John's Gospel places Jesus cleansing the Temple at the very beginning of His ministry. Matthew, Mark, and Luke place it at the very end. At first glance, this looks like an irreconcilable contradiction — but is it?
In this episode, I walk through the three most common solutions scholars have proposed: that one of the Gospel writers simply got it wrong, that John rearranged the event for theological reasons, or that Jesus actually cleansed the Temple on two separate occasions.
I'll examine the chronological evidence, the key differences between John's account and the Synoptics, and the objections that have been raised and make the case that Jesus actually cleansed the temple twice — once at the beginning of His earthly ministry and once at the end.
You can read this article to follow along more closely on the website.
Get a free trial of Logos at ReasonableTheology.org/Logos
Support the show
GET THE NEWSLETTER
Each edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS:
- A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and Clearly
- A Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church History
- Audio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to Enjoy
- A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library
SUBSCRIBE HERE
