John 2 - NLT Student Life Application Study Bible
2:1-10 An Extraordinary Solution Weddings in Jesus’ day were often weeklong festivals. Banquets would be prepared for many guests, and the next several days would be spent celebrating the new life of the married couple. Often the whole town would be invited, and everybody would come—it was considered an insult to refuse an invitation to a wedding. To accommodate this many people, careful planning was needed. To run out of wine was more than embarrassing; it would have meant that the hosts had failed to follow the strong, unwritten rules of hospitality.
2:11 A Miraculous Sign Jesus’ disciples believed in him when they saw this miracle. The miracle showed Jesus’ power over nature and revealed the way he would go about his ministry—helping others, speaking with authority, and being personally in touch with people. Miracles are superhuman events that demonstrate God’s power. A lot of Jesus’ miracles were a renewal of fallen creation—restoring sight, making people who were lame walk, even restoring life to the dead. Jesus’ miracles were also an expression of God’s care for people and an invitation into deeper relationship with him—as in the feeding of 5,000 people and the calming of a storm. (See a list of Jesus’ miracles.)
2:13 An Annual Celebration The Passover celebration took place yearly at the Temple in Jerusalem. Every Jewish male was expected to travel to Jerusalem during this time (Deuteronomy 16:16). This was a weeklong festival—Passover was one day, and the Festival of Unleavened Bread lasted the rest of the week. The entire week commemorated the freeing of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12).
2:13-25 Merchants and Dealers The Temple area was always crowded during Passover with thousands of out-of-town visitors. The religious leaders crowded it even further by allowing money changers and merchants to set up booths in the Court of the Gentiles. (See an illustration of what the Temple may have looked like in Jesus’ day.) The religious leaders rationalized this practice as being a convenience for the worshipers and a way to make money for the Temple’s upkeep. But in reality, the money changers charged outrageous exchange rates, and the merchants were greedy and dishonest. The religious leaders didn’t seem to care that the Court of the Gentiles was so full of merchants that it made worship difficult. Worship was the main purpose for visiting the Temple, but the religious leaders were making a mockery of God’s house. John records this first clearing, or cleansing, of the Temple. It seems that a second clearing occurred at the end of Jesus’ ministry, about three years later, and that event is recorded in Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; and Luke 19:45-46.
