One perspective from which to read John’s Gospel is to follow Jesus as he walks through the Temple. Throughout his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus is ending the old Temple system by fulfilling its purpose.
John’s purpose in this is fairly clear from the beginning. The eternal Word who dwelt with God and was God “became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1.14). Jesus equates his own body with the Temple, telling the Jews to destroy it, and he will raise it up in three days (Jn 2.19).
The whole of the Gospel can be read as a trip from the outer court into the Holy of Holies and beyond. In John 1—5 we find ourselves with Jesus in the courtyard with the bronze altar and laver of cleansing. Jesus is declared by John to be the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” the sin offering that will be offered upon the altar. We also see the laver in Jesus’ baptism, the sign of the water being turned to wine at Cana, the woman at the well, and the man healed at the Pool of Bethesda.
In chapter 6 we move into the Holy Place, there to find the Table of Facebread, the lampstand, and the golden altar of incense. In John 6 Jesus feeds the five thousand with bread, speaks about light throughout chapters 8—13, and offers his high priestly prayer as incense in chapter 17.
Jesus’ royal entry into Jerusalem is in “the Holy Place.” It is no coincidence that the people greet the King of Israel with palm branches. The walls of Solomon’s Temple had engravings, not only of cherubim and open flowers, but of palm trees (1Kg 6.29). Yahweh is not only enthroned above the cherubim, but he is also enthroned above the branches of palm trees.
However, if we were to think of Yahweh riding on the tops of palms, we would generally think of him descending from his heavenly throne down to the earth. But the movement of the Incarnate Word is an ascent to the heavenly throne. Jesus is riding toward his enthronement.
When he is enthroned we will see his glory. The veil will be torn. The olive doors will be swung open. That which was hidden from the eyes of the world will be then be seen: a bloody throne and a gory God.
Ride on, King Jesus!
