John 2:13-25

There are debates about how this incident ties in with the similar ones in the other gospels. This is because John places it at the beginning of his gospel, while in the others it is near the end. There are three options:

1. They are the same incident, and John places it early on for thematic reasons.
2. They are the same incident and the others place it at the end because they didn't have much material on Jesus' early ministry.
3. They are different incidents, even though they have similarities.

Personally I think the 3rd option is the most likely.

Jesus was consumed with zeal for His Father's house, that it should perform the function it was designed for, and be the sort of place God intended it to be. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, so we should do our best to ensure that our bodies perform the function they are intended for. Our bodies are to be a holy place, dedicated to the Lord.

Our bodies are to be a place of prayer. This does not mean we all become monks, but we are to be in constant communication with God, seeking His will, praising His name.

The Jews' question, "what sign can you show us for doing this", leads me to suspect that though they would not admit it, they knew things weren't right. Jesus replied that the cross and resurrection would be the proof that He had the right to do what He did. Today the cross and resurrection should be the focus of our faith.

Jesus did many miracles and many "believed in His name". Then it says that Jesus would not entrust himself to them. When a purely human leader finds a following that person will tend to entrust themselves to those followers to some extent. Ie the followers assume some sort of right over the one they are following. (Eg consider a politcal leader). This is not the case with Jesus. He is the full representation of the Father, he has come to change us, and we need to become exactly like Him.