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The New Daily Study Bible

New Testament
WILLIAM BARCLAY
LINDA FOSTER (EDITOR)
 

‘The only commentaries that I’ve used consistently are those written by William Barclay. They are absolutely fantastic and I wouldn’t give up my set for anything.’ Steve Chalke, Oasis Trust

‘William Barclay’s “magnum opus” is now able to delight and serve a new generation of Bible students and preachers.’ Ministry Today World-renowned for his thought-provoking Daily Study Bible series, William Barclay is one of the best-loved commentators on the Bible. His brilliant communication, down-to-earth approach and sheer enthusiasm inspire spirituality and faith among his readers. Over 7 million people worldwide have bought The Daily Study Bible series, in many languages.

New readers will find Barclay’s wide-ranging insight readily accessible in The New Daily Study Bible series. Barclay’s language has been sensitively updated, and out-of-date references have been removed. Readers familiar with his work will find it enhanced throughout with explanation of contexts, sources for quotations and other details. The revision involved William Barclay’s son Ronnie at all stages.

‘Paints pictures with words and draws you in’ – Steve Chalke

Extract

But there is a real difficulty we must face. This passage tells of the incident known as the cleansing of the Temple. John sets it right at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, while the other three gospel writers set it right at the end (Matthew 21:12–13; Mark 11: 15–37; Luke 19:45–6). This definitely needs explanation; and various explanations have been put forward.
(1) It is suggested that Jesus cleansed the Temple twice, once at the beginning and once at the end of his ministry. That is not very likely, because if he had done this staggering thing once, it is very unlikely that he would ever have had the chance to do it again. His reappearance in the Temple would have been a sign for such precautions to be taken that a repetition of it would not have been possible.
(2) It is suggested that John is right and that the other three are wrong. But the incident fits in much better at the end of Jesus’ ministry. It is the natural succession to the blazing courage of the triumphal entry and the inevitable prelude to the crucifixion. If we have to choose between John’s dating and the dating of the other three, we must choose the dating of the three.
(3) It is suggested that when John died he left his gospel not completely finished; that he left the various incidents written out on separate sheets of papyrus and not bound together. It is then suggested that the sheet containing the account of this incident got out of place and was inserted near the beginning of the manuscript instead of near the end. That is quite possible, but it involves assuming that the person who arranged the manuscript did not know the correct order, which is difficult to believe when he must have known at least some of the other gospels.
(4) We must always remember that John, as someone has said, is more interested in the truth than in the facts. He is not interested in writing a chronological biography of Jesus but supremely interested in showing Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah. It is probable that John was thinking back to the great prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. ‘And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight – indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap . . . he will purify the descendants of Levi . . . until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years’ (Malachi 3:1–4).
© William Barclay

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