John 2:13-25 | What's happening (and who's involved)?

In this section, we get an incredible display of Jesus' character and zealousness for the Lord in comparison to that of the religious elite of that time. During the time leading up to the Passover, Jesus and His disciples went to Jerusalem, as was custom for the Jews to do. When He comes to the temple, what does He find but greed of the elite and sin being sheltered? As Jesus was filled with zeal for His Father's house, He grabs a whip of cords and drives them and the livestock out, flips the tables over and pours out the money. In short, Jesus cleanses the temple.

When the Jews that remained saw this, they questioned Jesus as to His claim for being able to do this. He responds with an answer that baffles the elite.

19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
-John 2:19

Incredulous, they ask how Jesus would be able to do such a thing. But they hadn't the eyes to see nor the ears to hear what Jesus was truly speaking of. We do not get an answer as to how Jesus responded to them in this text, but we do get an account of the recollection of the disciples. Jesus was not raising this same temple. He was raising the temple of His body. When Jesus resurrected, it drew the attention of the disciples back to this moment and they believed in Him and in the Scriptures that testified of this.

While Jesus remained in Jerusalem throughout the feast of Passover, it is apparent that many sought after and witnessed signs that He did. While they believed in them, it seems the point that John makes is that a signs based faith was inadequate. For Jesus' "belief" of their belief was not there. He truly knew what was in the nature of man, and of these specifically. Their heart was not really in it. As such, He did not commit Himself to them.

One of the significant points of this specifically is how Jesus knew already what was in those around. He knew the thoughts and intents of their hearts. This is something that helps us to verify and understand the divinity of Jesus. Jesus did not simply discern what was in them. He knew what was in them. Such a knowledge is something that we see in God or given from God.

What observations are you seeing in this text?