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It appears that this is the time that Jesus moved His
family from Nazareth to Capernaum. The family was relocating, and Capernaum would become their home. Since His “assumed-to-be” father,
Joseph, was not mentioned, it appears that he is already dead. A few days later they travelled south to Jerusalem
for the Passover.
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (NASB) John 2:13 In Jerusalem. Since Capernaum is on the coastline of the Sea of Galilee, which is about 686 ft (209 m) below sea level, and since Jerusalem is at a higher altitude of about 2,300 ft (701 m), we are told that Jesus went “up” to Jerusalem. Passover occurs one time each year in the Jewish month of Nisan, which can occur in either late March or April. This means that the wedding at Cana probably occurred in March. The temperatures would have been about 60-70 deg. Fahrenheit (15-21 deg. Celsius).
And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. (NASB) John 2:14
After Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover, He went to the temple. We call the temple King Herod’s
temple since King Herod started the construction work. Sometimes it is also called the second temple, since
King David built the first one.
Court of the Gentiles. When Jesus arrived at the temple, He saw animals in the Court of the Gentiles (see the graphics on page 5). It must have looked like a barnyard with animals standing and moving, the cows mooing, the sheep bleating, the doves cooing, and with animal droppings here and there. The animals were there for the purpose of being sold by “salesmen” to pilgrims who had come for the Passover Feast who also wanted to offer a sacrifice. The animals were sold by priests who served at the temple. They would encourage the pilgrims to buy their products. We can only imagine if the “salesmen” had signs or if they were loudly encouraging others to buy. With hundreds of people in the court, it must have seemed like a circus. |
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| Life & Heart of Jesus | |||||
