
The episode of the cleansing of the Temple -- as found in the Synoptics -- appears as one of the first things Jesus does upon his entrance into Jerusalem. Matthew and Luke, following Mark present the cleansing as the beginning of the end of the Jerusalem which in 70 AD will be utterly destroyed by the Romans (click on the image above for the Synoptic version of the episode). Jesus, the Son of Man, has come to bring judgment upon the leaders of Judaism and the Temple, symbol of a religious piety that has been emptied of its true meaning. In John's gospel, the evangelist transposes the episode at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, in the Book of Signs. Here, the disciples' mention of the resurrection (v. 22) connects the episode to Jesus' Hour and his glorification.

