John 2:12

John 2:12 says.  After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.  We see Jesus begin to move forth in His ministry.  We are told the miracle at Cana, turning water to wine, was the beginning of the miracles He did, and it manifested His glory.  When Jesus performs a miracle in our life, we benefit, but His glory should be magnified.  His disciples believed in Him.  They had just started following Him and He had just started His public ministry, but they believed in Him.  No matter how new we are to the Christian faith, we can always believe that God wants the best for us.  Jesus left Cana for Capernaum with His mother, His brethren and His disciples. They were there not many days.  Jesus never leaves us behind when we are following Him.  We may run ahead with our own plans, but if we are truly following, He will always be with us through the Holy Spirit.  Verse thirteen adds, And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Since the Passover was at hand, Jesus went to Jerusalem.  Verse fourteen continues, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: When He went to the Temple, He found it full of corruption.  The religious leaders were making money off those who came to worship.  We today need to make sure that we do not turn the church into anything but a place of worship.  We do not gather to be entertained, but to worship and learn more about being a follower of Christ in today's world.  We should go away uplifted and inspired.  Verse fifteen states, And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; Jesus took a small scourge and drove out those that sold oxen and doves and the money changers who were profiting from the worshippers who came to the Temple.  If we see anything going on in the church that not only does not glorify God but dishonors Him, we need to drive it out.  Verse sixteen adds, And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.  Jesus said they had made His Father's house a house of merchandise.  We need to make sure that the church remains a sanctuary for sinners, not a gathering place for making money or simply socializing.  Verse seventeen continues, And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.  After Jesus had cleansed the Temple of those who were perverting it, His disciples remembered a scripture that they referred to from Psalms 69:9  "The zeal for Thine house hath eaten Me up.”  When we see something being done in the name of the Lord, we must make sure it is consistent with what the Bible teaches.  Verse eighteen says, Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? The Jews asked Jesus, since He had done this, what sign could He show them of His authority to do so.  The fact that the temple was cleansed should have been their focus, not the question of authority.  Matthew Henry says that the fact that they all left when Jesus drove them out should have been a sign of divine power at work.  We do not need to feel threatened in our relationship to God if someone else does a good work for.  We simply need to thank God it was done.