Source: Brian Neil Peterson, John’s Use of Ezekiel: Understanding the Unique Perspective of the Fourth Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2015), 99–128.
Placement of the Cleansing of the Temple.wav
This podcast argues that John's Gospel intentionally places the cleansing of the temple early in Jesus' ministry, unlike the other Gospels, to draw parallels with the prophet Ezekiel's visions. By positioning this event at the beginning, John highlights themes of judgment, the rejection of Jesus, and the foreshadowing of his death and resurrection as the new temple, mirroring Ezekiel's depiction of God's departure from the defiled temple and the subsequent destruction. The author points to specific details unique to John's account that align with Ezekiel, suggesting John’s structural and thematic choices were influenced by Ezekiel's prophecy about the departure of God's glory and the coming destruction.
The story is one of the most famous in the Gospels: Jesus, filled with righteous anger, enters the Jerusalem temple, overturns the tables of the money-changers, and drives out those selling animals for sacrifice. It’s a moment of dramatic confrontation.
In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this event happens at the very end of Jesus's ministry. It’s the final straw for the religious authorities, the act that serves as the immediate trigger for his arrest and crucifixion. But in the Gospel of John, we find this explosive story placed right at the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry. This is perhaps the most obvious and puzzling difference between John and the other Gospels.
Was this a simple mistake, a chronological error in the tradition? Or did John have a much deeper, more profound reason for this dramatic change? As biblical scholarship shows, John's placement was a deliberate and brilliant narrative choice—a decision that unlocks the meaning of his entire Gospel. Here are four surprising takeaways that reveal his purpose.