Theological Perspective What comes toward the end of the story in the Synoptic Gospels comes near the beginning of John’s account. Scholars disagree about whether the Synoptic or Johannine chronology is correct, but their debate may be beside the point. The theological significance of John’s placement is more important than chronological precision. The cleansing of the temple occurs directly after the first of seven accentuated “signs” in John’s Gospel, all of which are explicitly christological.