John 2:12-22
12After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
13The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
15And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."
17His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."
18So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?"
19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
20The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?"
21But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
22When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Zeal for Your house has consumed me is quoted from Psalm 69:9.

Mark’s account of Jesus’ “cleansing of the temple” places it at the end of His earthly ministry immediately following His entry into Jerusalem on donkey-back (Mark 11). John’s account is at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The similarity of the incidences and of the Pharisees question “by what authority…” (which took place the next day in Mark’s account but as a result of Jesus’ actions in John’s account) makes confusion about the two accounts easy and leads many to view the two accounts as the same event. The difference in timeline makes it clear that these are two similar but separate events.

Jesus was acting as the caretaker son watching over his father’s house in his father’s absence. The Pharisees were asking Him to give an account for His actions. One must have a certain level of authority to perform these deeds and make the statements which Jesus was making.

The temple was a foreshadow of Jesus in that God fully dwelt within Jesus as God had only dwelt within the Tabernacle and Temple thus far. When the Holy of Holies was properly cleansed, God dwelt there and was visible as His cloud of Glory. This presence had not dwelt within a man until Jesus. Jesus was displaying Himself as the fulfillment of the foreshadow in His statement to destroy “this temple”. He was referring to Himself but because of their blindness, the Pharisees thought He was talking about the temple building.

Money changing and selling of animals to be given as sacrifices needed to take place. God had given provision for those who lived far away to bring money and purchase animals to sacrifice one they arrived. This alleviated the need to carry or transport animals long distances. No business should have been being transacted within the temple precincts. Jesus’ words in reply to the Jews who challenged His authority was not a defense of His actions but a challenge of the current sacrificial system. Jesus’ came to abolish their current method of worship through sacrificing animals.