Misreading John2:16?

a/k/a Maybe Your Education Wing is NOT sacred?

Warning: this one gets a bit bibley

When I talk to faith communities about how they might be able to generate revenue from their property, several points of resistance typically come up. One is the general resistance to change that is common in these cultures, but another is the commonly held notion that the building is somehow consecrated, meaning that any use that is not directly religious is somehow, well, sacrilegious. In Christian communities, this fear comes from what I believe is a misreading of the well-known passage about the cleansing of the temple (which is related in all four Gospels but given a slightly different slant in John’s version). I hope you’ll join me as I dive into why.

Before we get into the textual specifics, we need to acknowledge that any Bible we are reading from is a translation of a translation of what was originally an oral history, so any attempt to claim it as literal word-by-word truth is misguided at best. Further, while this essay relies on solid scholarship, it is nonetheless my opinion. But there are many scholars that have devoted their careers to interpreting the original texts, so I think we can defer to the experts on a few points that I hope can lead us to a healthy conclusion.

As with most such journeys, all roads lead back to the Old Testament, which is where Jewish Law is established (lest we not forget that Jesus was Jewish). The Torah lays out all the rules and requirements for ritual sacrifice – what, where, when and how. But the last of the five books also gives the faithful a bit of breathing room for those who might not live around the corner from the temple. Specifically, the Book of Deuteronomy provides for the devoted to carry cash instead of the sheep and the doves and buy what they need when they get to the temple [i][ii]. Which means that the merchandise sales that went on outside the temple had a legitimate purpose[iii], and the law allowed for the seller to earn a modest profit for their efforts.[iv] [v]

For the next point, you need to remember that Jesus lived under the rules of the Roman Empire, and their notorious system of taxes. By Roman Law, general commerce and the payment of the various taxes had to be made using Roman currency. But the Temple dues had to be paid using Jewish currency, so there was a need for a currency exchange (much like what you see in the airport if you travel overseas).[vi] But, once again, that function, when being performed honestly, is – pardon the expression - completely kosher.

Now, consider that many of the obedient were coming from substantial distances, certainly from different local cultures and perhaps not even speaking the same language, leaving opportunities for overcharging and/or cheating on the part of the merchants, who might take advantage of the rubes from the sticks [vii]. That temptation was exacerbated by the requirements that the sacrifices meet certain standards of purity, opening up the possibility of premium pricing for items that were certified as preapproved – a situation that would also allow for a little something to be handed to the priest from the merchant.[viii]

The last logistical matter that I need to point out is that money changers held the various currencies in chests (much like the cash drawers we see in stores and banks today). It was only on the table itself that the deals were done[ix]. So, what Jesus was objecting to was not commercial activity, but the abuse of the system by dishonest actors.

But even if he was saying that the entire temple should be kept holy, he was talking about THE temple. El Templo Grande. La casa de Herodes, ex Solomon’s porch[x]. – Not the Church of the Redeemer and Holy Comforter on the corner of York and 25^th or any one of the 350,000 plus churches that currently exist amongst the 200 plus denominations in the U.S. alone. (For comparison, there are 13,400 McDonalds and about 16,000 Starbucks.)[xi]

And if you don’t buy that argument from me, you may want to consider the words of the great reformer, John Calvin, who observed directly that “the same arguments do not apply today to our buildings of public worship; but what is said about the ancient temple applies properly and strictly to the church”[xii].

All of this leads me to think that I’m on pretty solid ground when I say that God is not likely to smite you if you rent out your kitchen to a food truck that needs a place to do their prep work; or lease your education space to a day care center or a music school; or take a yoga studio as a tenant in your fellowship hall.

I could go on for days discussing why I think that congregations are reluctant to take these simple steps towards enhancing their revenue, but that’s a topic for another day. But thinking that the entire building is sacred space, holy and not to be used in any other way, may be a bit of a misread.

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[i] Deut. 14:24-25

[ii] Christensen, D. L. (2001). Deuteronomy 1:1-21:9, revised ([Second edition.]). Thomas Nelson Publishers.

[iii] Calvin, J. (1949). Commentary on a harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke (; W. Pringle, Trans.). W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.

[iv] Lightfoot, J. (1979). A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica, Matthew -- I Corinthians: Place names in the Gospels. United States: Baker Book House.

[v] Cajetan, T. d. V. (2014). On Exchange and Usury. Germany: Christian's Library Press.

[vi] DeBloois, N. (1996). coins in the New Testament. Brigham Young University Studies, 36(3), 239-251.

[vii] Hendriksen, W. (1973). Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. United States: Baker Books

[viii] Hendriksen, W. (1983). Exposition of the Gospel According to John. United States: Baker Book House.

[ix] Lightfoot, J. (1979). A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica, Matthew -- I Corinthians: Place names in the Gospels. United States: Baker Book House.

[x] Cohen, S. I. D. (1998). "The Temple at Jerusalem and Its Culture." Frontline. Retrieved 8-2-25.

[xi] Burge, R. (2025). "Graphs about Religion ". Retrieved 8/4/25, from https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/.

[xii] John calvin trans William pringle vol 3. Calvin, J., Pringle, W., & Calvin Translation Society. (1847). Commentary on the Gospel according to John. Baker Book House. (P. 93)