables that Jesus would overturn in his own day and in ours."
  • Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • "Predatory Lending," Resources for Prophetic Worship, Speaking to North Carolina Justice Issues, North Carolina Council of Churches.
  • "First Thoughts on Year B Gospel Passages in the Lectionary," Lent 3, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "Is the community good news for the poor or is it chaplain to the rich who oppress? Mark with telling irony contrasts the widow and her poverty with the oppression of the temple authorities who exploit widows (12:38-44). Lent is also a time for the church to take a good look at itself."
  • Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen, at CrossMarks.
    • "QUESTION: Do we think of God more as a vending machine -- put in our sacrifices or offerings or good deeds and out comes blessings? Do we misuse our (supposed) obedience to the Ten Commandments as bargaining chips with God?"
  • "Jesus Unhinged; the Cleansing of the Temple," The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with Jesus Foundation, 2009.
    • "It's not clear whether Jesus objected to any and all commercial activity in the temple out of principle, even honest transactions that were necessary for pilgrims to fulfill their religious obligations, or whether he excoriated the fraud, exploitation and avarice of the religious authorities who controlled the means of ritual purity and thus access to Yahweh."
  • Join the Feast, John 2:13-22, Esta Jarrett, Union PSCE, 2009.
    • "As always in the Fourth Gospel, we must tread cautiously around the text?s history of anti-Semitic interpretation. Most scholars believe that this text was written by Jews, exiled from the synagogue, who believed that Jesus was the Messiah. This is insider language, borne of grief, distance and change."
  • "The Dove Seller," Sarah M. Foulger, Stirred by the Light - Voices of Lent.
  • "The Cleansing of the Temple," Gospel Analysis, Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
  • Marginally Mark, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
    • "Have we developed similar tactics to avoid the real Jesus issues? What do we hide behind?"
  • Sermon Preparation Thoughts and Questions by Wesley White, 2006.
  • "Consuming Zeal: A Characteristic of God and His People," Jerry Goebel, One Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study and activities.
    • "This is not your tea-party, potluck loving, rummage sale, committee-member Jesus. This Jesus clears out churches that are indifferent and wipes out opportunists who prey upon the poor. Which Jesus is my model for ministry?"
  • Wellspring of the Gospel, Lent 3B, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn Turner, Weekly Wellsprings.
  • "The Cleansing of the Temple," Lent 3B, Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
    • "Is faith in God reasonable? What reasons do people have for faith? How do acts of scandal detract from faith?"
  • "Destroy This Temple and I Will Rebuild It Again," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
  • Commentary by Hall Harris at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
    • "Why should one have to assume, in any case, that there could have been only one cleansing of the Temple?"
  • "Jesus' Spring House Cleaning," R. Scott Clark, in Kerux: The Online Journal of Biblical Theology (Reformed).
    • "Not only are we God's temple, but we still have a religious life in the temple. For the evangelist, to truly be in the temple is to be in Christ because he is the true temple."
• Articles & Background:
  • "John's Account of Jesus' Demonstration in the Temple: Violent or Nonviolent?" Mark R. Bredin, Biblical Theology Bulletin, 2003.
    • "In conclusion, it is possible to establish Jesus' demonstration as motivated by his perception that the temple is the center of violence."
  • "Echoes in the Temple? Jesus, Nehemiah, and Their Actions in the Temple," Geoffrey M. Troughton, Journal of Biblical Studies, 2003.
    • "This article explores Nehemiah 13.4-9 in relation to Jesus? action in the Temple. It suggests that Jesus? action echoes some important features of Nehemiah?s, and that appreciation of the latter adds a neglected layer to our appreciation of the aims and action of Jesus."
  • "Gospel Chronologies, the Scene in the Temple, and the Crucifixion of Jesus," Paula Fredriksen, Boston University.
    • "I doubt that the historical Jesus ever predicted the Temple's destruction, and I doubt too that any of his contemporaries ever thought that he had. Finding Mark's chronology - certainly for Jesus' mission but also for events around the Passion - not only implausible but fundamentally unlikely, I have begun to think with John."
  • "The Temple Incident: An Integral Element in the Fourth Gospel's Narrative," Mark A. Matson, Milligan College.
    • "The Temple Incident in John marks the beginning of Jesus' public messianic ministry, as well as the beginning of opposition by 'the Jews,' a fundamental theme throughout the Fourth Gospel. And John's Temple Incident anticipates the Passion, thus providing an initial frame with which to interpret the entire gospel story."
  • "The Temple That Won't Quit: Constructing Sacred Space in Orlando's Holy Land Experience Theme Park," Joan R. Branham, Harvard Divinity School Bulletin, 2008.
  • Jerusalem Temple Warning Inscription at K.C. Hanson and Douglas Oakman's excellent site Palestine in the Time of Jesus: Social Structures and Social Conflicts.
  • Model of the Herodian Temple, photo at K.C. Hanson and Douglas Oakman's excellent site Palestine in the Time of Jesus: Social Structures and Social Conflicts.
• Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
  • Casey, P.M., "Culture and Historicity: The Cleansing of the Temple," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1997.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Farelly, Nicolas, "John 2:23-25: What Kind of Faith is This?" Presbyterion, 2004.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Fredriksen, Paula, "Jesus: The Gesture at the Temple," The Living Pulpit, 1994.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Hays, Richard B., "Can the Gospels Teach Us How to Read the Old Testament?" Pro Ecclesia, 2002. (Section on this text begins on p. 412)
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Mathews, Kenneth A., "John, Jesus and the Essenes: Trouble at the Temple," Criswell Theological Review, 1988.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • O'Day, Gail R., "Piety without Pretense, Faith without Falsehood: The Lenten Journey according to John," Journal for Preachers, 1997.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Painter, John, "Quest Stories in John 1-4," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 1991.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Polhill, John B., "John 1-4: The Revelation of True Life," Review & Expositor, 1988.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Seeley, David, "Jesus' Temple Act," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1993.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Wohlgemut, Joel R., "Where Does God Dwell? A Commentary on John 2:13-22," Direction, 1993.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Wood, William Pape, "John 2:13-22," Interpretation, 1991.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
• Reviews:
  • Review: Ricardo López Rosas, La Señal del Templo, Jn 2, 13-22: Redefinición Cristológica de lo Sacro. Universidad Pontificia de Mexico, 2001. Review (in English) by David Brondos in SBL'S Review of Biblical Literature.
• Sermons:
  • "Reflections from the Woodshed," the Rev. Dr. Peter L. Samuelson, Day 1, 2009.
  • "The Cleansing of the Temple," Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.
  • "Far More than Bingo," the Rev. Barbara K. Lundblad, Day 1, 2003.
  • "It's not About Bingo," the Rev. Barbara K. Lundblad, Day 1, 1997.
  • "Have You Ever Been Angry?" L. Gregory Bloomquist, Saint Paul University, Ottawa.
  • "Housecleaning," John Jewell, 2000.
  • Father Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily
    • Lent 3, 2009
    • Lent 3, 2006
    • Feast of Consecration of St. John Lateran, 2003
    • Lent 3, 2000
• With Children:
  • "Jesus Cleanses the Temple," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons), coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts.
  • "Cleansing of the Temple," Fr. Max Bowers, Kid's Church.
  • "Jesus Chases the Moneychangers Out of the Temple," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
  • "The Cleansing of the Temple," children's study, puzzles, coloring sheet, etc. Higher Praise Christian Center.
• Drama:
  • "With a Whip in His Hand," from A Certain Jesus by Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian Publications.
  • "Matthew's Taxing Time," Trevor Fletcher, dramatix.
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Clip Art, John 2:19, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
  • Clip Art Images: John 2:13-25, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.
  • John 2:13-25, at Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Liberation emphasis.
  • Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
  • John 2:13-22, John 2:13-25, Liturgical Drawing, Maria d.c. Zamora, Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use these for free.")
  • Clip Art: Jesus Clears the Temple, Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld woodcuts, World Mission Collection, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
• Hymns and Music:
  • Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: John 2:19, 22. The Cyber Hymnal.
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
  • Temple Cleansing Incident
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
  • Temple Cleansing Incident
• Study Links Pages for parallel passages:
  • Mark 11:15-19
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of John

• INDEX BY SCRIPTURE
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