This paper argues that Mk 11.17, the climactic pericope of Jesus’ disruption of commercial activity going on in the Temple, provides the surest footing for dating the earliest Gospel. The objection to currency conversion and the selling of animals—activities that would have facilitated the Temple’s ostensible function as a place of sacrifice and collection point for the annual half-shekel donation—seems odd. The Synoptic tradition has Jesus juxtaposing portions of Isaiah 56.7 and Jeremiah 7.11. By contrast, the Johannine Jesus quotes no scripture and prescinds from defining the Temple’s proper function. Applying literary and historical methodologies, the author argues that Jesus’ Temple saying reflects an awareness and condemnation of events connected with the outbreak of the Jewish revolt against Rome in the summer of 66, underscoring the impact of the Jewish War upon the form, content, and perspective of the narrative.