| Church School Lesson: Bake Sales Gone Bad |
"Bake Sales Gone Bad"
July 20, 2025
Background: John 2:13-35; Matt 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48;
Print: John 2:13-25; Key Verse: John 2:16; Devotional: Jeremiah 7:1-15;
John 2:13-25 (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.
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.
John Chapter 2 (Commentary)
2:13-14 During the Passover celebration, Jesus went up to Jerusalem (2:13), as did many Jewish pilgrims. When Jesus saw what was happening in the temple, he was infuriated. There were people selling animals. In and of itself, this was fine. After all, those who had traveled from far away would need to purchase animals to offer as sacrifices. But sales were taking place in the outermost court of the temple—the court of the Gentiles. Thus, non-Jews who came to worship the God of Israel were prevented from doing so. Moreover, the Synoptic Gospels make clear that the sellers were charging an exorbitant amount because Jesus said they had turned it into a “den of thieves.” They were lining their pockets at the expense of the worshipers (cf. Matt 21:12-13). The prophet Malachi also predicted that one would come to purify the temple (see Mal 3:1-5).
2:15-17 So Jesus made a whip and drove all of them out of the temple (2:15). Legitimate business is one thing. But these people had taken a place intended for worship and turned it into a marketplace (2:16). His disciples saw in Jesus’s deeds the fulfillment of Psalm 69:9: Zeal for your house will consume me (2:17).
2:18-22 When the Jews saw the ruckus he had caused, they demanded, What sign will you show us for doing these things? (2:18). In other words, “Who died and left you in charge? What right do you have to do this?” Jesus replied, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days (2:19). They assumed he was talking about the temple complex; this one was constructed by Herod the Great and had taken forty-six years to build (2:20). They thought he was crazy, but he was speaking about the temple of his body (2:21). And though they couldn’t understand him, he was right. The Jewish leaders would deliver Jesus over to the Romans to be put to death. Then, in three days, he would rise from the grave. His resurrection would indeed demonstrate his authority for cleansing the temple. Interestingly, the disciples didn’t comprehend everything he said either. It would require Jesus’s resurrection for them to grow in their faith and understanding (2:22).
2:23-25 Though many people believed in him (were converted) when they saw [his] signs, Jesus would not entrust himself to them (2:23-24)—that is, he wasn’t ready to reveal more of himself to them because of their spiritual immaturity. They were not yet ready for full commitment to discipleship and public identification with him. Jesus knew what was in man (2:25). He could see into their hearts. And he can see into yours too. So don’t miss this truth: Spiritual growth is important because it expands our capacity to experience more of God. Jesus does not relate to all believers the same way.