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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 (John 2:15, ESV).
Jesus drove the money-changers out of Herod’s temple.
First, there was Solomon’s temple destroyed by the Babylonians, then a rebuilt and lesser temple built by the Jews after their return from captivity, and finally a rebuild of the rebuilt temple by Herod.
And what a temple it was.
It was larger and more glorious. The temple complex covered over 40 acres, and it took 46 years to build. The highest pinnacle stood over 15 stories tall, a courtyard wall surrounded each side, and the quarried limestone blocks used in construction (weighing one to forty tons) were placed so carefully together without mortar that a piece of paper couldn’t be slipped into the joints.
Josephus, an ancient historian living in wondrous Rome, described Herod’s Temple as “magnificence beyond compare.”
Now, I’m depending on the tech-savvy readers of Interruptions to be. . . well. . . tech-savvy. Click on this link: Herod’s Temple, to view a rendition of the temple. Read my comments below about some of the numbered sections on the diagram.
07: The South Entrance stairway was about 30 steps and 200 feet wide, with the steps laid out alternating short and long distances so that those climbing the steps would go slowly and humbly while entering the temple area.
08: The main meeting hall was used to sell animals for sacrifice, and it was the place where Jesus drove out the money changers.
09: The east side of the temple faces the Mount of Olives.
10: The Antonia Fortress was used by Roman soldiers watching over the temple courtyards. In Acts 21, soldiers descended from this fortress during a riot to arrest the Apostle Paul.
04: The wall of the temple courtyard included columns 50 feet tall that supported roofs.
03: The Court of Gentiles, where non-Jewish people could worship.
02: The Outer Court (Women’s Court).
01: Contained both The Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. This section of the temple was decorated with gold gildings. One ancient writer said, “At sunrise, it shimmered with the utmost brilliance and dazzled the eye like rays of the sun.”
01 and 02: Solomon’s temple was the size of sections o1 and 02. As mentioned, Herod considerably expanded the temple mount.
Okay, pause. I’ve just named areas of the temple without much explanation. For your assignment today, do a Google™ search and discover more about these areas.
The Romans destroyed Herod’s temple in AD 70. Jesus predicted. . .
You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down (Matthew 24:2).
And consider this exchange between Jesus and the Jews. . .
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body (John 2:19-21).
We now have hope only in Jesus!
*We’ve “brain-mapped” Herod’s Temple today — we learn better with visuals. For other episodes of brain mapping, see #1389 on ancient Israel, #1499 on Jerusalem, and #1405 on the Sea of Galilee.