THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS, THE CHRIST AND THE SON OF GOD, ACCORDING TO JOHN

v. 34: In addition (“kagó” = “and I” in vv. 33a, 34a), the (eye)witness (cf. vv. 32a, 34a and 19:35; 21:24) and messenger John the Baptist – in contrast to Mark 1:11/Matthew 3:17; 17:5/Luke 3:22b where God’s voice proclaims Jesus as “the beloved Son in//with Him I am well pleased” – “have seen” and “testified” – note the divine Perfect! – as well as pointed to Jesus (in Greek “houtós” = “this” in vv. 30a, 33g, 34b and in Matthew 3:17b⁹⁶) as the “Son of God”⁹⁷ (cf. v. 49 [Nathanael]) like the famous illustration “Isenheimer Altar” (1505 or 1515 B.C.) with John’s long right forefinger by the painter Matthias Grünewald. Jesus as the “Son of God” is in the personal relationship to God the Father (cf., for example, John 10:30, 38).

2.1.3 “Third”⁹⁸ and “Fourth/Fifth Day”⁹⁹: The Call of the First Disciples of Jesus (vv. 35–51)

- The Call of Andrew and His Brother Simon Peter (vv. 35–42)

+ The Setting (vv. 35–37)

Who: John the Baptist (vv. 35–36), his two disciples (vv. 35, 37–39), Andrew and his brother Simon Peter (vv. 40–42), Philip (vv. 43–46), Nathanael (vv. 45–51)

Where: “Bethany” (v. 28)

When: after Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan (vv. 29–34)

vv. 35–37: The Evangelist connects the “following”¹⁰⁰ (cf. vv. 37b, 38b, 40c [, 43e]) of His first disciples by repeating John the Baptist’s testimony as a proclamation (cf. 1:29–34) that Jesus is “the Lamb of God”¹⁰¹ (vv. 29b, 36b) and with the help of “two”¹⁰² (in Greek “dúo” in vv. 35, 37a, 40a and in Mark 6:7; 11:1; 14:13[; 15:27; 16:12]; Matthew 4:18, 21; 18:16, 19–20; 21:1[; 27:38]; Luke 7:18; 10:1; 19:29[; 23:32]; 24:4, 13) of his own “disciples” (vv. 35, 37a) who “heard” (cf. vv. 37a, 40b) his witness about Jesus. John the Baptist who pointed to Jesus with his eyes¹⁰³ (non-verbal – cf. v. 36a) and his words (verbal – cf. vv. 36b–37a, 40a) is the reason and the guide that “Andrew” and another unnamed of his disciples (cf. v. 40a) followed Jesus (cf. vv. 37b, 38b, 40b) in contrast to the call of Andrew according to Mark 1:16–18 respectively Matthew 4:18–20 in which Jesus took the initiative.

+ The Following of Andrew including a Comment by the Evangelist (vv. 38–40)

v. 38: Jesus realized His “followers” (v. 38b) and introduced a dialogue with them with a question: “What do you seek/look for”? – cf. John 18:4, 7–8; 20:15. They respectfully answered with a query:

“Rabbi, where¹⁰⁴ are you staying¹⁰⁵”?) – note the Jewish title “rabbi”¹⁰⁶ in verse 49b by Nathanael or in 3:2c by Nicodemus.

v. 39: Jesus replied briefly and invited them:

“Come” – note the imperative in present tense! –

“and you will see” (in future! – cf. v. 46d).

Immediately they did it because “Jesus is the answer”. Their question found an answer in their following:

“They came and saw” (cf. v. 39b, c)

“where he was staying” – note the parallel with verse 38f.

The Fourth Evangelist comments that “they stayed with” Jesus (everywhere else) – it was about 4¹⁰⁷ o’clock in the afternoon as in John 4:6; 19:14.

v. 40: The name of “one of the two” anonymous John the Baptist’s disciples: “Andrew” (in Greek “Andréas”¹⁰⁸ in vv. 40a, 44b and in John 6:8; 12:22; Mark 1:16, 29; 3:18; 13:3; Matthew 4:18; 10:2; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13), “the brother of Simon Peter” (v. 41a), who accepted John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus (verbal – cf. v. 37a) by “following” Him (non-verbal – cf. v. 37b). Who is the second anonymous (cf. John 21:2) “follower”?¹⁰⁹ Is it Philip (cf. vv. 43–46, 48 and 6:5, 7; 12:21–22; 14:8–9), the so-called “beloved disciple” (cf. 13:23; 19:26–27; 21:7, 20–24) respectively the “other disciple” (cf. 18:15–16; 20:2–10) or somebody else (of His disciples)? Both found that what they sought (cf. v. 38c) – the “Lamb of God” (vv. 29b, 36b), the “Son of God” (v. 34b), the “Rabbi” (vv. 38e, 49b).

+ The Call of Simon Peter (vv. 41–42)

v. 41: “First” Andrew “found”¹¹⁰ (vv. 41a, c, 43c, 45a, d) his “brother” (v. 40a and John 6:8; Mark 1:16; Matthew 4:18; 10:2; Luke 6:14) and he informed him (cf., for example, John 4:28; 20:24–29; Acts 4:20; Romans 10:17) about the “finding” of “the Messiah” (Hebrew – in Greek “ho Chrɩstós” – cf. vv. 17b, 20c, 25c, 41c) that means “the anointed” (v. 41d and John 4:25).

v. 42: Andrew led his brother “Simon”¹¹¹ (in Greek “Símon” in vv. 40a, 41a₂, 42c) to “Jesus” who “looked at” (v. 36a) the “newcomer” and welcomed him, saying: “Simon, the son of” (cf. v. 45e) “John” (cf. 21:15b, 16b, 17b). Then He directly gave him the new (nick-)name “Kephãs” (in Hebrew for “rock” – cf. 1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Galatians 1:18; 2:9, 11, 14) respectively “Pétros”¹¹² (in Greek in vv. 40a, 42e and cf. Mark 3:16/Luke 6:14; Matthew 16:18). So we have a double way to identify two very important persons (VIP) of the Fourth Gospel in verses 41–42: First, Andrew titled Jesus with the messianic title “Messiah”/“Christ”, however Jesus named Simon “Cephas”/“Peter”.

The call of the first three disciples (Andrew, the other unnamed disciple, Simon Peter) is like a “domino effect”¹¹³ or a “wild fire”:

John the Baptist → Andrew and a second one (cf. vv. 35–37) –

Jesus → Andrew and the unnamed one (cf. vv. 38–39/40) –

Andrew → Simon (cf. vv. 41–42a) –

Jesus → Simon (cf. v. 42b–d).

- The Call of Philip and Nathanael (vv. 43–51)

In the same way, Jesus first “found” (vv. 41a, c, 43c, 45a, d) Philip (cf. v. 43) who “found” and informed “Nathanael” about Jesus (cf. v. 45) so that both became His disciples:

Jesus → Philip (v. 43 [– if the unnamed second man is Philip¹¹⁴ then also vv. 35–37; John the Baptist → Andrew and Philip]) –

Jesus → Andrew and the unnamed one (vv. 38–39) –

Philip → Nathanael (vv. 45–46) –

Jesus → Nathanael (vv. 47–51).

As in verses 39 (as an order), 42, Jesus called His disciples after His seeing¹¹⁵ (cf. vv. 38b, 42b, 48e, 50c and Mark 1:16, 19/Matthew 4:18, 21; Mark 2:14; Matthew 9:9) by His word (cf. vv. 43 [as an order], 47–51).

+ The Call of Philip (vv. 43–44)

v. 43: As in verses 29a, 35a, the phrase “the next day” (in Greek “tẽ epaúrɩon”) introduces the call of “Philip”¹¹⁶ (cf. vv. 43e, 44a, 45a, 46c, 48d and John 6:5, 7; 12:21–22; 14:8–9) on His way to “Galilee”¹¹⁷ (cf. 2:1; 4:3, 43, 54; 7:1, 9). “Jesus” “found” (vv. 41a, c, 43c, 45a, d) Philip there and called upon him (cf., for example, 1 Kings 19:19): “Follow me” – note also the imperative in John 21:19, 22; Mark 2:14; 8:34; 10:21; Matthew 8:22; 9:9; 16:24; 19:21, 28; Luke 5:27; 9:23, 59; 18:22[; Acts 12:8]. To follow Jesus means going behind Jesus as the leader and acting according to His will – then and now.

v. 44: The Fourth Evangelist has linked Jesus’ call of “Philip” and His first call of the two brothers “Andrew” (cf. vv. 40–41) and Simon “Peter” (cf. vv. 40–42) with the remark that these three disciples were citizens of the same Galilean “town”¹¹⁸ “Bethsaida”¹¹⁹ (= “House of Fish”). According to Mark 1:16–18/Matthew 4:18–20; Luke 5:1–11, Simon Peter and Andrew were fishermen there.

+ The Call of Nathanael (vv. 45–51)

v. 45: After the call of “Philip”, he “found” (vv. 41a, c, 43c, 45a, d) “Nathanael” (in Greek “Nathanael”¹²⁰ [= God has given] in vv. 45a, 46a, 47a, 48a, 49a and John 21:2) (“from the Galilean Cana” [21:2] – cf. 2:1a) and informed him (cf. v. 41b): “[We have found] the one ( ) Moses¹²¹ in the Law¹²²” (cf. v. 17a and 7:19, 23; 8:5; Luke 2:22; 24:44; Acts 13:38; 15:5; 28:23; Romans 10:5; 1 Corinthians 9:9; Hebrews 9:19; 10:28) – as the Torah, the first of three parts of the Hebrew Bible with the five “books of Moses” –

“and the prophets” (cf. vv. 21f, 23d, 25d and Luke 24:27) – as the second part of the Hebrew Bible, the so-called “TaNaK”¹²³ –

(wrote) [ ]” (cf. John 6:45; 8:17; 10:34; 15:25 – 20:30–31; 21:24–25) –

“Jesus of Nazareth” (in Greek “Nazaréth” in vv. 45d, 46b – cf. 18:5, 7; 19:19),

“the son of” (v. 42c) “Joseph”¹²⁴ (cf. John 6:42 and Luke 3:23; 4:22 – “the son of Mary” in Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55) – so the earthly origin/identification of Jesus in contrast to verse 49.

v. 46: “Nathanael” ironically asked Philip with a negative prejudice: “From Nazareth?” (v. 45d) – “Can anything good come /there/?”

As in verse 39b, Philip said to him: “Come and see” – note the imperatives in present tense!

v. 47: In the same way as in verse 42, “Jesus” “saw” (in Greek “eῖden”/“eῖdon”, Aorist of “horáo” in vv. 47a, 48f, 50c) “Nathanael coming to Him” and He started a dialogue with him: “Behold” (cf. vv. 29b, 36b), here “truly /is an/ I s r a e lite¹²⁵” without “guile/trick/deceit”¹²⁶ (cf. Psalm 31:2 [LXX]; Zephaniah 3:13 versus Genesis 27:35).

v. 48: “Nathanael” was surprised, asking: “From where¹²⁷/how do you know me?” – as in verse 42c, Jesus knew “Simon, the son of John”.

“( ) Jesus (answered) … him”: “Before ( ) Philip called¹²⁸ (you),

when you were under the fig tree¹²⁹” – note the parallel with verse 50c,

“I saw you” – note the parallel with verse 50c.

v. 49: “Nathanael” declared Him in the form of a creed: “Rabbi” (v. 38e),

“You are the ‘Son of God’” (v. 34b and John 3:18; 5:25; 10:36; 11:4, 27; 19:7; 20:31) –

“You ( ) are /the/ (King¹³⁰) of I s r a e l” (cf. 12:13 and Mark 15:32; Matthew 27:42) – note the divine/transcendental/heavenly identification of Jesus as a qualitative climax to the earthly origin according to Nathanael in verse 46. Nathanael changed his mind in a positive way.

vv. 50–51: “( ) Jesus (answered) … him”: “Because I told you

I saw you” – note the parallel with verse 48f –

under the fig tree” – note the cross-reference with verse 48e –

do “you believe¹³¹”?

Jesus added His saying with a comparative:

“( ) You will see” – note the Future Singular of “horáo” – “(greater) /things than/ these.”

He substantiated His saying after an introductory statement “amen, amen, I say to you” (cf. John [3:3, 5, 11]; 5:24–25; 6:26; 32, 47, 53; 8:34, 51, 58; 10:1, 7; 12:24; 13:16, 20–21, 38; 14:12; 16:20, 23[; 21:18]) in the form of a prophecy as follows:

“You will see” – note the future plural of “horáo” – “Heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending¹³² on the ‘Son of Man’¹³³” without the seven signs on earth in 2:1–11:44.

We can resume that John the Baptist, Simon Peter and Nathanael confessed with the help of the messianic titles that “Jesus of Nazareth” (v. 46), “the son of Joseph” (v. 46) and “Rabbi” (vv. 38e, 49b), is “the Lamb of God” (vv. 29b, 36b), the “Son of God” (vv. 34b, 49b), the “Messiah” (v. 41c), the “King of Israel” (v. 49c), the “Son of Man” (v. 51e). His first disciples sought (cf. v. 38c) Him and He saw (cf. vv. 42b, 47a) and found (cf. vv. 43c, 45d) them – Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael (and an unnamed person in verse 40a): “Come and (you will) see” (in Greek “horáo” in vv. 39b, 46d) is the invitation for them and also for us nowadays. After His Resurrection, the Crucified “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (19.19) and the Risen Jesus “Christ”, the “Son of God” (20:31), sent¹³⁴ His disciples (cf. 20:19–23) on Easter Sunday in contrast to the Synoptic Gospels – note the sending of the disciples in Mark 6:7–13; Matthew 10:1, 5–14; Luke 9:1–6; 10:1–16 during Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee.

Chapter 2

The changing of water into wine during the wedding in Cana is structured as a dialogue between Jesus and His mother (cf. vv. 3–4), her and His order to the servants (cf. vv. 5, 7–8). After the description of the changing (cf. vv. 7–8), the Evangelist tells its consequences (cf. vv. 9–10) and concludes the narrative story about the wedding at Cana in Galilee with a general note (cf. v. 11). The Fourth Evangelist inserted the “transitional verse” 12 between the story of Jesus’ first “sign” in Cana (cf. vv. 1–11) and His cleaning of the Temple (cf. vv. 13–22). A note on place (v. 14a: the Temple in Jerusalem [v. 13b]) and time (v. 13: near the Jewish Passover) as an important “theological structure element”¹³⁵ of the whole Gospel (cf. 11:55) emphasizes Jesus’ action in the Temple (cf. vv. 14–16). In contrast to the Synoptic Evangelists, in John, Jesus celebrated the feast of Passover twice in Jerusalem (cf. 2:13, 23; 11:55; 12:1; 18:39) so that Jesus’ ministry was the last two or three years of the time of His life. The last Passover will be His own Passover as the “Lamb of God” (cf. John 1:29, 36; 19:14 and Exodus 12:5; Isaiah 53:7; Jeremiah 11:19), passing from this world to the God who sent Him (cf. John 13:1). In contrast to the synoptic gospels, the Evangelist of the Fourth Gospel placed this episode at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry – from Jerusalem (cf. vv. 13–25) to Jerusalem (cf. 11:55; 12:1). However, the three Synoptic Evangelists describe Jesus’ (non-verbal) action in the Temple (cf. vv. 13/14–16) and His (verbal) legitimation (cf. vv. 18–20) toward the end of His life, in face of His Passion and Death (cf. Mark 11:15–17; Matthew 21:12–13; Luke 19:45–46). Three comments by the Fourth Evangelist in verses 17, 21–22 and 23–25 – here as “transitional verses” like in verse 12 – come before and after the discussion between Jesus and the Jewish Temple authorities in Jerusalem (cf. vv. 18–20¹³⁶). The structure of John 2:13–22, 23–25 is as follows:

v. 13: Setting of Jesus’ “Temple protest action”

vv. 14–16: The Temple purification/cleansing by Jesus

v. 17: First comment of the Fourth Evangelist

vv. 18–20: Jesus’ hearing by the Jewish Temple “police” as a dialogue

vv. 21–22: Second comment of the Fourth Evangelist

vv. 23–25: Third comment of the Fourth Evangelist

2.2 From Cana to Cana (2:1–4:54)
Microstructure of John 2

2.2.1 The Marriage at Cana “on the Third Day” (vv. 1–12)

- The Setting (vv. 1–2)

Who: Jesus, His mother (vv. 1, 12), His disciples (vv. 2, 12), the servants/waiters (vv. 5, 9), the master of the banquet/head waiter (vv. 8–10), the bridegroom (v. 9), guests (v. 10 including His brothers in v. 12)

Where: “Cana in Galilee” (vv. 1a, 11)

When: during a “wedding” – “the third day” (v. 1a)

v. 1: The scene is introduced as a village “wedding”¹³⁷ feast/banquet¹³⁸ at “Cana”¹³⁹ in the north” of “Galilee”¹⁴⁰ (vv. 1a, 11a₂) on the “third day”¹⁴¹ (cf. Luke 18:33; 1 Corinthians 15:4) – according to the Jewish calendar, it has to be a Tuesday but according to the Christian calendar it is a Wednesday or is it the “seventh day” (cf. Exodus 19:16; 24:16) respectively the “Sabbath”¹⁴² because of the dating in John 1:29a, 35a, 43a? According to the Jewish law, the wedding of a virgin should take place on a Wednesday. The wedding festivities lasted far more than one day. A newly married couple did not go away for their honeymoon and they stayed at home. For a week, they kept open house for their guests and dressed in their bridal robes. They were treated like a king and a queen. “Jesus”, His “mother”¹⁴³ (v. 1b) and

v. 2: His “disciples”¹⁴⁴ followed an invitation to a (week-long festival of) wedding feast at Cana and shared the festivity and joy.

- The Dialogue between Jesus and His Mother (vv. 3–5)

After the opening scene in Cana, the dialogue between Jesus and His mother suggests the inner meaning of “(My) [hour] has not yet come [ ] ( )” (v. 4c) and prepares His “first sign” (in Greek “semeῖon” in v. 11a).

v. 3: Wine¹⁴⁵ was essential for a Jewish feast. During the feast (cf. Psalm 104:15; Sirach 31:27) – without “wine”¹⁴⁶ (vv. 3a – note the genitivus absolutus –, c, 9a, 10b, d and John 4:46) – the catastrophe/the crisis/the so-called “M(aximum) C(redible) A(ccident)” of the Jewish wedding feast happened. In this situation, Mary¹⁴⁷, His mother, informed/requested Him about the fact: “( ) [ ] They have [no] more (wine)”.

v. 4: He answered her with a query without (!) overtones of sharp refusal or angry unwillingness, but as a gentle disagreement: “(Woman/Madam¹⁴⁸), what /is between/ me and you¹⁴⁹ ( )”? – in the sense: “What do you want from me, Madam?” (cf. Mark 1:24; 5:7; Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:34; 8:28 and, for example, Judges 11:12; 2 Samuel 16:10; 19:23; 1 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 3:13; 2 Chronicles 35:21). He explained it: “(My) [hour] has not yet come [ ] ( )”. He was simply telling her to leave things to Him, that He will have His own way of dealing with the situation. His “hour”¹⁵⁰ (cf., for example, John 7:30; 8:20; 12:23; 13:1; 17:1; 19:14) is a Johannine Christological/soteriological expression for His Suffering/Death/Crucifixion on “Good Friday” and His Resurrection/Glorification on Easter Sunday in Jerusalem when He is glorified (cf. 7:38; 12:23; 13:31–32; 17:1, 5), and has not yet come during the wedding at Cana.

v. 5: Mary gave the “servants”¹⁵¹/“waiters” (in Greek “dɩákonoɩ” in vv. 5a, 9c) a piece of advice: “(Do) whatever he tells you ( )” (cf. Genesis 41:55) – note the imperative.

- The Command of the Evangelist (v. 6)

“Water”¹⁵² was required for the cleansing of the feet on entry to the house (cf. John 13:5–6) and for the washing of the (unclean) hands (cf. Mark 7:2–5/Matthew 15:2; Acts 10:14–15) according to Leviticus 15:11 and Psalm 26:6. For the Jewish purifying ceremonies (cf. John 3:25) of the Jews – note the syntagma “tòn katharɩsmòn tõn ’Ioudaíon” –, there were “six” (cf. 12:1; 19:14) “water jars/pots”¹⁵³ which could hold about 120–180 gallons or about 468/480–702/720¹⁵⁴ liters altogether.

- Jesus and the Servants/Waiters (vv. 7–8)

v. 7: Jesus gave the servants (cf. vv. 5a, 9c) the order: “Fill¹⁵⁵ the water jars with water”. They did so – under Mary’s recommendation (cf. v. 5).

v. 8: His second and third imperatives – first imperative: fill in verse 7b – are “draw out”¹⁵⁶ (cf. vv. 8b, 9 and John 4:7, 15) and “take”/“bear” (in Greek “phéro” in v. 8b, c). In this way, the servants bought the wine to the “head waiter”¹⁵⁷/“steward”/“master of the banquet/feast/ceremony”, the authorized and responsible organizer of the wedding feast.

- Jesus and the Head Waiter/Steward (vv. 9–10)

v. 9: The “head waiter” tasted the drink which should be water but it was wine. How is it possible? He did not ask the servant “where¹⁵⁸ it had come from”: but he rebuked the wine service of the “bridegroom”¹⁵⁹ (cf. 3:29) with an antithetic logic of the normal rule for serving wine:

v. 10: “Each person/everyone ( ) [serves] the good/best wine (first) [ ]

and when /guests/ are drunken¹⁶⁰ /from/ the lower /quality wine/.

/But/ you” – the bridegroom – “have saved¹⁶¹ the good/best wine until now”¹⁶² (cf., for example, Plinus, Naturalis historia XIV 91).

The answer is: The best wine came from a divine source, from Jesus, the “Son of God” (1:34b, 49b).

- The Command of the Evangelist (v. 11)

Changing water into wine at Cana was the “first sign¹⁶³” of “His glory”¹⁶⁴ (cf. 1:14; 11:4, 40) which He “revealed”¹⁶⁵/performed. The Fourth Evangelist emphasizes that Jesus’ disciples “believed in Him” (cf. 1:50d).

The quintessence of John 2:1–11 is that the guests had to drink the lower quality wine first and after Jesus’ first “sign”, the servants/waiters served them the “good/best” one (cf. v. 10e). The lack of wine was the reason for the wealth of wine though Jesus’ change of water into “good/best wine” (v. 10e) during the marriage at Cana in Galilee.

- The “Transitional” Verse (v. 12)

The Fourth Evangelist connects the narrative story of the marriage at Cana (cf. vv. 1–11) and Jesus’ cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple (cf. vv. 14–22) with a transitional verse in the form of a note of Jesus’ journey – “Itinerar”/“Reisenotiz”¹⁶⁶ – with the help of his typical phrase “after this” (in Greek “metà toũto” in v. 12a and 3:22; 5:1; 6:1; 7:1; 19:28, 38; 21:1): So Jesus,

“(His) mother ( )” (cf. vv. 1b, 3b, 5a and John 3:4, 6:42; 19:25–27; Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55 or Sure 3:45 – note also 1:45),

“(His) brothers ( )” – in the sense of “siblings”¹⁶⁷ (cf., for example, John 7:3, 5; Mark 3:21; 6:3; 1 Corinthians 9:5; Galatians 1:19) – and

“(His) disciples ( )” (vv. 2a, 11c, 17a, 22b) “went down” (cf. John 1:51e) from “Cana” (vv. 1a, 11a – about 300 metres above sea-level) to the wealthy Jewish town of “Capernaum”¹⁶⁸ (Hebrew: “village of Nahum”) near the northwest corner of the “Sea of Galilee/Tiberias”. They “stayed” only a few “days” – a short time – there.

2.2.2 Jesus’ Cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem (vv. 13–22¹⁶⁹)

- The Setting (vv. 13–14a)

Who: Jesus, the merchants (v. 14a), His disciples (vv. 17, 22), the Jewish authority/leadership of the Jerusalem Temple (vv. 18, 20)

Where: the Temple (v. 14a) in Jerusalem (v. 13b)

When: near the “Passover of the Jews” (v. 13a)

After the wedding in Cana (cf. vv. 1–11) and His stop in Capernaum (cf. v. 12) in Galilee, Jesus “went up” (cf. 1:51) to “Jerusalem”¹⁷⁰ in Judea which is between 606 and 826 metres above sea-level. The meaning of the Hebrew name “Jerusalem” is “Holy City”. It was both the political and the religious seat of the theocratic Palestine with the Temple as the Jewish centre for worship and praise of God, the “Sanhedrim”¹⁷¹ as an administrative authority and the “National Bank”¹⁷². The Temple¹⁷³ in Jerusalem was on a hill overlooking the city. Many Jewish families from all over the world would travel every year to Jerusalem during the key feasts¹⁷⁴ (cf. Exodus 23:14–17; 34:18–24; Deuteronomy 16:16–17). The temple area was always crowded during the Jewish feast¹⁷⁵ of “Passover” (one day on the 14^th Nisan) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (seven days – cf. Exodus 23:15; 34:18; Leviticus 23:4–8; Deuteronomy 16:1–8) with thousands of out-of-town visitors. The week-long festival commemorated the freeing of the Jews from slavery in Egypt (cf. Exodus 6:6–8; 12:1–13:16).

- Jesus’ Action: The Temple Purification/Cleansing by Him (vv. 14–16)

v. 14: In the context of the first action of Jesus in Jerusalem’s “Temple”¹⁷⁶, the Evangelist describes the bustle in the temple area because of the daily offering of animals in sacrifice to God like the “oxen”¹⁷⁷, “sheep”¹⁷⁸, or “doves”¹⁷⁹ (cf. v. 14) by the pilgrims. The pilgrims from other cities and countries required a faultless animal (cf. Leviticus 1:1–17; 3:1–17) for their offering, which they had to buy on the spot in the outer Temple’s court of the Gentiles because many could not bring their own sacrificial animals on their long journey. In the temple area the foreign pilgrims had to use the local money, the “Syrian” currency, so that they had to change their own money there because their coins pictured other gods and emperors, not the God YHWH. That is the reason that merchants and money-changers with the work-permission of the authority of the Temple were around the Temple. In this way, the Temple’s courtyard was like a commercial bazaar, a marketplace (cf. v. 16c), or a profane¹⁸⁰ “centre of business” (cf. v. 16) and no longer a place of worship. He protested against the secularization of the Temple. This is the starting point of the cleansing of the Temple by Jesus in verses 15–16.

v. 15: The non-verbal action of Jesus was as follows: First He “made a whip¹⁸¹ out of cords¹⁸²”, then He “drove … all”¹⁸³ animals (cf. v. 14) “out¹⁸⁴ of the temple” area (cf. Mark 11:15–16; Matthew 21:12; Luke 19:45) and was against the money-making and less against the “money changers”¹⁸⁵ (and merchants) as persons. Afterwards He “scattered¹⁸⁶ the coins¹⁸⁷” and “overturned”¹⁸⁸ the “tables”¹⁸⁹ of the money-changers.

v. 16: Jesus explained His action with the help of the quotation by the prophet Zechariah 14:21. It means that “God’s house” (cf., for example, Mark 2:26; Matthew 12:4; Luke 6:4 – Genesis 28:17, 19; Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11) is seen as a “house of prayer” (cf. Mark 11:17; Matthew 21:13; Luke 19:46) for all people(s), including the Gentiles (cf. Isaiah 56:6–7; Jeremiah 7:11).

- First Comment by the Evangelist (v. 17)

The words “the house of (my) Father ( )” in verse 16c are the catchword for the quotation of the “Hebrew Bible”¹⁹⁰, in verse 17 especially Psalm 69:9/10. Instead of the Fourth Evangelist (and maybe the “beloved disciple” John), the disciples of Jesus are interpreters of their Master’s action. In this way, Jesus is the fulfiller of the Hebrew Bible, our so-called “Old Testament”.

- Jesus’ Hearing by the Jewish “Police” of the Temple in the Form of a Dialogue (vv. 18–20)

v. 18: In the pilgrimage time, the “Temple guards” (cf. John 7:32, 45–46) as the Temple “police” or some other Jewish authority – note the general phrase “the Jews” – in Greek “hoɩ ’Ioudaῖoɩ” in verses 18a, 20a – had to interview Jesus about the permission, authority, legitimation of his agitation in the Temple’s courtyard (cf. vv. 18, 20) as it was done for John the Baptist in John 1:19–28. In this context they demanded a “sign”¹⁹¹ (cf. John 4:48; 6:30; 7:31; 9:16; 11:47 and Mark 8:11–12/Matthew 12:38–39; Luke 23:8; 1 Corinthians 1:22) from Him; they wanted to see. With His prophetical action against the money-changers and merchants around the Temple (cf. vv. 14–16) Jesus attacked the lifeblood of the aristocracy in Jerusalem and He called their business into question. This business was their means of existence and the financial basis of the authority of the Jerusalem Temple. Whoever was against the Temple had all the people of Jerusalem against him. In this way, Jesus was not only a theological rebel but He was also a political and economic revolutionary because of His political provocation and economic boycott¹⁹².

v. 19: Jesus quickly answered their question with the help of a comparison: on the one hand the “Temple”¹⁹³ (vv. 20b, 21) in Jerusalem, a building “of stone” and on the other hand Jesus as Christ’s temple “of flesh” (cf. Ezekiel 36:26) by His Risen body¹⁹⁴ (cf. Mark 14:58; 15:29; Matthew 26:61; 27:40) as a “new Temple”¹⁹⁵ – note also the contrast¹⁹⁶ of the verbs “lúo” (= to destroy) in verse 19b and “egeíro” (= to raise up) in verse 19c. For the Jewish people and for the Christians this was an important and existential (eschatological, soteriological) question after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70 A.D. After this date, the Pharisees and the synagogues had a special standing in Jewish religious life, however for the Church of Jerusalem and also the Johannine Christian community Jesus, the Crucified and Resurrected Christ, was/is their centre in the light of the Easter event. That was one reason for the antagonism between Jews and Christians. The literary style progresses from ambiguity to misunderstanding and finally to comprehension.

v. 20: The Jewish authorities rejected His mysterious comparison. Their query in verse 20 has the same structure as Jesus’ answer in verse 19, so that the structure and same words of verses 19b–c and 20b–c are the same: In this way, they contrasted the long building-time (46 years) in the first part of the question (cf. v. 20b) with the short time (“three days”) of Jesus’ comparison in the second part (cf. vv. 19c, 20c) in an antithetic¹⁹⁷ way. Jesus only used the first person Singular for His answer in the second part in verse 19c (“… and in three days I will raise it up”) in contrast to the question of the “Temple guards” the second person Singular in verse 20c (“… and ( ) in three days (you) will raise it up”) for Jesus. Their misunderstanding was that they proceeded from the rebuilding of King Herod the Great who had enlarged the Temple in Jerusalem since 20/19 B.C. as a physical action. The additional “46 years” would date to about 26/27 respectively 27/28 A.D. (cf. Luke 3:23) but in fact the rebuilding was finished in 63/64¹⁹⁸ A.D. (cf. Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews XX 219). Or is the number 46 the symbol for “ADAM” (1 + 4 + 1 + 40) according to the church father Origen¹⁹⁹?

- Second Comment by the Evangelist (vv. 21–22)

v. 21: The explanation of the Fourth Evangelist is in the light of Easter that the Risen “body” (in Greek “sõma”) of Jesus Christ is the new (spiritual) “Temple” (vv. 19b, 20b) where the Holy Spirit dwells fully (cf. John 1:32; 4:23–24; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19).

v. 22: The Evangelist’s comment suggests at the beginning of his Gospel that the passion of Jesus is also the glory of Jesus Christ because of His Resurrection at Easter in the acceptance of the Hebrew Bible (in Greek “graphé” – Scripture/s). Similar to verse 17a, His disciples – including the so-called “beloved disciple” in John 13:23; 18:15–16; 20:2–10; 21:7, 20–24 – “remembered” (in Greek “mɩmnéskomaɩ” in vv. 17a, 22b and in 14:26) all and reread the Hebrew Bible with a different interpretation (cf. 12:16; 20:9). In this way, like their Master Jesus, they were the “first Christian exegetical interpreters” of the Hebrew Bible²⁰⁰, the Jewish “Holy Scripture(s)” and our so-called “Old/First Testament” (= OT), with its three parts, in Hebrew called “TaNaK”: the Torah, the prophets (nebiim), the writings (ketubim). Their task was to tell this “Good News” to everyone and everywhere. On this point His disciples had – and all people still – have to decide about “believing” (cf. 1:50) in Jesus of Nazareth in “word” and deed and in His Resurrection for our Resurrection of the bodies, saying YES or NO to this foundation of our Christian creed as a great mystery (cf. 20:30–31).

The essence of the verses 13/14–22 is summarized with the words of the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin 1770–1843 A.D.), Brod und Wein/Bread and Wine, written in the 1804 version:

“… er kam dann selbst und nahm des Menschen Gestalt an

ein Aergerniß aber ist Tempel und Bild” –

“he would come himself and take on human appearance

a vexation is temple and image”.

2.2.3 Third Comment by the Evangelist (vv. 23–25)