John 2:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Meanwhile the Jews accuse Him and grow hardened when He benefits others. Yet when it seemed they ought to have become angry at His rebukes, they do not treat Him so. They neither blame nor insult Him. What do they say? "What sign do You show us, since You do these things?" (Jn 2:18).

Do you see their extreme envy? The benefits shown to others especially irritated them. On one occasion He said that the temple had become through them a den of thieves. By this He showed that what was sold had been acquired by theft, robbery, and usury, and that they enriched themselves through the misfortunes of others.

On another occasion He called it a house of trade, exposing their shameless commerce. Why did He do this? Later He would heal on the Sabbath and do many things that seemed to them violations of the law. Therefore He forestalled the thought that He was opposed to God and acted against the will of the Father.

The One who showed such great zeal for the house clearly had no intention of resisting the Master of the house who was worshiped there. The preceding years, in which He lived according to the law, could sufficiently show His reverence for the Lawgiver. They also showed that He had not come to establish anything contrary to Him.

Yet those years were probably forgotten with time and were not known to all. For He had been brought up in a poor and obscure house. Therefore He does this in the presence of all the people, gathered because the feast was near, and even at risk to Himself.

He not only drove them out, but overturned the tables and scattered the coins. By this He made them understand that one who exposed Himself to danger for order in the house would not despise the Master of the house. If He had done this in pretense, He could have used persuasion alone. To expose Himself to danger was very bold.

It was no small thing to deliver Himself to such fury from the merchants and to embitter against Himself an ignorant crowd of tavern-keepers. He shamed them and caused them loss. This belongs not to a hypocrite, but to one ready to suffer everything for the beauty of the house.

For when someone prices a thing of little worth dearly and takes advantage of the poor and widows when opportunity arises, what else is he doing but thieving?

This is what those usually do who buy up necessary goods and then sell them, drawing profit from the misfortune of their neighbors.

Why does He drive such people out of the temple altogether? Not without reason. He will heal on the Sabbath and seem to violate the law concerning it.

Therefore, lest they then consider Him an enemy of God, He forestalls that thought by the present event. For one who showed such zeal for the temple will not reject God, the Lord of the temple.

He did not simply drive them out, but struck with a scourge of cords, overturned the tables, and scattered the coin, or money, of the changers. He resolved upon a very dangerous act.

One who exposes himself to danger for the house of God will not permit departure from God's Law as an enemy of God. He will do so, without doubt, as the Son who has equal authority with God and the Father, who gave the law concerning the Sabbath.

Therefore He did not say the house of "God," but "My Father's" house. He showed that, as Son, He has authority over all that belongs to the Father.

The money changers are those who sell small coins, or nummi.

Many high priests sin like the merchants of that time when they sell "oxen" in the Church. They do not give honor to those distinguished in the word of teaching, but give it to those willing to do evil.

They sell "sheep," the simple and ordinary people, and "doves," the spiritual gifts. They raise to higher rank those who give more.

The Lord drives such men out of the sanctuary, finding them by His judgment unworthy of the high priesthood.

Likewise, if anyone sells large and small coin, that is, opinion and word, and is a teacher but does not foresee what is profitable, he does not proclaim the word of the Gospel.

Then the Lord overturns his table, that is, his office as teacher, and the teaching which he wickedly withholds, not giving it to all.

Meanwhile the Lord Jesus removes such a man from authority and seats another, worthy man at the teacher's table.

With the inhabitants of Cana of Galilee Christ both feasts and dwells. He makes His table-companions those who invited Him and thereby honored Him. Through signs He benefits them and supplies what they lacked for gladness. Indeed, what good thing does He not generously grant them?

By this, as through a figure, He teaches that He will receive to Himself the inhabitants of Galilee, that is, the Gentiles. He is invited to them through their faith. He will bring them into the heavenly temple, clearly the Church of the firstborn (Heb 12:23), and will place them with the saints. For the holy disciples reclined together with those who feasted.

They will share in the divine and spiritual festival. As He Himself says elsewhere: "Many will come from east and west and recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (Mt 8:11). They will lack no gladness, for "everlasting joy shall be upon their heads" (Isa 35:10).

But He will drive the unbelieving Jews out of the holy places and set them outside the sacred enclosure of the saints. Nor will He receive those who offer sacrifices. On the contrary, He will punish them and subject them to scourging, bound by the chains of their transgressions (Prov 5:22).

Hear what He says: "Take these things away from here." This is so that you may also understand what was spoken of old by the voice of the prophet Isaiah: "I do not desire burnt offerings of rams, the fat of lambs, or the blood of bulls and goats. Do not come to appear before Me. For who has required these things from your hands? Do not continue to walk in My court. If you bring fine flour, it is in vain. Incense is an abomination to Me. I cannot endure your new moons, Sabbaths, and great day. My soul hates your fasting, idleness, and feasts. You have become a burden to Me. I will no longer endure your sins" (Isa 1:11-14).

This is precisely what He indicates to them in figure by using a scourge of cords. For scourges are a sign of punishment.

My brothers, those who seek such things are merchants. Simon wanted to buy the Holy Spirit because he wished to sell the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9-24). He thought that the apostles were merchants like those whom the Lord drove from the temple with a scourge.

For he himself was such a man. He wanted to buy in order to sell. He belonged to those who sell doves. For the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove (Jn 1:32; Mt 3:16; Mk 1:10; Lk 3:22).

Therefore, brothers, who are those who sell doves, if not those who say: "We give the Holy Spirit"? Why do they say this, and for what price do they sell? For the price of their honors. They hire temporal chairs for a price, so that they may seem to sell doves themselves.

Let them beware the scourge of cords. The dove is not sold. It is given freely, for it is called grace.

He was to be scourged by those whom He had previously scourged.

Since He intended to heal on the Sabbath and to do many things that seemed to the Jews a violation of the Law, He now destroys such a suspicion beforehand. He does this so that they may not think He acts as an adversary of God.

He showed such zeal for the house of God, manifested such power and indignation on its behalf, and spared absolutely no one. He even exposed Himself to danger.

He stirred up against Himself the sellers and the Jews who had permitted this business. He Himself was ready to endure everything for the sake of good order in the temple.

Such a One could not be an adversary of the Master of this temple.

As Balsamon says in his interpretation of this rule, no one at any time would even think of establishing a tavern or any other trade inside the temple.

According to Zonaras in his interpretation of this rule, the sacred precincts comprise everything surrounding the holy temples, αἱ τῶν θείων ναῶν ἅπασαι περιοχαί, omnia sanctorum templorum septa. In the first place this includes the space before the temple on the western side, called προπύλαιον or προαύλιον, the porch, atrium. There, above all, these tavern and commercial activities were conducted.

The cemeteries around the temple also belong here. They too are called sacred precincts, and in them the conduct of the aforementioned activities must also be strictly forbidden.

Κέρμα means small coin exchanged for larger money, and sometimes coin in general. Thus the Savior "scattered the money of the money-changers and overturned their tables."

"It seems to me," writes blessed Jerome, "that of all the signs performed by Jesus, this is the most astonishing. A man of that time, small and despised, drives such a multitude with the blows of a scourge, despite the anger of the Pharisees. He overturns tables and scatters money. Alone He does so many things that even a whole crowd could scarcely have done them. Flame burned in His eyes, and the majesty of the Godhead shone upon His face."